Teen Socrates Seminar, Summer 2013
Planned just for Teens (entering grades 10-12), this three-day seminar takes place on our beautiful campus in Aspen, CO. What better backdrop? Learn about the Declaration of Independence and discuss its relevance today with other teens and an Aspen Institute moderator.
Would you change anything in the Constitution if you could? Or should it remain fairly untouchable? Do you consider the Declaration of Independence a sacred document? Does it remain, as Jefferson once put it, “an expression of the American mind,” and is it still “an instrument…pregnant with the fate of the world?” Are its principles and values embodied in our Constitution? Speaking of our supreme law of the land: Does it continue to provide the scaffolding for a vibrant and evolving democratic republic? Does it ensure that ‘the will of the people’ is heeded and followed?
Over the course of the seminar, we’ll engage in a moderated Socratic exploration of such questions as they touch on the following themes: The Spirit of ’76, The People, Best Government. Participants will be given readings to complete prior to the seminar including The Declaration of Independence and The U.S. Constitution. The seminar will be led by Christopher Phillips, PhD.
Dr. Phillips—who earned his PhD in Communications, and who has Master’s degrees in the humanities, the natural sciences, and in education—is an acclaimed author, and Executive Director of pro-democracy nonprofit Democracy Cafe. Dr. Phillips frequently lectures on such topics as “The Idea of Democracy,” “Reinventing the Constitution,” “Socratic Method and Democracy,” and “Discovering Uncommon Common Ground.”
Fee: $425; scholarships available.
Schedule:
I. Friday, August 9 3:00-6:00pm
**Group Dinner to follow, details provided upon registration
II. Saturday, August 10 3:00-6:00pm
**Group Dinner to follow, details provided upon registration
III. Sunday, August 11 9:00am-12:00pm
Planned just for Teens (entering grades 10-12), this three-day seminar takes place on our beautiful campus in Aspen, CO. What better backdrop? Learn about the Declaration of Independence and discuss its relevance today with other teens and an Aspen Institute moderator.