The Academy Podcast

In this inaugural episode of Lyceum Conversation Starters, Andrew first explains the idea behind the series, and then explores the inaugural topic: Advent. This is the first of a series called "Lyceum Conversation Starters" wherein Andrew will discuss certain topics in a more abbreviated fashion. Stay tuned for more episodes in the future!

In this episode, Andrew talks with Alex Burdge, teacher of humanities at the Rhetoric School, about teaching Homer's Iliad, the ancient poem of war, as a veteran of war himself. We also talk about T. S. Eliot, the University of Kansas, classical guitar, and the role of Critical Theory in Alex's journey toward faith. Included in the episode are lengthier quotations from Robert Fagle's English translation of Homer's Iliad as well as a few mentions of a book by Timothy Patitsas, The Ethics of Beauty. A brief word of caution, this episode may be inappropriate for especially young listeners, as it deals with the experience of war, including some violent and disturbing images.

Welcome to season 6 of Lyceum Conversations! In this episode, Andrew gives an overview of episodes you can expect to hear over the course of 2023-24. We're very excited about what we have lined up, and we certainly hope you will find it informative and interesting as we explore Classical Christian Education at The Academy.

In this episode, Andrew speaks with Josh Spears, Chair of Theology and principal of the Academy's South Campus, about theology, about prayer, about the ground of all learning, and about cabinetry. This is the second in a series of conversations about Classical Christian Education at the Academy.

Eric, Nathan and Josh. Special Guests. Nonsense. Pretentious Accessibility. It’s all back. We promise. More episodes. We’ll give the clamoring crowds what they want. Stay tuned.

In this episode, Andrew speaks with Jeff Bilbro, associate professor of English at Grove City College and the editor-in-chief of Frontporch Republic, about one of his books, Reading the Times: A Literary and Theological Inquiry Into the News and an upcoming, related project. There's also conversation about technology, experiencing nature, 19th century America, and Jeff's boat, "The Brain of Hannah." ---- Theme Music: "Camelot Monastery" by Darren Curtis

In this episode, Andrew speaks with Anne Bradford, Chair of Languages at the Academy and a Latin teacher at North Campus Dialectic, about Latin at the Academy, about memory, about song, and about knitting circles. This is the second in a series of conversations about Classical Christian Education at The Academy. ---- Theme Music: "Camelot Monastery" by Darren Curtis

In this episode of Lyceum Conversations, Andrew Black, Lyceum Director and teacher at the Academy's Midtown Campus and the new Lyceum Director, tells you about himself. We'd love to hear what you think. Do you want to hear more content like this? We have more long-form interviews upcoming so be on the lookout. Email us anytime at: TheAcademyPodcastOK@gmail.com. ---- Theme Music: "Camelot Monastery" by Darren Curtis

In this episode, Andrew speaks with Colin Creech, chair of Science and teacher at the Academy's Midtown Campus, about Natural Philosophy, the study of science, and cooking on a train. This is the first in a series of conversations about Classical Christian Education at the Academy. We'd love to hear what you think. Do you want to hear more content like this? We have more long-form interviews upcoming so be on the lookout. Email us anytime at: TheAcademyPodcastOK@gmail.com. ---- Theme Music: "Camelot Monastery" by Darren Curtis

It's Auction Week at The Academy! Jamie Howell takes over the podcast to host a special episode dedicated to all things auction and what to expect this Friday. If you're on the fence about going, get off and come to the auction and have the greatest time of your life! ---- Auction Website: http://one.bidpal.net/academyauction2022

Aaaaaaaaaaand…..we’re back. Eric, Nathan and Josh are live on the mic with your somewhat consistently mediocre accessibly pretentious nonsense. The triad bounce seamlessly between a deep dive into kombucha, butterfly knives and Conair before transitioning smoothly to our new series for Season Five: a kind of classical school lexicon (lexicon being pretentious for dictionary; we had to, right?!). We throw around jargon at the Academy, so we thought we’d take some time to unpack a number of those words and ideas to give a sense of what ‘classical Christian education’ means here at the Academy. We're always happy to hear from you, dear listener (all 8 of you). Email us at TheAcademyPodcastOK@gmail.com.

