A Republic If You Can Keep It A Republic If You Can Keep It
Thus was Ben Franklin’s quip in response to a query from a curious citizen as to what the Constitutional Convention had come up with. The American Founders were very cognizant of the poor track record...
Alexandre Dumas: The Count of Monte Cristo Alexandre Dumas: The Count of Monte Cristo
Definitely a page-turner and one of the most popular of the blockbuster 19th century French novels, The Count of Monte Cristo is also a surprisingly complex and rich piece of literature. Exploring a...
An Introduction to Maimonides An Introduction to Maimonides
This course will provide an introduction to the medieval Jewish philosopher Rabbi Moses ben Maimun (Maimonides) and his major philosophical work, The Guide of the Perplexed. Through close reading of...
Basic Program Year 1 Makeup Course Basic Program Year 1 Makeup Course
This course is for students who need to make up the Year 1 Autumn Quarter of the Basic Program of Liberal Education for Adults to complete the certificate.
We recommend that new students to the Basic...
Basic Program Year One: Autumn Basic Program Year One: Autumn
Since 1946, the Basic Program of Liberal Education for Adults has engaged lifelong learners in reading, discussing, and building community around the foundational texts of literature, philosophy, and...
Bulgakov's Master and Margarita Bulgakov's Master and Margarita
Mikhail Bulgakov’s savage satire of modern bureaucracy alternates between scenes of Stalinist Russia and ancient Jerusalem. Bulgakov literally unleashes the powers of Hell by having the Devil and his...
Deep Dive: Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra Deep Dive: Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra
Antony and Cleopatra, a relatively late play by Shakespeare, is a powerful work that stands out for its complexity and scope as well as for the challenge it presents to norms of tragedy. In this class...
Freedom and Equality in the New World Freedom and Equality in the New World
In each of our three weeks, we will read overlooked texts for what they show us about freedom and equality in the "New World." Las Casas on Aristotle, Dubois on civil war, Parkman on Indian citizens...
Gulliver’s Travels Gulliver’s Travels
Gulliver’s Travels (1727) is Jonathan Swift’s wildly imaginative account of Lemuel Gulliver’s journey through fantastical lands. It is funny, moving and profound, a masterful satire that verges into...
How To Read Ancient Greek Art and Archaeology How To Read Ancient Greek Art and Archaeology
Basic Program students learn how to read texts closely, carefully, and systematically. Many of these texts are by ancient Greeks. Reading is also a good name for looking at ancient Greek material...