Liberty & Society

• Overview
• A Typical Day
• Locations
• Faculty
• Readings

Breakfast - Getting up early has its advantages. Enjoy a conversation about the history of liberalism with Craig Yirush and get some nourishment for the day ahead.

Philosophies of Government: A Roadmap  
Every day talk of the 'left' versus the 'right' leaves out important distinctions. What justifies the government's authority to oblige and coerce? How do consequentialists differ from rights-based thinkers?

Break - Grab that much-needed cup of coffee and a pastry as you take a few minutes to chat with fellow students.

Law and Order: The Development of Criminal Law
Within the history of criminal law, learn important differences between civil law, customary law, and criminal law. Should the justice system be geared toward retribution or restitution? What would a modern-day restitution system look like? How does this differ from our current criminal justice system?  

Lunch - With good food comes good conversation. Have questions about the morning's lectures? Follow up with the speaker, and see where your ideas take you.

Free Time - Check out the campus and surrounding areas, organize a game of ultimate Frisbee, or take a nap-you're free to choose.

Sample Lecture

More lectures

Labor Standards, Trade and Development: How to Help the World's Poor
Globalization is about voluntary exchange across borders. Yet workers in developing countries labor under conditions we might find objectionable. How can we ensure that those workers are treated fairly? Should we use trade sanctions to improve the working conditions of the world's poor? What effect will this have on helping them rise from poverty?

Dinner - Still have questions about labor standards or restitution? What about sweatshops? Do all crimes require victims? Bring your questions and your appetite and talk through your questions with Josh or Craig.

Industrialization and Poverty in the 19th Century 
Marx and Dickens paint a dire picture of living and working conditions in the 19th Century. The standard view is that the working-class were exploited unless the government intervened. But what does the data show? What effect did the Industrial Revolution have on the living conditions of society's least well off? Craig Yirush takes us through the history of the time to show what life was really like.

Evening Social - We provide snacks and refreshments; you bring the conversation. Stay up late to talk through the thorniest of the day's issues. Relax, and enjoy the company of your fellow students and the seminar faculty.

Locations »