The Classical Liberal Arts Academy will be adding many video lectures prepared to support students in the study of the classical Catholic curriculum. These lectures are designed to explain the content of course lessons in a clear and orderly manner, so that students may not only complete their assignments, but also understand challenging concepts as they study master texts in th seven liberal arts, philosophy, theology and the humanities.
The purpose of these lectures is to provide students with clear and faithful explanations of their lessons, so that they may understand the content in an orderly and complete way. Each lecture is directed toward helping students grasp the meaning of the text, follow the reasoning of the author, and see how the parts of the lesson are united in a coherent whole. In this way, the lectures serve the larger goal of forming the mind in accordance with truth, guiding students toward a deeper understanding of the philosophical and theological principles that underlie the Academy’s curriculum.
These lectures are not intended to replace the careful reading of primary texts. Rather, they are meant to guide students in that reading. Each lecture explains the structure of the lesson, defines important terms, and provides a reasoned interpretation of the text. In this way, students are helped to understand not only what the author says, but why it is said, and how each part contributes to the whole. This method enables students to approach difficult works with greater confidence and clarity.
Another important purpose of these lectures is to assist students in mastering their courses. The explanations provided help students retain key concepts, recognize the logical order of arguments, and prepare for written and oral assessments. By following the lectures carefully, students can develop the habits of attention and reasoning that are necessary for success in the liberal arts.
The lectures also provide a form of recorded instructional time. In a traditional classroom, a teacher’s explanations guide the student through the lesson and provide a measure of academic engagement. These published lectures serve a similar function. They make it possible to ensure that students receive structured instruction and that their progress may be measured according to the time and effort devoted to study. Note that lectures will be of long duration intentionally, that students may satisfy instructional time requirements used for modern school credit calculations.
Finally, these lectures are intended to deepen the student’s understanding of the master texts that form the heart of the Academy’s curriculum. Works of Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas, and other classical authors require careful and patient study. With proper guidance, students learn to read these texts not as isolated passages, but as parts of a coherent intellectual tradition ordered toward the knowledge of truth.
This approach differs in a fundamental way from what is falsely called the “Socratic method” in many modern schools and colleges. In those settings, students are often presented with a text and then led into open-ended discussion without first being given a clear and authoritative explanation of its meaning. The teacher refrains from instructing directly, and the lesson is treated as a matter for personal interpretation. As a result, students may leave with impressions or opinions, but without a firm grasp of the author’s intention or the objective truth contained in the text. There is nothing “classical” or “Scholastic” about this method whatever. It was never used in schools or universities.
The method employed in these lectures proceeds in a different order. It begins by establishing the context of each reading and showing students the arrangement of ideas in the text. The text is explained line by line, with its terms are defined, and its arguments followed step by step. The goal is not to invite speculation, but to clarify understanding. Once the meaning of the text has been established, students are then in a position to ask questions, reflect more deeply, and engage in discussion in an intelligent and disciplined way.
In the modern approach, discussion is said to lead to understanding, which, if true, would suggest no schools were needed at all — and certainly not schools with high tuition. In a truly classical approach, discussion follows understanding. This difference is essential. Without first knowing what a text actually says and means in its context, conversation cannot lead to truth, but only to confusion. Lectures in the CLAA, therefore, restore the proper order of learning by placing instruction before inquiry, and by treating the text not as an occasion for opinion, but as a source of knowledge to be received, understood, and mastered.
Through the publication of these lectures, the Classical Liberal Arts Academy seeks to provide students with a stable and reliable guide for their studies, one that is faithful to Catholic tradition. The goal is not only the completion of lessons, but the pursuit of Truth, which is the ultimate end of learning.
Mr. William C. Michael, O.P.
Headmaster
Classical Liberal Arts Academy
