First Schumacher Prospectus
FIRST SCHUMACHER PROSPECTUS
E.F Schumacher is best known for his book Small Is Beautiful, whose title has passed into the language as a charm against all that is dehumanising in industrial societies. He also launched the idea of an “intermediate technology” as a remedy for the innapropriate application of advanced Western technology in the Third World.
Schumacher was convinced that the Western way of life would be destryoed by its inherent contradictions. Suspicious of panaceas, he sought to develop modest initiatives based on what he called the human-scale, conjoining the spiritual and the practical. The College that now bears his name seeks to promote those human values in which Schumacher so passionately believed; it is a tribute to his achievement.
THE UNIQUE CHARACTER OF THE COLLEGE
Schumacher College seeks to recover for its students a sense of the wholeness of life and learning. To that end, the essential relationship between reflection, the study of first principles and action is sustained by:
the outstanding calibre of the Scholars-in-Residence in whose company students live and work
the attention paid to the structure of the courses so that issues of immediate concern are brought into sharp focus
the special quality of the environment of Dartington Hall and the Old postern complex where the courses are held
Whatever your background, whether or not you hold professional qualifications, you will find time spent on “active retreat” at Schumacher College especially valuable:
If you want to understand what lies behind economic, social and political attempts to create a more sustainable society.
If you would like to contribute to a long-term inquiry into the condition of contemporary culture if you are already engaged in work that has an impact on the shape of society and the behaviour of people in the community
If you believe that the dynamics of personal, social and cultural change are inextricably bound together
THE COLLEGE CONTEXT
Schumacher College gives heed to those cultures where wisdom has been the ordinary product of interaction between intellectual understanding, respect for the earth and a sense of the sacred. The work of the College therefore finds expression in a residential and spiritual context. Course members and Core Faculty together make a practical contribution to certain aspects of College life, including gardening, cleaning and cooking. Attention is paid to these minute particulars because they are acknowledged to be essential constituents of the meditative spirit in which the College is founded. Opportunities are provided for celebration through involvement in the arts, conservation, yoga, dance and Tai Chi. There are also regular film, theatre and music events on the larger Dartington campus.
THE MAIN COURSE
Courses are distinguished by the presence of a leading figure in the arts, humanities, sciences or spiritual practices, a Scholar-in-Residence, who contributes a series of seminars. The particular interest of the Scholar-in-Residence thus provides the theme out of which the special identity of each course develops. At different times course themes include studies of aspects of deep ecology, science and religion, social and rural development, the arts, transformation and sustainable economics. In selecting a Main Course from the programme a student identifies the main research topic for his or her time at the College. Core and Associate Faculty members enlarge upon the subjects chosen by Scholars-in-Residence.
FOUNDATION STUDIES
The Core Faculty, supplemented by visiting lecturers, presents Foundation Studies, which provide a continuous context for the Main Course themes. At different times of year Foundation Studies could include: the history of contemporary ideas, relating global crises to the movement of modern thought comparative approaches to physical, mental and spiritual health the role of the imaginative arts in the developtment of ecological and spiritual understanding developments in the sciences, with particular reference to the significance of mind and awareness in human consciousnes and the physical universe
TIMETABLE AND TUTORIAL SUPPORT
The timetable varies from course to course, but each weekday normally starts with a period of silence, and includes seminars by the Scholar-in-Residence, study/tutorial time, and practical work. In the vital business of constructing and pursuing study programmes that meet individual needs, students are assisted by a personal tutor chosen from the Core Faculty. At the beginning of each course, students are helped to create a personal timetable and guidance is always available. Participants are also encouraged to keep a course diary - a private record of thoughts, feelings and insights.
ACCREDITATION
Everyone who completes a course recieves a Certificate of Attendance. This will include details of any particular work undertaken. Students engaged in relevant study or research, independently or in association with another institution, are encouraged to make enquiries about the possibilitiy of long-term residence. Links with sympathetic institutions in Europe and the United States are being developed. Since the aim of the College is to engender in its students a clearer sense of purpose and meaning, assesment is not a primary consideration. Nevertheless, to give their work focus, it is normally expected that students produce by the end of the course some tangible evidence of their inquiry. The form this may take is extremely flexible, and is usually developed in consultation with personal tutors. Sometimes groups of students, or even the entire membership of a course collaborate on a joint project. Whatever individuals decide, their activities are not assesesed unless in response to a request for feedback, or as part of an accreditation agreement with another institution.
BELIEF AND THE COLLEGE
Because the issues raised during courses are of great importance and can seldom be separated from questions of personal transformation, students must expect to find the work emotionally as well as intellectually demanding. However, Schumacher College does not teach any particular, reassuring system of belief; nor is it a therapeutic or counselling centre. It encourages open inquiry and a high level of mutual support.
THE OLD POSTERN
Schumacher College has as its campus the house and grounds of the Old Postern, for centuries the Dartington pasonage, parts of which date from 1380. Among former residents were the botanical illustrator William Keble Martin, author of A Concise English Flora, and members of the Froude family who made a notable contribution to the intellectual life of Victorian Britain. In recent years the buildings have been extended and refurbished for use as a conference centre. Facilities include a library, a licensed bar, spacious gardens and pleasant teaching, dining and study rooms, some with high beamed ceilings and galleries. Bedroom accommodation is provided in comfortable single rooms with wash basins.
The Old Postern is part of the 800-acre Dartington Hall Estate in South Devon. It stands close to extensive valley woodland and is a short walk from the fourteenth century Courtyard and splendid landscaped gardens of Dartington Hall. The historic Elizabethan town of Totnes. Dartmoor and the sea all lie within a radius of a few miles, and the cities of Plymouth and Exeter, both of which have airports, are within easy reach. There is a regular train service from London to Totnes; motorways acces is via the A38 dual-carriageway which passes within five miles of Dartington.
DARTINGTON HALL
The Dartington Hall trust was founded in 1925 by Leonard and Dorothy Elmhirst, who were inspired by the words of Rabindranath Tagore. Foreseeing many aspects of our contemporary predicament, the Elmhirsts set out to create on the Estate the physical and spiritual fabric for a sustainable and meaningful life. During the 1930’s they drew around them many outstanding artists, including the Ballet Joons who had fled Nazi Germany and Micheal Chekhov, a pupil of Stanislavsky from the Moscow Arts Theatre. The potter Bernard Leach and the painters Mark Tobey and Cecil Collins produced some of their most important work here; Imogen Holst inspired music making of the highest quality. In 1949 a Summer School of Music, founded by Sir William Glock, was also established at Dartington; it subsequently attracted some of the greatest moden musicians including Stravinsky, Poulenc Britten, Lutoslawski, Tippet and Maxwell Davies.
Education remains a fundamental concern. Dartington College of Arts offers degree courses in Art and Design, Theatre and Music, each with an emphasis on the place of the arts at the centre of community life. The Trust also sponsors a continuous programme of talks, seminars and workshops. In spring the annual Dartington Conference is held in the Great Hall. Among those who have visited in recent years are Wendell Berry, David Bohm, Fritjof Capra, James Hillman, Pir Vilayat Khan, R.D.Laing, John Lilly and Kathleen Raine. Philosophers-in-resdience have included Henryk Skolimowski, and, more briefly, Gregory Bateson.
Whether it is in terms of intellectual and emotional stimulation, spiritual refreshment, multi-cultural vitality or the peace and repose of a great reural estate, Dartington continues to offer an exceptional setting for radical experiment, Schumacher is an extension of the energy of all who have been drawn to Dartington by its constellation of activities or reputation as a place of learning.
