Blog: Event Posts


2 DEC 2022 • LECTURE
Great Books and Big Lies (“Theirs” and “Ours”)

On Friday, 2 December 2022 12:15–1:15 pm, I will be giving the Basic Program First Friday Lecture online. My topic will be:

Great Books and Big Lies
(“Theirs” and “Ours”)

The lecture is free and open to the public.

 


About the Lecture

More information about the lecture is available at:

Great Books and Big Lies (“Theirs” and “Ours”)


More

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2 JUL 2021 • LECTURE
Home Front, War Front: “Mrs. Miniver” and “Scarlett O’Hara” as the Interpretive Keys to Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun

On Friday, 2 July 2021 12:15–1:15 pm, I will be giving the Basic Program First Friday Lecture online. My topic will be:

Home Front, War Front:
“Mrs. Miniver” and “Scarlett O’Hara” as the Interpretive Keys to Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun

The lecture is free and open to the public.

 

 


About the Lecture

More information about the lecture is available at:

Home Front, War Front:
“Mrs. Miniver” and “Scarlett O’Hara” as the Interpretive Keys to Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun


More

◊ More →


7 AUG 2020 • LECTURE
“Impeachment” in the Constitutional Sense

On Friday, 7 August 2020 12:15–1:15 pm, I will be giving the Basic Program First Friday Lecture online. My topic will be:

“Impeachment”
in the Constitutional Sense

The lecture is free and open to the public.


About the Lecture

More information about the lecture is available at:

“Impeachment”
in the Constitutional Sense


More

◊ More →

10 JAN 2020 • LECTURE
Getting Comfortable with Death

On Friday, 10 January 2020 12:15–1:15 pm, I will be giving the Basic Program First Friday Lecture at the Chicago Cultural Center (Michigan Avenue between Randolph and Washington Streets). My topic will be:

Getting Comfortable with Death;
Or, Better Dying Through Better Thinking

The lecture is free and open to the public.


About the Lecture

More information about the lecture is available at:

Getting Comfortable with Death;
Or, Better Dying Through Better Thinking


More

◊ More →

2 AUG 2019 • LECTURE
The White Man’s Peril: Heart of Darkness as Conrad’s Reply to Kipling

On Friday, 2 August 2018 12:15–1:15 pm, I will be giving the Basic Program First Friday Lecture at the Chicago Cultural Center (Michigan Avenue between Randolph and Washington Streets). My topic will be:

The White Man’s Peril:
Heart of Darkness as
Conrad’s Reply to Kipling

The lecture is free and open to the public. ◊ More →


7 SEP 2018 • LECTURE
The Use and Abuse of Gustavus Vassa; Or, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano on Its Own Terms

On Friday, 7 September 2018 12:15–1:15 pm, I will be giving the Basic Program First Friday Lecture at the Chicago Cultural Center (Michigan Avenue between Randolph and Washington Streets). My topic will be:

The Use and Abuse of Gustavus Vassa; Or, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano on Its Own Terms

The lecture is free and open to the public.

 


◊ More →


16 AUG 2018 • LECTURE
The True Value of Money: Retail Investing as a Gateway to Wisdom

On Thursday, 16 August 2018 12:15–1:15 pm, I will be giving a Lunchtime Lecture at the University of Chicago Gleacher Center (450 N Cityfront Plaza Dr). My topic will be:

The True Value of Money:
Retail Investing as a Gateway to Wisdom

The lecture is free and open to the public. ◊ More →


5 JAN 2018 • LECTURE
Flaunting It: The Logic of “Conspicuous Consumption” in Veblen’s The Theory of the Leisure Class

On Friday, 5 January 2018 12:15–1:15 pm, I will be giving the Basic Program First Friday Lecture at the Chicago Cultural Center (Michigan Avenue between Randolph and Washington Streets). My topic will be:

Flaunting It:
The Logic of “Conspicuous Consumption” in
Veblen’s The Theory of the Leisure Class

The lecture is free and open to the public.
◊ More →


1 SEP 2017 • LECTURE
The Content of Our Character: Lessons from Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Volume One

On Friday, 1 September  2017 12:15–1:15 pm, I will be giving the Basic Program First Friday Lecture at the Chicago Cultural Center (Michigan Avenue between Randolph and Washington Streets). My topic will be:

