In this conversation, Chris Evans, the VPAA of the University of Saint Thomas, introduces us to the world and thought of Hugh of St. Victor (c. 1096--1141). Focusing on the “map” of study proposed in his "Didascalicon," we discover the integration of the theoretical and practical disciplines with mechanical skills, and the weaving together of the seven liberal arts both with ethical and political formation, and the acquisition of the necessary skills for life (which at the time including hunting and armor making).  Complementing this in Hugh’s vision is a devotion to prayer, the liturgy, and the sacraments. And all of these—studies in the classroom and formation outside of the classroom—are oriented to Wisdom, the second person of the Trinity.

Hugh of St. Victor’s soteriological orientation of education would also become the normative vision for Catholic education to this day: Catholic education ultimately aims at human salvation, “the restoration of the likeness of God in humanity.”

In the second half of the conversation, we take up the question, “Why the Core?,” the role of theology in liberal learning, and how we can form faculty and administrators for the unique mission of Catholic liberal education.

Links of Potential Interest:

The Didascalicon of Hugh of Saint Victor: A Medieval Guide to the Arts

Josef Pieper, What Does "Academic" Mean?

"UST Renews Core Curriculum"

St. Thomas Aquinas, The Division and Methods of the Sciences

Pope Saint John Paul II, Fides et Ratio

Pope Benedict, "Address to Catholic Educators"