Thoreau College

Thoreau College models a transformative liberal arts curriculum that immerses students in authentic community, shared labor and governance, and rigorous engagement with great works and natural phenomena.

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Vision

Thoreau College understands liberal arts education to be fundamentally concerned with the cultivation of free human beings who have the capacity to impart direction and meaning to their lives and bring about positive transformation in the world.

Core values

 In our striving to realize an education that meets the needs of the whole human being–body, soul and spirit–we have been deeply informed by the lives and work of Henry David Thoreau (author of Walden), Rudolf Steiner (founder of Waldorf education), and LL Nunn (founder of Deep Springs College).

Program

2-year liberal arts curriculum

Practices

  • Academics: Through reading and discussions of key texts and ideas drawn from world literature and philosophy, contemporary thinkers, and ancient wisdom traditions from many cultures, as well as experiential studies of plants, animals, landscapes, and natural phenomena, students explore key questions about the relationships between human beings and the natural world, between the individual and the community, and spirituality and science.

  • Labor: During the course of each week, students learn and practice a wide variety of practical skills related to living a meaningful and self-sufficient life in the context of our small community. Labor activities include cooking and food preservation, gardening, livestock husbandry, greenhouse work, building maintenance, cleaning, carpentry, service work in the wider community, as well as administrative tasks supporting the life of the college.

  • Community: Thoreau College is not simply an academic institution – it is also a self-governing and mutually supportive multi-generational learning community. From the beginning of the year, all students participate in weekly governance meeting of the student body and all students serve alongside staff and other community members on a number of governance circles managing all aspects of the organization, including curriculum and program design, fundraising and promotion, recruitment and admissions, development of Thoreau College enterprises, and the daily logistics of food, facilities, transportation, and scheduling.

  • Art: Throughout the semester, students participate in a wide variety of fine arts workshops such as creative writing, singing, theater, and speech, visual arts, and folk arts such as carving, fiber arts, basketry, and more. In addition to core arts activities, students have the option of participating in community workshops offered by the Driftless Folk School, our community education branch, in folk arts, homesteading skills, and wilderness skills.

  • Nature: Individual and group immersions in nature are a core part of each semester program and include week-long group wilderness expeditions across the changing seasons, as well as solo experiences ranging from 24 hours to 5 days. Skills in canoeing, hiking, shelter building, fire building, teamwork, wilderness safety and survival are all cultivated through these profoundly transformative expeditionary learning activities.

Resources