Why Arete in Irving?

According to the great texts of the past - those texts on which Western men and women have attempted to build a civilization - the noble life requires first of all, removing all scales from one's eyes and seeing clearly. 

The next step, even more difficult, is to "do" the right thing: to be able to choose, in sometimes ambiguous circumstances, the path that leads to freedom rather than enslavement. This twofold process, one which encourages us to live nobly, has formed the basis of Liberal Education and constitutes the foundation on which civilization rests.

In introducing you to the essential texts of Western Civilization and allowing you to reflect on works of fine art, film and music, Arete will offer you a taste of how education frees us. Students participating in the Arete program will enjoy living on the University's Irving campus to enhance the camaraderie that inevitably develops in a learning community.

See how the University of Dallas's Arete program can open your mind. Read an article from past 2010 Arete participant, Amy Yznaga.

About the Program

Now celebrating its fifth summer, this distinctive program was designed by Professor Louise Cowan, recipient of the distinguished NEH Humanities Award, architect of the renowned University of Dallas freshman and sophomore core curriculum, and founder of the summer program for teachers at the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture. Click here to read a letter from Dr. Cowan about the Arete progrm.

The Readings

Arete I Readings

The curriculum for Arete I is centered around the question of the noble life. Over the course of two weeks students will read and discuss such texts as Sophocles' Oedipus Rex and selections from Plato's Republic. In the past students have also read and discussed Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Shakespeare's Hamlet, Henry V, As You Like It, Cymbeline, and Othello, Selections from Aristotle's Ethics and Herodotus' Histories, Flannery O'Connor's "Revelation", William Faulkner's "Barn Burning", and American Founding documents.

Arete II Readings

Designed for returning members of Arete I, Arete II is centered around the Oikos (the home) and the Polis (the city). Readings for this program include Sophocles' Antigone, the Genesis story of Abraham and Isaac, Shakespeare's King Lear and Measure for Measure, Euripides' Bacchae, James Joyce's "Araby," lyric poems by Blake, Wordsworth, Eliot, Tate, and Wilbur about the family and the city, Rousseau's Second Discourse on Inequality, and selections on urban planning by Jane Jacobs and Richard Sennett. 

Students participating in the program will attend morning lectures with Arete I in order to provide a link to the works they have read in the previous summer. Morning and afternoon sessions will provide a discussion of new works. These sessions will also provide an opportunity to watch separate films. More time will be allotted to writing in the afternoon sessions; students will read their work out loud to the seminar. They are expected to have a lengthier and more developed paper than Arete I students.

Dates, Costs and Application Information

Rising sophomores, juniors, seniors and students who have just graduated high school are invited to apply to this distinguished summer program. The program fee of $1200 covers classroom materials, tuition, room and board on the Irving campus and activities fees. The dates for 2012 Arete I and II will be July 8 - 21, 2012.

Applications for both the Arete I and Arete II programs are available online. Please note that Arete I is a prerequisite for Arete II. The Regular Application Deadline is March 5, 2012.  Apply today for this distinguished summer program.  

A complete Arete in Irving application includes the following materials:

• Online Application
• Teacher Letter of Recommendation
• Application Essay
• Signed Checklist
• Official High School transcript
• A recent color photo of student

These application materials can be found on the Arete documents page. Please mail your complete application to the following address: Rome and Summer Programs, 1845 E Northgate Dr, Irving, TX 75062.

Interested in Arete Summer 2012?

We highly encourage all interested students and parents who would like more information about our two Arete programs to submit an online inquiry form , or contact:

Rome and Summer Programs Office
University of Dallas
1845 East Northgate Drive
Irving, Texas 75062-4736
Office (972) 721-5181
Fax (972) 721-5283
email: udsummer@udallas.edu.