The Content of Our Character:
Lessons from Gibbon’s
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Volume One

The lecture is free and open to the public.
◊ More →


23 MAR 2017 • LECTURE
“A Rich Man Who Dies Rich Dies in Disgrace”: Andrew Carnegie and “The Gospel of Wealth”

On Thursday, 23 March 2017 7:00–8:15 pm, I will be giving a lecture and facilitating a discussion as part of a Discussion Series at Kibbitznest (2212 N. Clybourn Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60614), a new partner of the Basic Program of Liberal Education for Adults at the University of Chicago. My topic will be:

“A Rich Man Who Dies Rich Dies in Disgrace”:  Andrew Carnegie and “The Gospel of Wealth”

The event is open to the public. Registration information is available from Kibbitznest.
◊ More →


6 JAN 2017 • LECTURE
Epic of Id, Epic of Superego: A Freudian Reading of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey

On Friday, 6 January 2017 12:15–1:15 pm, I will be giving the Basic Program First Friday Lecture at the Chicago Cultural Center (Michigan Avenue between Randolph and Washington Streets). My topic will be:

Epic of Id, Epic of Superego:
A Freudian Reading of
Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey

The lecture is free and open to the public.
◊ More →


17 NOV 2016 • LECTURE
Only in Chicago, Only at the University of Chicago: The Basic Program at 70

On Thursday, 17 November  2016, I will be giving a short lecture on the history of the Basic Program as part of the Basic Program 70th Anniversary Celebration at the University of Chicago Gleacher Center (450 N Cityfront Plaza Drive).

My topic will be:

Only in Chicago, Only at the University of Chicago:
The Basic Program at 70

The lecture is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required.
◊ More →


2 Sep 2016 • LECTURE
Group Therapy with Great Books: On the Remaking of Adults through Lifelong Liberal Re-Education

Basic_Program_Class_1954On Friday, 2 September  2016 12:15–1:15 pm, I will be giving the Basic Program First Friday Lecture at the Chicago Cultural Center (Michigan Avenue between Randolph and Washington Streets). My topic will be:

Group Therapy with Great Books:
On the Remaking of Adults through
Lifelong Liberal Re-Education

The lecture is free and open to the public.
◊ More →


31 Mar 2016 • LECTURE
“The Holy Trible”: The Hebrew Bible, New Testament and Qur’an as an Abrahamic Trilogy

On Thursday, 31 March  2016 2:30–3:30 pm, I will be speaking at the Center for Life and Learning at the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago (126 E. Chestnut St., just off North Michigan Avenue). My topic will be:

“The Holy Trible”: The Hebrew Bible, New Testament and Qur’an as an Abrahamic Trilogy

◊ More →


6 Nov 2015 • LECTURE
“The Great Conversation” at Chicago: The First 125 Years

Conversation by Louis Moeller, undated, oil on canvas - New Britain Museum of American Art - DSC09346On Friday, 6 November  2015 12:15–1:15 pm, I will be giving the Basic Program First Friday Lecture at the Chicago Cultural Center (Michigan Avenue between Randolph and Washington Streets). My topic will be:

“The Great Conversation” at Chicago:
The First 125 Years

The lecture is free and open to the public.
◊ More →


JUL 2015 • COURSES
Online at GreatDiscourses.com

Great Discourses℠ has just announced it’s online Great Books discussion courses for July 2015, along with the launch of a new and improved website. Check it out!

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25 APR 2015 • LECTURE
Bringing the Heroic Home: The Odyssey as Homer’s Guide to Being a Mensch

On Saturday, 25 April 2015, I will be giving a lecture as part of the Basic Program’s Spring Weekend Retreat on Homer’s Odyssey to be held Abbey Resort in Fontana Wisconsin. My topic will be:

Bringing the Heroic Home:
The Odyssey as Homer’s Guide to
Being a Mensch

The retreat is open to the public but not free. ◊ More →


6 MAR 2015 • LECTURE
“We Must Not Be Afraid To Be Free”: The Trials of George Anastaplo

George AnastaploOn Friday, 6 March 2015 12:15–1:15 pm, I will be giving the Basic Program First Friday Lecture at the Chicago Cultural Center (Michigan Avenue between Randolph and Washington Streets). My topic will be:

