Michael Polanyi college

_ Michael Polanyi

The Michael Polanyi College

is a three-year liberal arts program

designed to revitalize a student’s

passion for learning across a broad

range of subjects and

disciplines.

creative

A new culture of learning...MPC recognizes that the world is chan-

ging fast. Today, few students who “major” in

a specialized field at the undergraduate level

continue in that field after graduation. The dy-

namism of today’s world requires a different

kind of graduate -one with the versitle skills of

observation, communication, collaboration,

team-building, problem-solving, and creati-

vity that allow for adaptation and innovation.

In the words of Thomas Friedman students

will have to be “versatilists,¨ ready to take on

a variety of careers throughout their lives.

Developing lifelong learners...MPC’s unique, collaborative learning cul-

ture fosters the skills of a lifelong learner,

engaging students in a diverse curriculum

where they are the center of the learning

process. At MPC students rekindle their na-

tural desire and love for learning, broade-

ning rather than narrowing their interests.

Collaborative learning...MPC is a community of co-learners committed

to the idea that students learn best in a culture

of interdependence and responsibility. Lear-

ning is a dynamic activity that requires colla-

boration, exchange, and movement. At MPC

students are responsible for their own learning

and play a role in the learning process of others.

Who is Michael Polanyi?

Michael Polanyi received a

liberal education that gave him the depth

of knowledge to explore and contribute to

a wide range of disciplines, from political

theory to economics, from chemistry to phi-

losophy. His contributions to many fields re-

main vital and relevant today. He represents

the model of a scholar whose love of inquiry

never ceased. Polanyi’s example of lifelong

learning continues to inspire MPC students.

Liberal ArtsThe liberal arts have always

sought to develop in students the

capacity to use their own judg-

ment, to be self-governed, and

to appreciate the responsibility

that comes with being a free and

autonomous individual. It gives

students the necessary tools for

tackling any learning challenge in

the future. At MPC students not

only receive information, but learn

how to discover knowledge, how

to engage others in its pursuit,

and how to use it to create value.

Primary Texts

MPC students read a wide range of primary and

historical sources. From Euclid’s Elements

to Newton’s Principia, works by Plato and

Aristotle to Ptolemy, Kepler, and Coperni-

cus, students prepare the foundations

for engaging modern scholarship and

literature. Through a wide range of

questions and material the curricu-

lum takes you on a grand tour of

the ongoing human conversation.

Rigorous and Flexible

MPC’s core curriculum is highly

demanding and challenging, you’ll

read an average of 2 books per

week and go through intensive

discussions and individual pro-

jects. MPC crriculum is designed

not only to expand your interests, but

to ignite your existing intersts in en-

joyable, inspiring and fascinating ways.

Student-centeredAt MPC we all are co-learners,

both teachers and students

alike. We learn collaboratively

through dialogue, group projects,

and working together. Education

should be empowering, create

independence and responsibility,

and ignite one’s passion for lear-

ning. At MPC students explore

the world through constant inquiry

and discover that they are the

authors of their own education.

MPC believes that

education should encompass

experiences. Therefore, students

constantly receive lectures about a wide

range of topics, each performed only by

awarded experts and remarkable

professionals.

Isa Moino

“I think cooperation is essential

for pushing humanity forward.”

Isabel Moino,

belongs to MPC’s

founding class. “What moves

my soul in every sense is sharing knowled-

ge and exchanging ideas. I am a very creative person. I love reading,

doing yoga, and what I’m passionate about is writing stories and creating fictional charac-

ters that convey a message. I’m a very dedicated person; I consider that high standards

are essential for every single aspect of life.” Before MPC she studied Journalism because

it was the only career in Guatemala where she could write. “I studied that for a year and

a half and during that time I attended a class called The Freshman Experience given by

Albert Loan, now MPC’s Academic Director. It was a very shocking experience for me

because when I went in the class he was seated saying nothing, just watching us, and

there was a quote that said: ‘students wait for someone better trained than themeslves to

make the meaning of their lives’ and actually that was what we were doing. It was 30 mi-

nutes of pure silence, and we were all waiting and no one did anything. I realized then that

we

a r e

used to

being dependent,

and not only in education,

but in everything. We don’t take action

for ourselves. That experience totally changed my pers-

pective. I noticed there was something missing... traditional education wasn’t for me.

