Woldingham School Sophia Programme

Sophia’s guide to places of local interest

Hi, I’m Sophia, which means Wisdom in Greek, and I’d like to share some of my recent journeys with you.

I’ve been jumping on the Tube to explore life, the universe and everything, and I’ve come across some remarkable places that are easily accessible from the Anthropology, Culture, Ecology, Language, Society, Science, Service, and Wisdom lines. But don’t take my word for it: go and explore for yourselves. I hope my guide book will help you but what really matters is the journey and what you discover as you are travelling.

Cologne – Stop here to visit the place where philosopher Edith Stein lived between 1934 and 1938 before her arrest and death in Auschwitz.

For more information, see Seminar 12: Edith Stein’s Search for Meaning Change here for the Wisdom and Service lines.

New York – The centre of hypermodernity. Alight here for the AI Now Institute.

Seminar 32: Is Artificial Intelligence Intelligent?

Change here for the Culture and Society lines.

Oxford Street – Alight here for some retail therapy, if shopping is indeed therapeutic. And, if it is, what is it therapy for?

Seminar 34: I Am What I Buy? Rome – Home of the great personalist philosopher, Karol Wojtyła, better known as Pope John Paul II. Seminar 35: Familiaris Consortio & Mulieres Dignitatem Change here for the Wisdom, Service and Culture lines.

Woldingham – The great anthropologist Mary Douglas formed some of her ideas while a student at our school. Stop here to find out more.

Seminar 36: Mary Douglas

Camelot – If you want to know how French stories shaped Britain, then stop off here. Home to King Arthur, Queen Guinevere, Sir Lancelot, and generations of readers.

Seminar 29: Memory and Cultural Memory Florence – Alight here for art that will take your breath away. Highlights include Fra Angelico’s ‘Annunciation’ and Brunelleschi’s Dome.

Seminar 27: How to Read a Painting Change here for the Wisdom and Service lines.

Moscow – What happens when politics and culture meet? Stop here to find out how two giants of 20th century music responded to Stalin’s demands.

Seminar 29: Memory and Cultural Memory Shanghai – A great cultural centre. Home of Wu Li, a wonderful 17th century painter, poet and priest. Check out Spring Lake and Sky in Shanghai Museum for a start – you won’t be disappointed.

Seminar 27: How to Read a Painting West Egg – A short hop from the centre of New York. Home to multi-millionaires, including the Great Gatsby himself.

Seminar 26: How to Read The Great Gatsby

Assisi – A place that is still defined by a person: St Francis of Assisi. Alight here to find out what he really thought about the natural world.

Seminar 42: Trees and the Imagination Change here for the Wisdom and Service lines.

Carthage – Home of a writer who became so unpopular with the Roman emperor that his hand was cut off and his tongue cut out to prevent him from writing or speaking. His work lives on. Stop off here if you want to find out what happens at the end of the world.

Seminar 44: Pinocchio, St Maximus the Confessor, and the End of the World Change here for the Wisdom and Service lines.

Sherwood Forest – A forest that exists somewhere between myth and reality. Take the branch line if you want to find your roots or turn over a new leaf.

Seminar 42: Trees and the Imagination Change here for the Culture line.

Bletchley Park – I can’t tell you what you’ll see here: it’s top secret.

Seminar 45: Cracking the Code Change here for the Science line.

Fotheringhay – I can’t tell you much about what you’ll see here either: it’s a secret as closely guarded as Mary Queen of Scots herself. But if you can decipher her code, you might be surprised at what you find.

Seminar 45: Cracking the Code Pompeii – What you thought you knew about Pompeii isn’t true, so get off here to find out what really happened when Vesuvius exploded. Oh yes, and there’s another code to crack.

Seminar 45: Cracking the Code Change here for the Culture line.

Silicon Valley – Alight here to learn the language of Silicon Valley.

With luck you’ll be able to crack the computer code and find out whether it’s cracking you.

