Programs

About our Workshops and Seminars

Upcoming American Idea Residential Colloquia:

There is one application for all colloquia. Please rank them (1-8) in order of your preferences. Click here to apply.

May 8-11, Ordering American Foreign Policy: The Pacificus-Helvidius
            Debates from 1793-1794

July 7-11, Federalists & Anti-Federalists

August 4-9, Liberty & Responsibility in Adam Smith

September 18-21, Education and the Free Society

October TBA, Two Visions of America: Thomas Jefferson & Alexander
Hamilton

November 6-9, Liberty & Responsibility in Cicero’s On Duties and Addison’s Cato Tragedy

December TBA, Liberty & Order in Plato’s Republic

January, 2009 TBA,Liberty & Responsibility in Four Shakespearean Tragedies: RichardIII, Titus Andronicus, Richard II, and Julius Caesar

Upcoming American Idea Workshops:

Socratic Seminar: The Odyssey at the American Idea Classroom –
Clint Brand and Valerie Hall
        Date: TBA

Socratic Seminar: The American Revolution: A Revolt of Sober Expectations at the American Idea Classroom – John Hittinger and Terry Hall
        Date: TBA

Recent American Idea Workshops:

American Idea Home School Workshop: The Mystery of Redemption in the Church Fathers Two Day Program at the American Idea Classroom-
Jeremy Wilkins
       Friday, February 22 and Saturday, February 23, 2008

Texas History at the United Way Community Center-
Don Frazier and Stephen Hardin
       Friday, February 8, 2008

Wealth, Poverty and Human Destiny at the United Way Community Center-
Brian Domitrovic and Ralph Ancil
       Friday, February 8, 2008

Utopia and Distopia in Modern Literature at the United Way Community Center-
Clint Brand
       Friday, February 8, 2008

The American and Western Intellectual Tradition: The Federalists & the Anti-Federalists: Competing Visions of Liberty – December 6-9, 2007

The American and Western Intellectual Tradition: Historical & Philosophical Roots of American Constitutionalism – November 8-11, 2007

Free Markets, Free Enterprise, and Modernity at the Federal Reserve Bank – Houston BranchBill Gilmer, Brian Domitrovic and Richard Gosselin
       Monday, October 15, 2007

Foundations of Republican Government at the Federal Reserve Bank – Houston BranchBill Gilmer, Tom Behr, and Michael Bordelon
       Monday, October 15, 2007

American Idea High School Home School Workshop: Featuring Author Joseph Pearce at the American Idea Classroom-
Joseph Pearce
       Friday, October 12, 2007

Origins of Humanity, Culture, and Civilization for Home School Educators and Home Schooled High School Students at the Museum of Natural Science-
Gleaves Whitney, Tom Behr and Claire Scoggin
        Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Origins of Humanity, Culture, and Civilization at the Houston Museum of Natural Science-
Gleaves Whitney, Tom Behr and Claire Scoggin
       Monday, September 10, 2007

Origins of Humanity, Culture, and Civilization at the Houston Museum of Natural Science-
Gleaves Whitney and Claire Scoggin
       Friday, September 7, 2007

The American and Western Intellectual Tradition: Liberty & Responsibility in the Western Tradition – September 6-9, 2007

The American and Western Intellectual Tradition: Shakespeare and Plutarch: Liberty and Tyranny – August 23-26, 2007

Socratic Seminar: Sophocles’ Theban Plays – Clint Brand and Terry Hall
        Saturday, August 25, 2007

The Constitutional Convention and Liberty , Philadelphia, PA
        June 24 – 29, 2007

Rome: the Greatest of Ancient Civilizations at the Houston Museum of Natural Science-
Tom Behr and Claire Scoggin
       Friday, May 18, 2007

Socratic Seminar: Aeschylus’ Orestia – Clint Brand and Terry Hall
        Saturday, May 5, 2007

America at War at the University of St. Thomas-Don Frazier, Robert Pace and John Bradley  Friday, May 4, 2007

Rome: the Greatest of Ancient Civilizationsfor Home School Educators and Home Schooled High School Students at the Museum of Natural Science-
Gleaves Whitney and Claire Scoggin
        Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Rome: the Greatest of Ancient Civilizations at the Houston Museum of Natural Science-
Gleaves Whitney and Claire Scoggin
       Monday, February 26, 2007

Socratic Seminar: America’s Roots in Rome – Gleaves Whitney
        Saturday, February 24, 2007

Rome: the Greatest of Ancient Civilizations at the Houston Museum of Natural Science-
Gleaves Whitney and Claire Scoggin
       Friday, February 23, 2007

American Idea Home School Workshop: Crime & Punishment Day Two of a Two Day Program at the American Idea Classroom-
Marc Miller
       Saturday, February 17, 2007

American Idea Home School Workshop: Crime & Punishment Day One of a Two Day Program at the American Idea Classroom-
Marc Miller
       Saturday, February 10, 2007

Understanding Economics at the Federal Reserve Bank – Houston Branch
Brian Domitrovic and Richard Gosselin
       Friday, February 2, 2007