Then MPC opened and since the beginning I knew that place was for me. It’s a whole

different program: you not only grow intellectually but also personally. What convinced

me of going to the MPC was that I did not want to go back to those classes where I

was just a voiceless student. I believe that every human being has the potential to

flourish but sometimes our systems, institutions or even our parents block us from being

truly who we are. My graduate project is going to be writing a novel aimed at young

people and will convey the ideas I have learned from this experience. After gradua-

ting from the MPC I want to publish my novel, afterwards I will keep on writing but I

am also interested in making other products capable of transmitting powerful ideas.”

Inspired by Steven

Johnson’s “Where Good Ideas

Come From” and David Bohm’s “On Dialo-

gue”, Café Polanyi is a frequent activity

students organize at MPC, in which the college

becomes a bistro for the exchange of ideas

and personal inquiries outside the core

curriculum. Why not join us for a

coffee?

challenging

The

Program

MPC is devoted to

liberal education, an education fo-

cused on becoming a well-educated

person who is capable of using his

or her own judgment and pioneering

his or her own path. Our methodolo-

gy is based on principles of Socratic

and collaborative learning, which put

students at the center of the learning

process. Throughout the program,

students engage a core curriculum

de-

signed to introduce

them to a wide spectrum of ideas

in History, Philosophy, Physical and

Social Sciences, Entrepreneurship

and the Arts. The program is divided

into six terms over three years. Each

Term has its own curicular focus and

set of core readings that are explored

from a variety of perspectives. In

addi-

tion to the core requirements, stu-

dents have the opportunity to choose

and explore work related to the core

themes and questions of each Term.

Through encountering new challen-

ges in each semester, students build

a foundation of intellectual and moral

habits that allow them to take increa-

sing ownership of their learning

process and

curricular choices. This

culminates in a fifth semester custom

designed by the student acording to

guidelines set out by MPC. This pro-

vides the student with an opportunity

to do reseach, apprentice and intern

with professionals in a specific field,

and prepare for the completion of

their senior project, the ̈ Great Work”.

The faculty at MPC are dedicated to innovation in

education. In addition to full-time facilitators, MPC invites a variety of scholars, artists, professionals, and

entrepreneurs to visit and work with students.

Ignacio Galindo

“I believe in ideas taking beautiful forms.”

IgnacioGalindo talks about his experience in the college and how MPC’s curriculum meets his interests and goals. “The MPC is an open space for ex-ploring what it means to be a liberal artist and to work on your great project, which is yourself. When I am there, I can connect my interests to a wide variety of subjects and fields. In my prior education I felt I wasn’t meeting all my potentialities. I wanted Poetry, I wanted Math, I wanted Program-ming, Photography, Aesthetics... and then I discovered MPC. I think that my most important skill is openness: I want to engage in whatever oppor-tunity or experience comes to me, even if at first sight it doesn’t look like something I cannot do, because I consider that by being human I’m able to experience everything. Right now, I am working as the creative director of a studio that develops websites and databases with two friends that

were also in

the MPC. I think the foundation

we learned from the MPC let us do a lot of great projects and we’re expe-

riencing great market opportunites. That’s cool because it’s a proof that MPC really works in real life and in a professional environment. For my great work, I’m planning to write an essay critical of the conventional concepts of art and beauty (which I don’t agree with). I wamt to explore the intersection of Epistemology and Aesthetics. What I want to do after graduating the MPC is to take this spirit of the MPC to promote freedom through sharing ideas and information through the arts”.

