Disputatio and the Pursuit of Wisdom in the Humanities

Wisdom questions concern the foundational convictions that guide human conduct and shape the interpretation of human experience. While often reserved for philosophy classes, these questions are the common inheritance of the humanities. The disputatio is a time-tested pattern for framing and engaging wisdom questions, producing well-reasoned responses, and presenting those responses succinctly in writing and speech. The aim of this institute is to recover this pattern and to explore its capacity to invigorate the pursuit of wisdom across the humanities. Participants will develop a curricular application of the methods explored tailored to their own teaching context.