Students enrolled for online study participate in the academic life of the college by utilizing the extraordinary technological tools of the digital age. While the problems confronting humankind in the 21st century revolve around the perennial issues regarding human life and destiny, the means of addressing these questions in a genuinely academic spirit are greatly improved and facilitated by the information resources now available.
Whereas historically learning and insight were limited to the circulation of books, students, and professors in the great university towns of Europe and later in the university centers of the Americas, now knowledge is available instantaneously—and everywhere. Factual knowledge about history, the principles which govern material things, and the mechanics of the physical universe is accessible through innumerable research mechanisms providing students access to information about virtually everything.
But while factual knowledge is of great importance, the task of personhood requires understanding the meanings of things and being able to see the circumstances of life in their specifically human or personalist dimension. This is the domain of liberal learning or free learning; learning which aims at knowledge for its own sake. The goal of the CSTM online curriculum is to utilize the resources of the computer age to advance knowledge of living an authentically human existence.
The Basics
To participate in the online curriculum students only need a computer with an internet connection, a webcam, and a microphone. Using the computer, they will connect to a virtual classroom to listen to lectures, observe visual presentations, and participate in class discussions. Notes, illustrations, quizzes, and exercises will be available not only in the virtual classroom but also through email, auxiliary websites, and other online mechanisms. Reading assignments and links to public domain texts will be specified for each class, and students may download important works at minimum expense. Writing assignments, test dates, and office hours will be detailed on the class syllabus.