Collegiate Retreat: Dante’s Purgatorio

The Valor Institute’s College Program offers collegiate Juniors and Seniors the opportunity to spend a week in Austin, TX immersed in study, friendship, and the natural world.

About the Leader

Dr. Jason Baxter is the Director of the Center for Beauty and Culture at Benedictine College. He holds a Doctorate in Literature from the University of Notre Dame. Prior to joining Benedictine, he spent time as a visiting associate professor at Notre Dame preceded by twelve years at Wyoming Catholic College. His written works include The Medieval Mind of C.S. Lewis and A Beginner’s Guide to Dante’s Divine Comedy, among others, and he is currently working on an original translation of Dante’s Divine Comedy. Baxter has written many academic and popular articles, and he frequently makes media appearances ranging from podcasts to EWTN. He is currently translating Dante’s Divine Comedy for Angelico Press.

About the Text

This retreat will explore Purgatorio, the second part of Dante’s Divine Comedy. In his Divine Comedy, writes Dr. Jason Baxter, Dante “intentionally gathered creatures, places, landscapes, and practices from across the world and types of encyclopedic texts and then filled his book with their imagines; and, second, the poet consistently and insistently constructs moments in which we—along with the pilgrim—must take it all in at a glance, as if we are viewing the whole imago mundi from above.”

About the Retreat

Upon acceptance, you will enjoy an academic retreat that includes:

• Seminar discussions and lectures led by Dr. Jason Baxter

• Intentional meals and social time to build friendship and community

• Time with teachers and leaders from the Valor schools in Austin

• Room and board provided ($200 retreat fee and transportation expenses to be covered by the participant)

Application Deadline: November 1, 2024