Our multi-day seminar program allows students the opportunity to have intensive and fruitful academic engagement with topics and thinkers neglected in their Yale classrooms.
Fall Break Seminar 2023: Totalitarianism and Dissent
Faculty: Flagg Taylor, Skidmore College
Dates: October 18th – October 20th
Location: Buckley Institute (234 Church St, 7th Floor, New Haven)
Application deadline: September 13th at 11:59pm
In this seminar we will reflect on the writings of two of the great authors of the twentieth century: Arthur Koestler and Václav Havel. Our attention will be primarily directed to their reflections on the nature of “ideological tyranny” or “totalitarianism” and its effects on the human personality and human relations. This theme will provide an avenue into more general themes that resonate throughout a broad tradition in political philosophy: the questions of justice, tyranny, and political responsibility.
This not-for-credit, three-day seminar will include two, two-hour sessions each day, for a total of six sessions. The seminar is open to current Yale undergraduates and graduate students. Participants will be expected to complete a moderate amount of reading prior to the seminar. Students will receive all readings and course materials ahead of time. Lunch and dinner will be provided for the duration of the seminar, and those who complete the full seminar will be eligible to receive a $150 stipend.