Eloquentia Perfecta
In the Jesuit Tradition
Effective communication ... to what end?
The foundational roots of the ieiMedia approach emerges from two underlying philosophies; the more than 400-year tradition of Jesuit Education and the twentieth-century educational philosophy of John Dewey known as experiential education or learning by doing.
John Dewey was the most famous proponent of experiential education. Whether teachers employ experiential education in cultural journalism, service learning, environmental education, or more traditional school subjects, its key idea involves engaging student voices in active roles for the purpose of learning. Students participate in a real activity with real consequences for the purpose of meeting learning objectives.
The Jesuit philosophy of education is focused on both means and outcome. Not only is there a commitment to training individuals well-versed in the communication arts but also to preparing them to meet their civic responsibilities as ethical leaders whose outlook, values and behavior reflect a deep understanding of contemporary society -- all viewed through the prisms of social justice, cultural discernment and spirituality. In early Greek society this was embodied in the concepts of Gravitas and Paidea (character and culture).
Because communication is both embedded in and critical of the popular culture, the disciplines -- uniquely positioned at the crossroads of the humanities and the social sciences, at the nexus of theory and practice -- are called upon to address and integrate resulting tensions. Resolution is found in the commonalities that lead to community and in the reciprocity of spirit and intellect.
In this integrative tradition, communication is not a domain restricted to a specialized cadre of professionals and teachers but is a dimension of all disciplines. All students, within and outside the communication disciplines, must be able to sift out distortions, identify hidden messages and make informed media choices.
The Jesuit-educated communicator is a citizen-scholar passionately devoted to truth, accuracy and comprehensiveness, and always concerned to give voice to those who are silenced, excluded or impoverished. She or he sees service to others as the sacramental precursor to achieving the highest standards of practice. In Cagli and Armagh, students become colleagues with working professionals, and strong bonds are formed as participants work to accurately and creatively portray the townspeople and their surroundings. Education in this Jesuit spirit sometimes called Ignatian pedagogy (named after the founder of the Jesuits, Ignatius of Loyola), envisions changing the world for the greater good. The study of communication honors this tradition. It changes men and women who will change the world.
Jesuit-educated communicators are citizen-scholars who engage in moral reflection and truthfulness, and promote social justice and cultural diversity. Communication opens students to hearing the voices of the silenced, the excluded, and the impoverished. In the spirit of Ignatius, communication students question, confront, and embrace the world.
It is in this intricate weave of communication practices and theory, that ars elequentia emerges in the ieiMedia Projects.
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