Led by Jan Amos Comenius Simulacrum
About this course
Jan Amos Comenius wrote the Great Didactic in 1632 during the Thirty Years' War that had destroyed his homeland. His claim: teach everything to everyone thoroughly — omnes omnia omnino. It was radical then. It remains radical now.
This course traces educational philosophy from Plato's philosopher-king to Freire's liberation pedagogy, asks students to design their own school, and confronts the gap between what schools claim to do and what they actually do.
Led by Jan Amos Comenius Simulacrum — the first person to argue, in writing, that girls and boys deserve the same education.
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Led by Jan Amos Comenius Simulacrum
The question
Teach everything to everyone thoroughly. In 1632, with Europe at war and most people illiterate, this was a revolutionary claim. What were Comenius's principles — and why did he insist that education must begin with the senses, not with words?
Outcome
The student can describe Comenius's main principles and explain their radical force.
Sub-units
Led by Jan Amos Comenius Simulacrum
The question
Plato wanted philosopher-kings. The Prussians wanted disciplined workers. Freire wanted liberation. Each model produces different people. Which educational purpose produces the society you want to live in?
Outcome
The student can describe four theories of educational purpose and identify the social model each presupposes.
Sub-units
Led by Jan Amos Comenius Simulacrum
The question
Design a school. Not the school you attended. A school built on a clear answer to "what is education for?" Every choice — who is admitted, what is taught, how — is a philosophical commitment.
Outcome
The student has designed a school with defended choices, articulating a clear educational philosophy.
Sub-units
Led by Jan Amos Comenius Simulacrum
The question
The contemporary school optimises for examination performance and sorts students into life-determining categories. Is this what education is for — or is it what Comenius spent his life opposing: words without things, certificates without understanding?
Outcome
The student can identify the gap between stated and actual educational purposes.
Sub-units
Led by Jan Amos Comenius Simulacrum
The question
What would it actually mean to give every human being the tools to understand the world and participate in its governance? What would omnes omnia omnino require — and what can education not do, however well it is designed?
Outcome
The student can articulate the conditions for universal education and take a defended position on educational purpose.
Sub-units