CULTIVATING INDIVIDUALITY

Catalog description

Talk about “individuality”, about being (or becoming) “yourself” is all around us. But what exactly does this mean? What is genuine individuality, and how can we develop it, in ourselves (though self-development) and in others (by designing appropriate educational institutions)? What is the relationship between being an individual and being a part of society? Is there a tension between the non-conformism often associated with genuine individuality on the one hand, and the demands of community and good citizenship, on the other? Can educational institutions be designed to fulfill both those demands (to the extent they are distinct)? And how might oppressive social institutions hinder the development of “individuality”? In this course, we will explore these and related questions by drawing on both the classics of philosophy of education (Plato, Rousseau, Nietzsche, Dewey, Du Bois), and on relevant literary material that is in conversation with the philosophical texts (Rilke, Tolstoy, Woolf)