Seminar 24: Has the Media Got Your Attention Change here for the Science, Society and Anthropology lines.

Ur – An ancient city from the cradle of civilization. Alight here to get your hands on a great game and some of the strangest writing you’ll ever see.

Seminar 5: The Royal Game of Ur Change here for the Wisdom and Service lines.

Please note: This line is still under construction and services are liable to alteration at any time.

Constantinople / Istanbul – Hop off here to see Hagia Sophia, one of the greatest buildings of the ancient world. What was Byzantium became Constantinople became Istanbul: a great city to explore.

Seminar 28: How to Read a Building Change here for the Wisdom and Service lines.

Harvard – Stop here to investigate one of the key questions of our or any time: what is life? There’s a great university here which may be able to help.

Seminar 38: What is Life?

Change here for the Culture line.

Oxford – Science meets stories here in Oxford. Jump off here if you want to find out how some of the dominant narratives of our time are being challenged.

Seminar 39: Challenging Narratives Change here for the Anthropology and Culture lines.

Paris – You’ve looked at life, so the next stop is working out what it means to be human. Paris is as good a place as any to help you find answers.

Seminar 41: What Does it Mean to be (a) Human?

Change here for the Wisdom and Service lines.

Caterham – Just across the valley, one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century came up with a bunch of ideas that changed the way we look at technology, work and education. Get off here to find out more.

Seminar 20: Good Work Nonington – Stop here to find a radical community which is reshaping the way we understand work and a whole lot more besides.

Seminar 20: Good Work Qufu – Can wisdom reshape society? To examine that question, hop off here and find out about Confucius and the impact of Confucianism.

Seminar 7: Finding Your Way Change here for the Wisdom and Service lines.

Stoke Newington – Hop off here to meet Lord Glasman, political theorist, social commentator, and founder of Blue Labour. Why? So you can find out about unnecessary suffering and what to do about it.

Seminar 19: Radical Economics White City – Stop here to check out the BBC because it’s already been checking you out. And not just the BBC. Explore how big media companies are shaping the way we think and act.

Seminar 24: Has the Media Got Your Attention?

Athens – A good place to stop if you want to learn how to be happy. Hop off and take a lesson from Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.

Seminar 8: How to be Happy Change here for the Culture line.

Bingen – Home of the great polymath and Doctor of the Church, St Hildegard of Bingen. Whether you are interested in medicine, languages, music or love, this is the place for you.

Seminar 30: St Hildegard of Bingen Change here for the Culture and Science lines.

Hippo – Stop here to find out more about time from a great African philosopher, theologian and Doctor of the Church, St Augustine of Hippo.

Seminar 40: Checking the Time Change here for the Society line.

Jerusalem – I’m Greek but wisdom can come from many places, and few places are better than Jerusalem. Stop here to find out who wisdom is.

Seminar 9: Who Wisdom Is Change here for the Culture and Society lines.

Westminster – Can we find wisdom at the heart of government?

Alight here to ask probing questions about some of the big issues of our time. We really do believe that ancient wisdom and the modern world can talk and listen to each other.

Seminar 22: Covid and Care Homes & a World Without Downs?

Change here for the Culture and Society lines.

Woldingham’s Sophia Programme aims to help Sixth Form students discover what really matters in life.

Within a wider context of wisdom and service, students look at culture, science, society, ecology, and anthropology to develop critical thinking and sophisticated reasoning.

Think of a London Tube map. What matters is not the distance between each station but the connections. On our journey though the Sixth Form, we explore deeper and further, finding connections in some unexpected places.

For more information contact Mr Roy Peachey peacheyr@woldinghamschool.co.uk

Woldingham School, Marden Park, Woldingham, Surrey, CR3 7YA (for satellite navigation please use postcode CR3 7LR)

T: 01883 349431 E: info@woldinghamschool.co.uk

woldinghamschool.co.uk