A provocative deep-dive into the radical education systems of ancient Athens and Sparta — taught through the theatrical lens of Weimar cabaret culture.

This course dismantles modern assumptions about childhood training by placing Athenian mousikē (music, poetry, gymnastics) alongside Sparta’s agōgē (military discipline, communal living, endurance trials) — all framed through the satirical, boundary-pushing spirit of 1920s Berlin performance art.

What you’ll master:
• The Athenian paideia system — why philosophy, rhetoric, and physical beauty were inseparable
• The Spartan agōgē — how a city-state engineered warriors from age 7
• How Weimar cabaret artists channeled ancient disciplinary aesthetics into modern performance
• The political philosophy behind each training model and its echoes in modern education
• Original source analysis of Xenophon, Plutarch, and Plato on child-rearing
• Live cabaret-style lecture performances with Q&A sessions

This is not a passive lecture series. Expect provocation, debate, and a fundamentally altered view of what education means.