“We Must Not Be Afraid To Be Free”:
The Trials of George Anastaplo

The lecture is free and open to the public.
◊ More →


17 JAN 2015 • PANELIST
The Great Books Idea: Differing Perspectives

On Saturday, 17 January 2015, I will be participating in a panel discussion at the Edgewater branch of the Chicago Public Library. The topic will be:

The Great Books Idea:
Differing Perspectives


◊ More →


14 DEC 2014 • LECTURE
From the Ashes of the Second Temple: The Co-Evolution of Rabbinic Judaism and Early Christianity

On Sunday, 14 December 2014, I will be giving a lecture at a St. Chrysostom’s Episcopal Church in Chicago. My topic will be:

From the Ashes of the Second Temple: The Co-Evolution of Rabbinic Judaism and Early Christianity


◊ More →


NOV 2014 • COURSES
Online at GreatDiscourses.com

Along with other faculty members of Great Discourses℠, I will be teaching Great Book Socratic Method courses online at GreatDiscourses.com during the term that begins November 2014. Great Discourses℠ is a new venture of mine to make high quality adult liberal education available to as many people as possible. We use innovative web-conferencing software to facilitate live, interactive discussion courses online that operate on the same principles as the traditional, in person discussion courses that I have long taught.

◊ More →


2 NOV 2014 • LECTURE
Universal Monotheism and Its Others in the Late Second Temple Period

On Sunday, 2 November 2014, I will be giving a lecture at a St. Chrysostom’s Episcopal Church in Chicago. My topic will be:

Universal Monotheism and Its Others in the Late Second Temple Period


◊ More →


SEP 2014 • COURSES
Online at GreatDiscourses.com

Along with other faculty members of Great Discourses℠, I will be teaching Great Book Socratic Method courses online at GreatDiscourses.com during the term that begins September 2014. Great Discourses℠ is a new venture of mine to make high quality adult liberal education available to as many people as possible. We use innovative web-conferencing software to facilitate live, interactive discussion courses online that operate on the same principles as the traditional, in person discussion courses that I have long taught.

◊ More →


5 SEP 2014 • LECTURE
“It Can’t Happen Here”? A (Frightening) Look at American Dystopias

On Friday, 5 November 2014 12:15–1:15 pm, I will be giving the Basic Program First Friday Lecture at the Chicago Cultural Center (Michigan Avenue between Randolph and Washington Streets). My topic will be:

“It Can’t Happen Here”?
A (Frightening) Look at American Dystopias

The lecture is free and open to the public.
◊ More →


11 MAY 2014 • LECTURE
The Gospel According to Muhammad: The Qur’an’s Account of Jesus as a Non-Canonical Gospel

On Sunday, 11 May 2014, I will be giving a lecture at a St. Chrysostom’s Episcopal Church in Chicago. My topic will be:

The Gospel According to Muhammad:
The Qur’an’s Account of Jesus as a Non-Canonical Gospel

◊ More →


4 MAY 2014 • LECTURE
Online Socratic Method Seminars in Adult Congregation Education: A Look at Today’s Realities and Possibilities

On Sunday, 4 May 2014, I will be giving a lecture at a St. Chrysostom’s Episcopal Church in Chicago. My topic will be:

Online Socratic Method Seminars in Adult Congregation Education:
A Look at Today’s Realities and Possibilities

◊ More →


30 MAR 2014 • LECTURE
“For He Shall Save His People from Their Sins”: The Gospel According to Matthew as Jewish Literature

On Sunday, 30 March 2014, I will be giving a lecture at a St. Chrysostom’s Episcopal Church in Chicago. My topic will be:

“For He Shall Save His People from Their Sins”:
The Gospel According to Matthew as Jewish Literature


◊ More →


SPRING 2014 • COURSES
Online at LibertasU.com

I will be a guest instructor online at LibertasU.com during its March-April 2014 and May-June 2014 semesters. LibertasU is a new “independent and nonsectarian private institution, devoted to making high quality, liberal arts courses available to as many people as possible” through a unique, virtual-reality educational environment that supports highly-interactive, real-time Socratic Method seminars — for participants situated anywhere in the world.

