The Well-Trained Mind

Grammar Stage · Logic Stage · Rhetoric Stage

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Divisions · Forms · Project
Topic of Study
  • When did this begin? What was its original form? What cultural purpose did it serve?
  • Who performed this activity? What cultural place did they occupy? How were they regarded by others?
  • What prior historical events did this event/activity resemble? Is this coincidental? Did this event/activity model itself on something that came before? What philosophy does this reveal?
  • What ideal picture of human beings does this activity/event hold up?
  • How did this activity develop from its beginnings to the present day?
  • What effects did this event have on its surroundings? On the generation directly after? Five hundred years later? The present day?
  • How did this activity/event change the way people viewed nature? How did it change the way they thought about God?
  • What current cultural trends are reflected in this activity? What cultural trends resulted from this event?
History
  • Be careful not to get “stuck in the past.”
  • Deal with the event’s relationship to similar prior events, its effect on the surrounding cultures, and any effects that stretch to the present day.
  • Conclude your paper by answering the question: What does this tell me about my own day and culture?
Literature
  • Treat the development of the genre under study, from its roots to the present day.
Math
  • The historical development of a type of mathematics (from Pythagoras and Euclid to the present).
  • The application of mathematics to specific scientific problems.
Science
  • A historical survey.
  • Experimentation or projects.
Languages
  • Write a paper on the literature of another country.
  • Write a literature, history, or creative paper in the foreign language of your choice.
  • Do a project. This project should be summarized in a ten-page essay.
Computer Programming
  • Indicate, first, what you believe are or will be the main advantages of computer technology, and why; second, indicate what are or will be the main disadvantages of computer technology, and why.
  • A programming project, with a manual to accompany the project.
Religion and Ethics
  • Trace the development of a certain aspect of faith and practice and reflect on present-day effects and applications.
  • Any paper treating the ethical aspect of some behavior must examine the history of the issue as well as evaluating present guidelines.
The Arts: Painting, Sculpture, Theater, Music
  • A historical survey (of a painting or sculptural style or school, the development of a particular theatrical convention, the performance history of one of Shakespeare’s plays, the development over time of a particular musical form or style, the development of an instrument).
  • A recital, an art exhibit, or a theatrical performance. A ten-page essay should document and explain this project.
Sports
  • A historical survey.
  • A sports performance, properly documented with a ten-page essay.
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