No.884: New Ideas for Mother Academia // Volume 5

“Lisbeth reading” by Carl Larsson (1904)

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Welcome to another segment of New Ideas for Mother Academia! The purpose of this series is to share five ideas for women to dig deeper into their continued education. I especially like to seek out free resources because I want to prove that you can seek out wisdom without having to spend any money. I hope you’ll share what you’ve been reading and learning too!

1 // THE DAY IS NOW FAR SPENT

Cardinal Robert Sarah is a holy man and an incredibly profound thinker. (I read and really enjoyed his book, The Power of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise, in 2024.) The FORMED bookclub has a 14-episode series discussing another of his books, The Day Is Now Far Spent. In this one, Cardinal Sarah “analyzes the spiritual, moral, and political collapse of the Western world and concludes that ‘the decadence of our time has all the faces of mortal peril.'”

2 // CHARLOTTE MASON

If you’ve ever wanted to dive deeply into Charlotte Mason’s books, check out this schedule at Charlotte Mason Poetry. It appears that the reading groups have already started and are thus unavailable, but it may be helpful to have the reading schedule for your own enjoyment.

3 // A SYSTEM FOR READING CHESTERTON

Another opportunity for a deep dive! Is G.K. Chesterton an author on your TBR? Check out this reading plan from The Society of G.K. Chesterton! The website divides his works into subsections (like Apologetics, Fiction, Social Commentary, Poetry, etc.), making it really easy to work through the list.

4 // TECHNOLOGY IN AMERICAN HISTORY

Technology in American History is an MIT course originally taught in 2006. “This class will consider the ways in which technology, broadly defined, has contributed to the building of American society from colonial times to the present. Far from being an ‘add-on’ to political and social events, technology is viewed as a central organizing theme in American history. Indeed, the United States is often referred to as ‘the technological society.’ What does that expression mean? Why did it originate? How and in what ways does technology intersect with society and politics? How has technological progress been construed in America? Does technology mean progress? If so, progress for whom and for what? What is the relationship between technology and democracy in America? How have notions of ‘responsibility’ in engineering and technology development changed over time?” The two books needed are A Social History of American Technology by Ruth Schwar Cowan and Major Problems in the History of American Technology edited by Merritt Roe Smith and Gregory Clancey. The website also includes a reading schedule and lecture notes. Even though this course is almost twenty years old, I bet there is still a lot to glean and compare to our modern times.

5 // PIXAR IN A BOX

This last one is a little out of left-field but may be fun to complete with the kids! If you’ve ever been curious about storytelling through computing, Pixar in a Box is the course for you! “Pixar in a Box is a behind-the-scenes look at how Pixar artists do their jobs. You will be able to animate bouncing balls, build a swarm of robots, and make virtual fireworks explode. The subjects you learn in school — math, science, computer science, and humanities — are used every day to create amazing movies at Pixar.” Super fun.