Robert College: A Unique Educational Project in the Balkans Cover Image
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Робърт колеж: уникалният образователен проект на Балканите
Robert College: A Unique Educational Project in the Balkans

Author(s): Orlin Sabev
Subject(s): History
Published by: Институт за балканистика с Център по тракология - Българска академия на науките

Summary/Abstract: Robert College was founded in Constantinople in 1863 by a former American Protestant missionary, Cyrus Hamlin, and as such was an embodiment of his educational ideals which combined Christian ethics and training in liberal arts and sciences. The founder and the next administrators of Robert College had their own vision of educational mission. There were three things which made the college unique as an American educational institution in quite different social settings as those in the Balkans and the Near East: the language of instruction (English), the college level, and the religious affiliation. The college was nonsectarian, but its constitution contained some requisitions that implied its tight connection to Protestantism. However, Robert College demonstrated a „new Christian style“, seeking to bring a person to Christianity „with or without a resulting change in his ecclesiastical affiliation“. This was the key for attracting students from the local communities, the basic aim being to strengthen Christianity among them as a whole. The theory of education applied at Robert College was based on the Protestant ideal of education which implied a humane relationship between teacher and pupil and a „moderate“ mode of child-rearing (stressing on duty, discipline and training of self-control). The personal influence of the faculty body which did its best to set an example of a good Christian life and behavior to the student body was more important than any other formal instruction. The main goal of the college officials and teaching staff was to develop strong characters, which would be in future able to manage their own lives, to become successful entrepreneurs and leaders of their nations. In this respect religion was thought as just a tool in the complex process of development of such characters. In other words, religion played role in Robert College’s life as a moral corrective rather a dogmatic pillar. Morality training was considered especially important with regard to the education of children in their most formative period. The college’s curriculum had been settled down upon „a program of studies for the four college classes which was based upon what was generally adopted at that time in New England colleges, but modified to adapt it to the practical wants“ of its students. The concept of education, which Robert College applied strictly from the very beginning and throughout its history, shaped the minds of so many students such that many of them became men with „mental power“, „strong character“, „liberal spirit“ and „independent thought“, and „with knowledge necessary to take part in the development of their countries“.

  • Issue Year: 4/2015
  • Issue No: 4
  • Page Range: 51-71
  • Page Count: 21