The Idea of the University in Chiara Lubich and the Sophia University Institute

Abstract

In this article the author outlines what might be called a “Chiarian” model of teaching and learning. It involves both students and teachers committing themselves to profound inter-personal communion on every level, all being active participants and all co-responsible in the educative process. This model proposes that the presence of Christ in the mutual relations that make up the university community is a source of light for penetrating the multiple fields of human knowledge. A transdisciplinary approach is thereby made possible by such profound inter-personal relations, based on mutual recognition and reception, whereby each discipline can interact more fruitfully with others. In such a wisdom-oriented learning environment, knowledge becomes an existential participation in what is learned. The positive experience of the first year of the Sophia University Institute is a practical example of the effectiveness of this model.