It is a place where people of all nationalities and backgrounds can enjoy a period of intensive study, practical activity, and contemplation. Is Beautiful , a book whose title has passed into the language as a charm against all that is dehumanizing in industrial societies. Schumacher was convinced that the Western way of life would be destroyed by its inherent contradictions. Suspicious of panaceas, he sought to develop modest initiatives based on what he called the human-scale, conjoining the spiritual and the practical. The curriculum is made up of three parts - the Main Course, the Foundation Studies, and the enactment of the academic work in the daily routine of life at the college.
Students reside on the grounds to attend intensive main courses for two to five weeks at a time.
The scholars are people chosen for the significance and originality of their work, and for their accomplishment as communicators. Resident staff and visiting lecturers support each course with foundation studies, on topics which provide a context for the main course themes. This project may take a variety of forms, and it may be a group or collaborative effort. Assessment comes at the request of the student. Certificates of Attendance are given upon completion of a course.