Dr. Susan Mobley
Susan Mobley is Professor of History and serves as co-director of the Classical Education program at Concordia University Wisconsin. She holds the Ph.D. and M.A. in European History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a B.A. in Journalism/Professional Writing from the University of Oklahoma. She is a member of the Sixteenth Century Studies Society (SCSC) and Phi Beta Kappa. Her research focuses on German universities during the Reformation era, examining how Lutherans and Catholics implemented educational and religious reforms and exploring how the changing relationship of Church and state impacted the scope of education. She has written and presented widely on Reformation history, the history of education, and pedagogy. As a professor at Concordia University since 1998, she has been actively engaged in preparing future teachers for Lutheran schools. As co-director Classical Education, she oversees curriculum and supervises students’ teaching experiences in a variety of Classical Education settings. Susan is married to Dr. Van Mobley, with whom she has two sons. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, singing with Concordia’s Chapel Choir, listening to Classical music, walking the dog, and traveling.
Beyond Wittenberg: The Lutheran Liberal Arts in Württemberg
Luther’s theology necessitated a profound re-envisioning of education so that it prepared youth to engage the truth of Scripture and equipped them for purposeful lives as Christian citizens. The liberal arts, as reframed by Melanchthon, became an intrinsic part of Lutheran education at Wittenberg. However, while Melanchthon’s vision of education influenced ideas of Lutheran education, the curriculum at Wittenberg was not exactly duplicated in other Lutheran states of Germany, such as Württemberg. The implementation of educational reforms was always impacted by circumstances unique to each state and ultimately was decided by the ruler. This is evident in the case of Württemberg. Today’s Lutheran Classical education movement can gain greater understanding of the “Lutheran liberal arts” by considering how Melanchthon’s vision of education was appropriated by Württemberg Lutherans who were dedicated to Luther’s theology and to preparing the next generation of Christian citizens for service to both Church and state.