Selden College Ltd
www.seldencollege.co.uk
Company limited by guarantee (No: 15767382) registered in England.
Registered office: 33 Higham Station Avenue, London, England, E4 9AY.
Selden College's liberal arts education is rigorous, demanding, and personal. Small class sizes, a low faculty:student ratio, higher than usual contact time, and a faculty committed to teaching and mentoring their students, will provide each individual with excellent instruction within the Christian liberal arts tradition, and personal guidance throughout their three years here.
Students will take classes in the following areas: ·
Classical Language- Students will choose one classical language and take classes in that language for the full three years of the programme. (Ideally this will be a language that has not been studied before.) The options are (faculty permitting): Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and Old and Middle English [including Norse] (students who wish to study Old English must demonstrate prior proficiency in either Latin or Greek in order to study).·
Theology - Students will study Theology for the full three years of the programme. Beginning with Biblical Theology (first year) the students will then study the main texts and authors from each time period (ante-nicene, nicene, mediaeval, reformation, early modern and modern).·
History - Students will take classes that cover all the major periods of history (classical, mediaeval, modern) with a primary (but not sole) focus on the political, religious and legal history of the British Isles.·
Literature - Students will take courses that have covered all the major periods of literature (classical, mediaeval, modern).·
Philosophy Politics andEconomics - Students will take classes that have covered all the major periods of philosophy (classical, mediaeval, modern) as well as related classes on ‘politics, economics and human flourishing’.·
‘Abrahamic’Religions/Middle East - Students will take classes on Islam, Judaism and the Middle East and, in particular, the similarities/differences to Christianity on views surrounding law and politics.·
Constitution and Common Law - Students will take a class on the idea of the constitution in British political thought and the nature and role of common law in the history of the British isles.
As faculty are appointed more details for each offering will be forthcoming.
Study Abroad
At the end of the student’s first year there will be a two-week study abroad trip to Israel. At the end of the student’s second year there will be a two-week study abroad trip to Greece and Reformation centres in Europe.
Selden College has constructed the programme around the following core principles:
• Small class sizes
• Each class (excluding beginners language classes) will focus on specific texts/authors and will include both formal lecture-style instruction and guided conversation around those texts.
• A student should expect approximately 15 hours contact time a week.
• A student should expect to spend approximately a further 20-25 hours a week in individual study outside of the classroom context.
• Faculty will be readily available for individual counsel and discussion, which is encouraged via regular, set office hours.
Where possible all classes will be in-person, however, in the rare instances where this is not possible online instruction may be utilised, but in a way the ameliorates as much as is possible, the inherent weaknesses in that medium
Unexamined Classes/Activities
Throughout the three years students will be required to attend the weekly Selden College Seminar. An informal group discussion led by faculty on books/topics, not required by the examined programme but deemed essential by the college for the student’s education.
Throughout the three years students will have weekly music instruction aimed at developing music literacy and aural skills, with a particular focus on Psalmody and Hymnody.
Periodically throughout the school year there will be whole college academic gatherings where invited speakers will address the whole college on matters of import or academic interest. Students will be required to attend as directed by the Principal or Academic Dean.
More details on the liberal arts curriculum, its aims and objectives, and other details can be found here.
· Over the course of three years students will be prepared to take nine three-hour final examinations.
· In the final year of study students will undertake an individual research project under the guidance of a faculty member. The results of the nine exams and the individual research project will determine whether they have passed or failed the course, and the final grade they will receive.
· Students will need to pass all exams and pass the individual research project in order to pass the course.
Final Exams:
· Theology I - text analysis (covering time periods/theologians covered over the three years).
· Theology II - essay questions (covering time periods/theologians covered over the three years)
· Language I - text analysis and translation
· Language II - composition
· Literature - text analysis and essay
· History (incl. British law and constitution) – essay
· Philosophy, Politics, andEconomics – essay
· ‘Abrahamic’ Religions/Middle East – essay
· Selden Integrated Essay Examination – essay
Selden College Ltd
www.seldencollege.co.uk
Company limited by guarantee (No: 15767382) registered in England.
Registered office: 33 Higham Station Avenue, London, England, E4 9AY.