A Year of Classics: In-Person and Online Community Seminars

Theme: Freedom and Bondage

Do all human beings by nature desire freedom and abhor bondage? Would you risk your life for freedom or would you suffer bondage to avoid death? Is liberty a natural right for all? Do other goals, such as peace, security, commodious living, require us to sacrifice or set limits to that right? Is freedom of the soul possible in the absence of political and religious liberty? Why does human bondage persist in a world which seems to have condemned it? We will discuss nine readings to explore together the meaning, cost, limits, and possibilities of human freedom.

About A Year of Classics

St. John’s seminars offer nine profound, rich, and resonant readings taken from the core of the college’s distinctive curriculum. The 2023-24 gathering of readings asks challenging questions. In the community of a discussion-based classroom, we study these texts and confront their questions together. We offer a once-a-month experience in the life of the mind, a true source of reward for the busy executive, stimulation for the artist, engagement for a parent, and all of these for those who are at work building our world on strong foundations.

Readings

September: Homer, Odyssey, Books 14-15

October: Aristotle, Politics, Book 1

November: Epictetus, The Manual

December: William Shakespeare, The Tempest

January: Martin Luther, The Freedom of a Christian

February: Rousseau, Social Contract, Books 1, 2 (Chapters 1-7,11), 3 (Chapters 1-5)

March: Herman Melville, Benito Cereno

April: Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

May: Rita Dove, Selected Poems

In-person seminars

Cosmos Club: First Tuesday of the month, 5:30–7 p.m. ET with Michael Dink (SOLD OUT)

St. John’s College Annapolis Campus: Third Wednesday of the month, 7–8:30 p.m. ET with Deborah Axelrod (SOLD OUT)

St. John’s College Annapolis Campus: Last Tuesday of the month, 8-9:30 a.m. ET with George Russell

Zoom seminars

First Thursday of the month at 8–9:30 a.m. ET with David Townsend (SOLD OUT)

First Friday of the month at 10–11:30 a.m. ET / 8–9:30 a.m. MT with Erica Beall (SOLD OUT)

Second Tuesday of the month, 10–11:30 a.m. ET / 8–9:30 a.m. MT with David Townsend (SOLD OUT)

Second Thursday of the month, 10–11:30 a.m. ET / 8–9:30 a.m. MT with David Townsend (SOLD OUT)

Third Tuesday of the month, 8–9:30 p.m. ET / 6–7:30 p.m. MT with Nick Capozzoli (SOLD OUT)

Third Thursday of the month, 8–9:30 a.m. ET with David Townsend (SOLD OUT)

Fourth Tuesday of the month, 8–9:30 p.m. ET with Louis Petrich (SOLD OUT)

TUTOR PROFILES

Deborah S. Axelrod

Erica M. Beall

Nicholas A. Capozzoli

Michael Dink

Louis Petrich

George A. Russell

David Townsend

A Year of Classics FAQ

What is seminar?

How does a seminar function?

Policies

Communication

Information regarding seminars will be communicated by email. For questions please email: classics(at)sjc.edu. Please note the seminar program email address has changed.

Registration, Zoom links, and meeting information will be communicated by email according to the schedule shared in the registration confirmation. Please look for a confirmation email after you register.

Time Zones

All in-person seminars are listed in ET. All online seminars are listed with their start time in respective time zones. Online seminars follow daylight saving time changes.

REFUND POLICY

A 75 percent refund is provided for cancellations made by September 1, 2023. No refunds are provided if you cancel after September 1.

No-Fee Seminar Changes

No-fee seminar changes offer registrants flexibility. If for any reason you need or prefer to switch your seminar, you can transfer your enrollment to any other seminar with an open space.

Teacher Tuition Assistance

St. John’s College Classics Seminar programs offer tuition assistance to full-time licensed teachers (K-12). With proof of current employment as an educator, participants receive a 50% discount on seminar tuition. Discounts are available to the first 16 teacher registrants. When registering online, please select the “Educator” pricing and proceed when prompted to enter eligibility requirements, including the contact information of someone who is authorized to verify your educational employment, during checkout. For additional questions about this discount, please contact classics(at)sjc.edu.

Emergency Policies

If St. John’s College cancels a seminar, then participants will receive either a full refund, a pro-rated refund for any seminars that have not occurred, or an option to continue an in-person course on an online platform.

If a participant cancels and the college’s in-person programs are continuing, refund policies apply. Our policies aim to plan for in-person programming, while acknowledging that there is unpredictability inherent in all activities. We advise you to make your enrollment decision in line with your level of comfort with this unpredictability.

The college reserves the right to make decisions deemed necessary for our entire community, including the health and safety of all participants. We pledge to communicate with participants regularly about issues concerning health and safety.

TUTOR SUBSTITUTION

The college reserves the right to make tutor substitutions if necessary. All affected registrants will be notified of a tutor substitution.

LOW ENROLLMENT

The college reserves the right to cancel a seminar due to low enrollment. All registrants in a cancelled seminar qualify for a full refund and would be offered priority enrollment into an alternative seminar of their choice with available capacity.

OTHER

Should a seminar need to be cancelled due to a natural disaster or similar event, participants will be notified by email, and every attempt will be made to reschedule.