American Presidents at the Federal Reserve Bank – Houston Branch
Michael Bordelon and Brett Mills
       Friday, February 2, 2007

Historians: the Storytellers of History at the University of St. Thomas
Gleaves Whitney and Thomas Jodziewicz
       Monday, January 15, 2007

Reading Southern Literature at the University of St. Thomas-
Michael Jordan and Clint Brand
       Monday, January 15, 2007

Socratic Seminar: Homer’s Odyssey – Clint Brand and Terry Hall
        Saturday, January 13, 2007

Socratic Seminar: Plato’s Five Dialogues (Euthyphro, Apology, and Crito) – Terry Hall and Michael Bordelon
        Saturday, December 9, 2006

U.S. and World War II at the University of St. Thomas-John Bradley and Brett Mills
       Monday, November 20, 2006

American Idea Home School Workshop: Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter Day One of a Two Day Program at the American Idea Classroom-
Marc Miller
       Saturday, October 28, 2006

Film and the Moral Imagination at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston- Kerry MacArthur, Randall Smith, and George Ramirez
        Friday, October 27, 2006

Economics: Theory and Practice at the Houston Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank- Brian Dimitrovic, Greg Rehmke, and Richard Gosselin
       Tuesday, October 24, 2006

American Idea Home School Workshop: Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter Day One of a Two Day Program at the American Idea Classroom-
Marc Miller
       Saturday, October 21, 2006

The Comedic Mind of Shakespeare at the University of St. Thomas- Ben Lockerd and Clint Brand
        Friday, October 20, 2006

Benjamin Franklin Day for Home School Educators and Home Schooled High School Students at the Museum of Natural Science-
Gleaves Whitney and Claire Scoggin
        Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Benjamin Franklin Day at the Museum of Natural Science-
Gleaves Whitney and Claire Scoggin
        Monday, October 16, 2006

Socratic Seminar: Plato’s Republic – Terry Hall and Michael Bordelon
        Saturday, October 14, 2006

The Heroic & Tragic World in Classical Literature– Clint Brand, Kerry MacArthur, and Terry Hall
        Friday, August 25, 2006

Socratic Seminar: Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics– Michael Bordelon
        Saturday, May 13, 2006

Victorian Literature– Clint Brand and Kerry MacArthur
        Friday, May 5, 2006

Socratic Seminar: Aristotle’s Politics– Michael Bordelon
        Saturday, April 8, 2006

Principles of America’s Founding- Brad Birzer and Michael Bordelon
        Friday, December 2, 2005

Sonnet Poetry and the Moral Imagination- Clint Brand and
        Kerry MacArthur
        Monday, January 16, 2006

Economics in One Lesson at the Federal Reserve Bank- Houston         Branch- Richard Gosselin
        Friday, September 10, 2004

America’s Presidents – Brad Birzer and Gleaves Whitney
   Friday, February 13, 2004

America’s Presidents in Buffalo Gap, Texas- Don Frazier, Robert Pace
        and Bob Wettemann
   Monday, February 16, 2004

Texas History – Don Frazier, Brett Mills
   Friday, February 27, 2004

Thomas More’s Utopia: A Discussion (Invitation Only) –
   Clint Brand
   Saturday, February 28, 2004

Teaching Economics Through Literature – Richard Gosselin
   Friday, March 5, 2004 (Click here to download Workshop flyer         in .pdf format)

Roots of the American Order – Brad Birzer and Winston Elliott
   Friday, April 2, 2004

Economics: Work and Prosperity – Gleaves Whitney and
   Richard Gosselin
   Friday, May 7, 2004

Small Group Discussion: Leisure: the Basis of Culture
   November 8, 2003

The Revolution in Development Economics
   November 7, 2003

Understanding America: Alexis de Tocqueville and Orestes
   Brownson
   October 30, 2003

Understanding the Moral Imagination: Yesterday and Today
   October 13, 2003

Understanding a Republican Government: Venice, a City-State and         America, a Nation-State
        May 2, 2003

Women Authors and Characters Overcoming: Harriet Beecher         Stowe, Willa Cather and Zora Neal Hurston
        April 26, 2003

Understanding Conservatism: The 50th Anniversary of the Russell         Kirk’s The Conservative Mind
     
   April 12, 2003

Rights and Duties: Order, Justice, and Liberty
        April 11, 2003

Shakespeare and the World:Hamlet, Love and Friendship in Romeo         and Juliet, and Harold Bloom Misunderstanding Shakespeare
        April 5, 2003

World War II: Economics, Politics, and the Battlefield Strategy
        March 28, 2003

Understandingthe American Cause: Teaching and Practicing
      Virtue (Middle and High School History, Government and
      Literature Teachers)
       March 7, 2003

Principles of the U.S. Constitution: A Judicial Perspective
        (Middle and High School History and Government Teachers)
        December 5, 2002

Reviving Western Tradition in Myth: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien
         (Middle and High School Literature and History Teachers)
          November 15, 2002

America and Communism
        (Middle and High School Literature and History Teachers)
         November 14, 2002

Globalization and International Trade (Economics, Geography, and         Government Teachers)
        October 23, 2002

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