The Curriculum of the Axe Handles Academy integrates
the current hodgepodge of subjects, disciplines and skills into three
components, one focused on bioregional studies, one on comparative
culture, and one on communication.
Bioregional Studies, the life
of the land
We believe that it is equally important for the
professional academic researcher and the manager of the local hardware
store to understand the effects of his or her work on the bioregions
of the earth. The present practice of tracking students into academic
and vocational programs is not recognized by the Axe Handle
Academy. To be informed citizens each must be able to
understand and to evaluate the impact resource and other development
decisions will have on the earth in his or her bioregion. They
must be able to weigh those impacts against social and economic
impacts. In other words, whatever our work in life may be we all
must have a home to which we are committed and we need to know how to
think about human activities and decisions in terms of their impacts
on our homes.
Comparative Cultural
Studies
Whether one's career in life is as a widely traveled
account executive or as a worker in a local sawmill, each of us is a
member of a culture. Nowadays many of us are on the boundaries
between cultures. A solid sense of identity is essential for a
healthy adult life as well as for productive contribution to the
society. The study of culture cannot be restricted to a
privileged group of academic track students.
Communication
Studies, responsive communication
Whatever one's place in life, communication is at
the heart of nearly all of our activities. Whether one is a
negotiator in international business or a commercial fisherman, his or
her goals will only be achieved with others through effective
communication skills. In addition, our society is founded on the
informed, educated decisions of our voting citizens. We all must
be able to read, listen, and view the positions of others and to
evaluate the information we are receiving from a constant barrage of
print, spoken, visual, and electronic media.