◊ More →


1 NOV 2013 • LECTURE
“A Rich Man Who Dies Rich Dies in Disgrace”: Andrew Carnegie and “The Gospel of Wealth”

On Friday, 1 November 2013 12:15–1:15 pm, I will be giving the Basic Program First Friday Lecture at the Chicago Cultural Center (Michigan Avenue between Randolph and Washington Streets). My topic will be:

“A Rich Man Who Dies Rich Dies in Disgrace”:  Andrew Carnegie and “The Gospel of Wealth”

The lecture is free and open to the public.
◊ More →


27 OCT 2013 • LECTURE
You Say “Yahweh”, I Say “The LORD”; Or, Why God by Any Other Name Ain’t

On Sunday, 27 October 2013, I will be giving a lecture at a St. Chrysostom’s Episcopal Church in Chicago. My topic will be:

You Say “Yahweh”, I Say “The LORD”;
Or, Why God by Any Other Name Ain’t


◊ More →


26 OCT 2013 • LECTURE
On the Transvaluation of Viking Values: Nietzsche Reads Beowulf

beowulf imageOn Saturday, 26 October 2013, I will be giving a lecture as part of the Basic Program’s daylong Autumn Symposium on Beowulf to be held at the Gordon Center on the University of Chicago Hyde Park campus. My topic will be:

On the Transvaluation of Viking Values:
Nietzsche Reads Beowulf

The symposium is open to the public but not free. ◊ More →


SUMMER 2013 • COURSE
Homer’s Iliad at the National Hellenic Museum

Bewteen 13 July – 24 August 2013 I will be teaching a seven-week summer course on Homer’s Iliad at the new National Hellenic Museum (NHM), located in Chicago’s “Greektown”. The course is part of a new series of collaborations between the museum and the Basic Program of Liberal Education for Adults at the University of Chicago’s Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies.

The course is open to students ages 18+ and costs $330 per student.

◊ More →


9-14 JUN 2013 • COURSES
Artesian Bough Symposium 2013 at Fountain Point, Leelanau, Michigan

Fountain_Point_MapFrom 9-14 June 2013, I will be participating in the inaugural Artesian Bough Symposium at the Fountain Point Inn & Club (formerly: Fountain Point Resort) in Leelanau, Michigan. Courses will consist of four half-day sessions, Monday-Thursday, and will be supplemented by additional educational, recreational and social activities.

During the symposium I will be teaching intensive versions of two courses:

  • The Holy Trible:
    Coordinated Readings from the Hebrew Bible, New Testament and Qur’an
  • The Arts of Affluence: Wealth and the American Dream

The symposium is open to the public but not free. ◊ More →


7 JUN 2013 • LECTURE
Aeneas Gets an Epic: Virgil’s Aeneid and the Invention of the ‘Greco-Roman’ World

On Friday, 7 June 2013 12:15–1:15 pm, I will be giving the Basic Program First Friday Lecture at the Chicago Cultural Center (Michigan Avenue between Randolph and Washington Streets). My topic will be:

Aeneas Gets an Epic:
Virgil’s Aeneid and the Invention of the “Greco-Roman” World

The lecture is free and open to the public. ◊ More →


11 NOV 2012 • LECTURE
Of Hanukkah and Holy War: The Clash of Hellenism and Judaism in 1 & 2 Maccabees

On Sunday, 11 November 2012, I will be giving a lecture at a St. Chrysostom’s Episcopal Church in Chicago. My topic will be:

Of Hanukkah and Holy War:
The Clash of Hellenism and Judaism
in 1 & 2 Maccabees

◊ More →


27 OCT 2012 • LECTURE
Words at War: Rhetoric as a Weapon of Mass Destruction

On Saturday, 27 October 2012, I will be giving a lecture as part of the Basic Program’s daylong Autumn Symposium on Statesmanship and Crisis: Pericles, Lincoln, and Churchill to be held at the Gordon Center on the University of Chicago Hyde Park campus. My topic will be:

Words at War:
Rhetoric as a Weapon of Mass Destruction

The symposium is open to the public but not free. ◊ More →


7 SEP 2012 • LECTURE
Fighting Theater with Theater: Plato’s Dialogues as Philosophical Dramas

On Friday, 7 September 2012 12:15–1:15 pm, I will be giving the Basic Program First Friday Lecture at the Chicago Cultural Center (Michigan Avenue between Randolph and Washington Streets). My topic will be:

Fighting Theater with Theater:
Plato’s Dialogues as
Philosophical Dramas

The lecture is free and open to the public. ◊ More →