Beginnings
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Inquiring into the Origins of Politics, Poetry, and Mathematics
July 14–20, 2019 | Santa Fe, NM
What are the origins of human society, language, and knowledge? Through classical works of history, philosophy, religion, mathematics, and poetry, we will explore the idea of the beginning. We encounter a range of classic “beginnings” in an effort to understand the diverse ways that they shape our experience of the world—from beginnings in time, such as political and religious foundings, to timeless beginnings, such as mathematical and philosophical first principles, to the creative and imaginative powers of poetry. Beginnings in a work of mathematics and in a work of religious narrative, for example, may connect in ways that we do not anticipate. Each text studied will stake out a different, often startling, approach to this fundamentally human concern with the origin of things.
Classes and Readings
For more information, the college urges students and parents to review expectations and policies, a campus map, and additional need-to-know details about Summer Academy in Santa Fe.
Seminar
Herodotus, Histories
The book of Genesis
Plutarch, Life of Romulus
Language
Poetry by Blake, Wordsworth, Shelley, and Dickinson
Mathematics
Euclid, Elements
Plato, Meno
Example Workshops
Archery, pottery, drumming
Example activities
Visit cave dwellings at Bandelier National Monument, tour the historic Santa Fe Plaza
Summer Academy Sessions
July 28–August 3, 2019
Technology and Transcendence: Scientific Ambition and the Human ConditionJune 30–July 6, 2019
Revolution and Rebellion: Justice and LawJuly 7–13, 2019
Freedom and Order: Creating Laws, Government, and Society
The community formed among students is a natural extension of the friendships and ideas shared in the classroom. To further nurture a sense of community, Summer Academy students participate in non-academic workshops such as archery, yoga, and cooking. Off campus excursions will include a trip to Ghost Ranch and a performance at the Santa Fe Opera.