Class discussions blogged

La Filotea, a cura di Ruggero Balboni

As I have done in previous years, I plan to begin a blog for the courses that I am teaching. Besides my lectures, I invite the students to break into groups to share their insights from reading the assigned texts. In one course here at the UPS on the History and Spirit of Francis de Sales (course number TA2262), the students will concentrate on the saint’s most popular book, the Introduction to the Devout Life (La Filotea), written by Saint Francis de Sales between 1603 and 1608, and first published in 1609.


The Italian text that I recommend is the translation by Ruggero Balboni, a priest of the Oblates of St Francis de Sales. His edition (published by the Paoline) has gone through a number of reprints, the latest being in 2010. For those who want to read the book in English, I recommend the edition by Msgr. John K. Ryan (Doubleday: 1954; numerous reprints).

Introduction to the Devout Life, translated by John K. Ryan

If the students find other editions in their own languages, they are welcome to use them. In the course this year, there is two French-speaking students from Africa. The rest are all proficient either in Italian or English.

The idea of blogging the group discussions came to me six years ago when I first starting teaching in Rome. Ordinarily the class period here lasts 45 minutes (as opposed to 80 minutes at the GTU in Berkeley). Even keeping the groups to a size of three or four persons, 45 minutes is too short to do the group sharing and then for all the groups to report back. However, I have each group choose a secretary each week and this person sends the reflections to me by email, and then I post them on a class blog. By doing this, everyone can speak in the group, and then every group can effectively share.

Groups can send me the text of their group summary in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese or Italian. From the looks of it, this year the groups will use either Italian, English or Polish in their discussions. We will see what develops when they send in their discussion summaries, which will be posted on a blog that I have created called Filotea 2012 (Filotea is the popular title for the Introduction to the Devout Life in Italian… and this is the school term of 2011-2012).  

First discussion in small groups for the course TA2262

Here is the list for the readings of the various Parts and Chapters of the Introduction as spread out during this semester.

Part I, 1-8, for Monday 17th October 

Part 1, 9-24, for Monday 24th October

Part II, 1-11, for Monday 7th November
Part II, 12-31, for Monday 14th November

Part III, 1-15, for Monday 21st November

Part III, 16-29, for Monday 28th November

Part III, 30-41, for Monday 5th December

Part IV (all) for Monday 12th December

Part V  (all) for Monday 9th January

Stained-glass image of Francis de Sales, OSFS, Wilmington