Clemente In the News
University of Wisconsin's Odyssey Project Documentary
Inspired by the Clemente Course and Berea College
Announcing the release of The Art of Freedom: Teaching Humanities to the Poor by Earl Shorris.
Remembering Earl Shorris
Earl Shorris, 75, Dies; Fought Poverty With Knowledge
If you would like to share memories of Earl or the Clemente Course, please send them through our CONTACT page.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to:
The Clemente Course in the Humanities®7 Kingman Road
Amherst, MA 01002
There is also a PayPal donation button in the right column of every page on this web site
Student Voices
This is a moving slideshow with audio featuring two students from the MA Humanities Clemente Course.
Connect
This site is made possible through the support of the NEH.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this (publication) (program) (exhibition) (website) do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
"The world improves when each one of us becomes better. The Odyssey Project achieves one of the kindest acts: it encourages us to look within ourselves, to seek a better world and the most important, it gives us hope to find it."
Luis Tafolla
2013 Odyssey Project graduate, Chicago, Il
(A Bard College Clemente Course in the Humanities)
Welcome
The Clemente Course in the Humanities® is a unique educational institution founded in 1995 to teach the humanities at the college level to people living in economic distress.
The course works in conjunction with faculty from leading colleges and universities on five continents. Students learn through dialogue about moral philosophy, literature, history, art history, critical thinking, and writing.
More than ten thousand students worldwide have attended a Clemente course, and over fifty percent have successfully completed it.
The aim of the course is to bring the clarity and beauty of the humanities to people who have been deprived of these riches through economic, social, or political forces. While the course is not intended as preparation for college, many students have gone on to two- and four-year colleges.
There is no tuition; books are provided, and the college credits offered in most courses are readily transferable to other institutions.
In addition to free tuition and books, access to child care and transportation is provided without charge.
Several times during this course I've heard discussions about the value of a humanities course as opposed to a more practical, pragmatic program. The problem with practical instruction is that the role of giver and receiver never changes. If you are teaching someone math, it is highly unlikely that you will learn something new about math from your student. In the humanities however, the role of giver and receiver is constantly shifting. Whoever is speaking at the time becomes the giver. This can be a very empowering and validating experience for people in low income situations like us. We are used to being seen as the receiver and are rarely valued for our life experience or our opinions. Being able to share something of ourselves and being validated for this can change our minds about who we are and this change will manifest throughout our lives.
2011 Halifax Humanities 101 Graduate, Halifax, NS, Canada
More Testimonials
In the News
Tineisha Scott remembers running out of the house in the middle of the night with no shoes on, scared, hiding to get away from the abuse and drug use overrunning her home. As a young man, Corey Saffold found himself racially profiled. Sherri Bester suffered from PTSD and anxiety so extreme she got severe panic attacks during tests.
These three Madisonians faced personal struggles and obstacles that often seemed insurmountable. Fortunately, they also each encountered a class syllabus that included Plato, Whitman, Dickens, Shakespeare and Toni Morrison.
More ...
OGDEN — Twelve months ago, Susan Mosteller found herself desperate and considering a drastic life change.
The Kaysville resident said after 13 years of domestic abuse, she was questioning her value and her potential. Despite being jobless, she was considering leaving her marriage.
More ...