I was not surprised when I heard that Wendell Berry had died. I’d had the opportunity of spending some time with him a couple decades ago, and I know his family and a number of people close to him now and had heard he was failing in health. He made it to the age of […]
Author Archives: Martin Cothran
Having written about education in general and classical education in particular for over 30 years, I have addressed one issue more than any other: what classical education actually is—what it is, what it is for, what it consists of, and how it is conducted. The question of whether someone’s definition of classical education is correct […]
The Parnassus Prize is Memoria College’s annual literary award given to a recent book that best contributes to the cultivation of the Western liberal arts tradition. Memoria College has released its shortlist of books being considered for the 2026 prize: Galahad and the Grail, by Malcolm Guite Why Literature Still Matters, by Jason M. Baxter […]
07
Jan
Jan
The following is the graduation address by Martin Cothran, provost of Memoria College, delivered last July. Welcome to the 2025 Graduation Ceremony for Memoria College, where we will be honoring this year’s graduating students. I would like to say a few things about why we are here doing this—“we” being the instructors and staff, friends […]
16
Dec
Dec
I have fond memories of waking up on Christmas morning, the realization slowly dawning on me that our house had been visited during the night, and that presents had been left under the tree. This was mysterious to me and magical. And the mystery became both more complex and more magical the older and more […]
The first line of A. T. Murray’s 1919 translation of Homer’s Odyssey reads thusly: “Tell me, O Muse, of the man of many devices, who wandered full many ways after he had sacked the sacred citadel of Troy.” The alliteration trips off the tongue: “Tell Me, O Muse, of the Man of Many devices, who Wandered full Many Ways after he had Sacked the Sacred Citadel […]
I recently read a social media post that listed the nine books Elon Musk has been reading and recommending to others. These are the kind of books one might expect to find on the nightstand of the world’s most famous technician. Now I recognize that it’s probably hard, when you are so busy launching rockets […]
04
Nov
Nov
What is education? It’s a big question for sure. But I think about it every time I read some news story about some school that has instituted a “job skills” program of some kind. The assumption behind such programs is, of course, that the purpose of schools is vocational. But is that really what schools […]
Letter from Provost, Political theory
Trying to read a 4th century, BC book on a 21st century, AD airplane
28
Oct
Oct
LETTER FROM THE PROVOST: One of the things I like about flying is that it allows me to read unrestricted for however long I am on the plane. There are fewer and fewer places that offer you the solitude that focused reading requires. I recently traveled to Florida to speak at a school event, and […]
Join us this Saturday, April 26, at noon (ET) for “The Middle Ages in One Hour: An Overview of Medieval Thinkers,” a free Memoria College Community Lecture with Dr. Mark Spencer. Dr. Spencer, Associate Professor in Philosophy at the University of St. Thomas, will give a fast-paced introduction to key medieval thinkers and their enduring […]