"From Mystic Rituals to Christian Liturgy: A History of Ascent, its Influence on Dante's Paradise and our own Lives." Our common Christian goal is unity with God. This is also the goal of ascent. This project argues that Boethius’ The Consolation of Philosophy and Bonaventure’s Journey of the Mind into God prominently influence Dante’s articulation of ascent in his poem Paradise. Furthermore, as Christians, we ought to observe Dante’s spiritual ascension and strive to ascend as well. The project seeks to demonstrate that Dante was indeed influenced by Boethius and Bonaventure, and, somewhat consequently, Dante’s ascent reflects our own Christian pilgrimage.

“Blurring the Lines: Reality, The Road, and the Importance of Fictional Storytelling.” In a world steeped in modernist ideals and practicality, fictional storytelling is often undervalued or regarded with suspicion, a medium of little importance. Though fiction can seem endlessly confounding, the argument is whether the formational truths of fiction matter to us today. This project explores the place of fiction in our pursuit of reality and virtue through an examination of fiction’s origins in human imagination and impact on the self. Finally, the project examines an example offiction-at-work, Cormac McCarthy’s The Road.

"'Attending to the Otherness of the Other': How Study Abroad Experiences Can Lead to a Deeper Love for our Neighbors." Our graduates graciously love their neighbor, especially the most broken and marginalized. Studying abroad is a popular idea for many reasons, some of them quite superficial. This project argues that we can broaden our global understanding through travel and immersive experiences. These experiences include, but are not limited to, study abroad. The project also explores how to best study cultures different from our own. It connects these suggestions with an emphasis on Christian hospitality and humility ,especially toward neighbors in other cultures. Ultimately, we can love our cultural neighbors by engaging with and learning from them.

"A Liturgy for Suffering: The Power of Music and the Problem of Evil." Music is a universal language and suffering is a universal human experience. How can music help us in our suffering? This project explores the work of Joseph Ratzinger and Andrew Peterson, alongside the music of Andrew Peterson and Modest Mouse, to argue for music’s unique role in redeeming human suffering.

“Fun in Education- Its Effects on Learning, Retention, and School Performance.” Throughout our early years at school, it is common for teachers to incorporate fun activities into the classroom to help students learn better. But how might education change if a focus on fun remained in the classrooms of older students? This paper explores the benefits fun has on education, such as supporting retention of the material taught, giving students a love of learning, and managing students’ stress levels.

“The Pressures of Being a Person: How Nutrition, Athletics and Mental Health Connect.” Athletes are universally admired and upheld. At the same time, athletes are derided for both their moral and their athletics failures. This project attempts to present athletes as whole people through exploring the science of nutrition and its connection to the mental health needed both by athletes and others. Proper nutrition, causally connected to mental health, is essential for a full, competitive athletic career and life.

“Legalism and Relationships: Man, World, and God.” Legalism is a pervasive problem in American Churches. This project uses a Kuyperian analysis to argue that, though doubtless also a theological error, legalism is a problem with significant personal and relational consequences. Adequately understanding the sbad effects of legalism is a first step toward its rejection.

"Loving our Immigrant Neighbor: Seeking Truth through Psychology and Poetry." Immigrants inhabit a reality seemingly far removed from our own. This project examines the lesser-known immigration realities of Chinese and Hispanic immigrants using the poems these immigrants have written. Far from a straightforward reading of the poems, the project attempts to see the poems as expressive of the personal constructs of these immigrants, a concept pioneered by George Kelly though hereoriginally applied to poetry. These realities are then compared to the reality expressed in EmmaLazarus’ more famous immigration poem “The New Colossus.” In the end, the paper arguesthat understanding the realities of immigrants, rather than simply the often-taughtimmigration ideal, is a way toward loving our immigrant neighbors.

“Using the Past for the Present: How HistoricalKnowledge can Better Ourselves and our Community.” The academic study of history is sometimes wrongly viewed as the study of mildlyinteresting facts. This causes people to overlook the importance of historical knowledge,its ability to better both ourselves and the world around us. This project argues thereare unique benefits to historical study. Its study is crucial in shaping educatedperspectives, lending wisdom, and perhaps even guiding our society rightly. Hence, theacademic study of history should not be ignored or devalued in comparison to other,especially emerging STEM, fields.