Pedagogical Practices: Lessons from Augustine of Hippo

Abstract

This chapter seeks insight for the formation of doctoral students from the teaching practices of one of the Christian tradition’s greatest teachers: Augustine of Hippo. Through a reading of his Cassiciacum Dialogues, we will follow Augustine’s claim that the scholarly vocation does not simply entail the act of acquiring information; it is cultivating a way of life. The aim of this life is to participate in a greater love of God. Through the Dialogues, we identify both conceptual and practical moves Augustine makes as he leads one of his students, Licentius, on this path; a path wrought with peril, temptation, and joy.