Susan Wise Bauer (born 1968) is an American

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

, English instructor of writing and American literature at

The College of William and Mary ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, and founder of Well-Trained Mind Press (formerly Peace Hill Press).

Early life and education

Susan Wise Bauer was born on August 8, 1968, in Chelsea, Massachusetts. She grew up on a farm in Virginia, the daughter of Jessie and James Wise. Her father was a pediatrician, and her mother was an educator. She and her two siblings received a homeschool education starting in the 1970s. Bauer holds a Master of Divinity from

Westminster Theological Seminary Westminster Theological Seminary is a Protestant theological seminary in the Reformed theological tradition in Glenside, Pennsylvania. It was founded by members of the faculty of Princeton Theological Seminary in 1929 after Princeton chose to ...

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

in English and a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

American Studies American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinary field of scholarship that examines American literature, history, society, and culture. It traditionally incorporates literary criticism, historiography and critical theory. Schol ...

from

. She received her B.A. from

Liberty University Liberty University (LU) is a private Baptist university in Lynchburg, Virginia. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia ( Southern Baptist Convention). Founded in 1971 by Jerry Falwell Sr. and Elmer L. Towns, Lib ...

. She has been a member of the English faculty at William and Mary since 1993. She married Peter John Bauer, a pastor, in 1990.

Career

Although she had written and published two novels in the 1990s, Bauer drew much wider attention in 1999 with the publication of ''The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home'', published by W. W. Norton, which was well reviewed and quickly became one of the primary sources for homeschooling families who wished to focus on

classical education Classical education may refer to: *''Modern'', educational practices and educational movements: **An education in the Classics, especially in Ancient Greek and Latin **Classical education movement, based on the trivium (grammar, logic, rhetoric) an ...

, sometimes also referred to as the

Trivium The trivium is the lower division of the seven liberal arts and comprises grammar, logic, and rhetoric. The trivium is implicit in ''De nuptiis Philologiae et Mercurii'' ("On the Marriage of Philology and Mercury") by Martianus Capella, but t ...

or the Great Books movement. Bauer followed up ''The Well-Trained Mind'' in 2003 with ''The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had'', also published by Norton. Along with several volumes in the ''History of the World'' series, Bauer has also written children's books and ''The Art of the Public Grovel: Sexual Sin and Public Confession in America'', published by

Princeton University Press Princeton University Press is an independent publisher with close connections to Princeton University. Its mission is to disseminate scholarship within academia and society at large. The press was founded by Whitney Darrow, with the financia ...

in 2008. Along with her best-selling books on education and history, Bauer is also a contributing editor for the journal '' Books & Culture''. Her essays on literature and American religion have been cited by such diverse authors as Randall Balmer and Jennifer Harris, and have also appeared in a number of anthologies. Her works have been translated and published in Korea by Theory & Praxis and Goldenbough/Minums; in the Netherlands by Uitgeverij Mozaiek (Zoetermeer); in Spain by Paidos; in China by Peking University Press; in Indonesia by Elex Media Komputindo; in Russia by AST Publishing Group; in Serbian by Laguna and in Bulgaria by Prozorets. Bauer has homeschooled her four children, and lives with her husband on a family farm in

Charles City, Virginia Charles City is a census-designated place (CDP) in Charles City County, Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Charles City County. The population as of the 2020 census was 104. The community is centered on the Charles City County Cou ...

. She offers positive perspectives towards religion and homeschooling in some of her work, and is considered to be a leader in the homeschooling movement.

Works

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Notes

External links

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Well-Trained Mind PressMars Hill interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bauer, Susan Wise American classical scholars Women classical scholars 1968 births Living people American women academics Westminster Theological Seminary alumni College of William & Mary alumni College of William & Mary faculty Liberty University alumni People from Charles City, Virginia