Explore Connections Across CurriculumAre you curious with astronomy? Would you like

to know more about economics? Do you love

photography? Is it painting, perhaps? MPC is

all about making connections. Throughout

the six Terms, students expand their foun-

dations of learning to include a variety

of subject material. Opportunities are

afforded each term to explore with

increasing independence a variety

of options for further research.

Students learn to design curricu-

clum and by foruth Term they are

facilitating curriculum for others.

Entrepeneurship

One focus of the MPC curricu-

lum is entrepreneurship. Stu-

dents are encouraged to defi-

ne their values, cooperate and

exchange with others, and work

to create and innovate. They begin

this approach in the classroom and

then extend it to their entrepreneurial

and personal lives by continuously loo-

king for learning opportunities and chan-

ces to create processes and products that

will improve the experience and lives of others.

Socratic Practice

Socratic

Practice

introduces

students to a

variety of strategies for discus-

sing text, questioning assump-

tions, and engaging in intellec-

tual dialogue. Through dialogue

students develop a sophisticated

set of ethics for reading analyti-

cally and learning collaboratively.

The Great WorkBy the completion of sixth Term,

students are expected to pro-

duce a “Great Work” related to

their own interests. It can be an-

ything, from publishing a novel

to starting a small business, and

will be presented to the public

by graduation. Developing the

Great Work requires collabora-

tion with other MPC students and

networking with a global commu-

nity of authors, scholars, entre-

preneurs, scientists, and artists.

Want to know more?

www.mpc.ufm.edu

An MPC student

strives to be independent,

collaborative, responsible, curious,

authentic, courageous, dedicated, self-

confident, proactive, creative,

poetic and an active

listener.

collaborative

The

Campus

The campus is located in

a lowland in the middle of Guatemala

City. The architecture has been desig-

ned to integrate with the fog forest that

encloses the campus, and to provide the

student with an enriching environment in

which to explore ideas. It contains large

green spaces, many cafeterias and a

varied selection of coffee shops, socratic

classes, 8 auditoriums and and Arbore-

tum.

Popol Vuh Museum

If you are fascinated with Guatemalan

history and you are interested to know

more about it, this museum will become

your favorite place as it houses one of

the major collections of Mayan art in the

world and important pieces from the Co-

lonial period as well.

Ludwig von Mises Library

Founded in 1971, Ludwig von Mises Mi-

ses Library counts with more than 58,000

books, 17,300 magazines, 10,000 digital

books, 950 DVDs, and 24 databases. It

contains a vast selection on Economics,

Humanities, History, Sciences, Technology

and the Arts.

The city

Guate, as we

call our city, is full of con-

trast and urban beauty, with a springlike

weather through all the year. Here you

will find sophisticated restaurants, cool

bistros, emergent art and culture, a wide

variety of museums, shopping malls,

outstanding movie theaters, and incredi-

ble nightlife spaces.

“Guatemala City is

the largest urban agglomera-

tion in Central America. This is the

real cultural capital of Guatemala -the

writers, the thinkers, the artists mostly

live and work here.”

(Lonely Planet)

How to apply

Follow these easy steps:

1. Take the UFM admission exam.

More info: http://www.admisiones.ufm.edu/

2. Schedule an interview with MPC’s Academic Director,

Albert Loan. Mail: bertloan@ufm.edu

3. Come to the college for a one-day trial.

4. Write an essay of 250 words about “Why I want to

join the MPC” and send it to mpc@ufm.edu

5. Attend the MPC admission workshop.

A day at MPC

Want to see for yourself

what the college is like?

You can give us a call and

then drop in anytime

between 7:00 till 19:00

(UTC-6:00) from Monday to

Thursday.

Contact

Telephone:

(+502) 2413-3308

E-mail:

mpc@ufm.edu

Website:

www.mpc.ufm.edu

Edificio Centro Estudiantil, CE-

301, Universidad Francisco Ma-

rroquín, Calle Manuel F. Ayau

(6 Calle final), zona 10, Guatemala City

Photography contributors: - Javier Parellada- Albert Loan- Isabel Moino- Ignacio Galindo