Frontispiece for Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, 1651

In 2008-09, forty-eight first-year students will embark on a rewarding journey through the humanities. In a series of innovative courses students will investigate how diverse thinkers have—at different times and in different ways—answered one of humanity’s most enduring questions: What is the nature of “the good society”? Students in the program will confront the works of great authors and artists—as well as the aspirations of ordinary citizens—who have asked themselves how people might best organize their collective life.

The program will accept applications in May 2008 from students in the entering class of 2012. This is the second year of the Kaplan program, which is open to all types of students: those who are interested in the natural and social sciences, as well as those who plan to major in the humanities. This new program has been uniquely developed for first-year students in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Communication. We hope you will consider taking this opportunity to explore the humanities under the guidance of some of Northwestern’s most prominent faculty members in an innovative new format.

For information about the experience of the inaugural class of 2007-08, turn to their web page.

Both the fall and winter courses will focus on the contours and character of the good society as it has been imagined from Thomas More’s Utopia to Second Life. Across the centuries and continents, diverse peoples have debated the proper form of social life, both as a criticism of contemporary arrangements and as a blueprint for the future. This exciting program invites students to join in an examination of this continuing conversation.

"Lincoln," by Robert Silvers, creator of photomosaic images (click here for larger image; then click on new image to zoom).

In Fall 2008, students will take “Brave New Worlds,” taught by Professors Henry Binford (History), Kasey Evans (English), and Carl Smith (English, American Studies). In this pair of linked courses—a team-taught lecture class and an associated seminar—students will investigate the strikingly divergent visions of what constitutes a good society during three major historical moments in Western culture: the Renaissance, the Enlightenment in Europe and America, and the Technological Revolution in Britain and the United States.

In Winter 2009, students will take “Black Freedom/African Justice,” taught by Professors Sherwin Bryant (African American Studies), Yarí Pérez Marín (Spanish and Portuguese), and David Schoenbrun (History). This pair of linked courses—again a team-taught lecture class and an associated seminar—examines the competing visions of good governance and the good life in Africa and the Americas. We examine art, film, literary texts, legal codices, medical tracts, and travelers' accounts, dating from the colonial era to the present day—many drawn from Northwestern's world-renowned Africana Collection.

As indicated above, both the Fall and Winter courses are composed of two linked classes that combine a lecture format (co-taught by the three faculty members) with a coordinated freshman seminar (with each faculty member teaching one of three seminars of 16 students each). Students will therefore receive a total of four class credits. Students in the program will fulfill the Weinberg requirement that they take two freshman seminars. They will also receive credit for two Distribution courses; one in Area IV (Historical Studies) and one in Area VI (Literature and Fine Arts). In the spring, students will meet for occasional symposia which draw out the themes of the program. Throughout the year students will take advantage of the intellectual, cultural, and artistic resources of Chicago.

Thomas Hicks, Peaceable Kingdom

Students should be aware that the program demands a major commitment of scholarly effort on their part, but that its rewards, in terms of intellectual growth and course credit, are commensurate. Above all, the program offers students a chance to consider how major thinkers—as well as ordinary citizens—have expressed their vision of "the good society,” and do so in the company of a small group of some of Northwestern finest students: a kind of "good society" of its own. Students who complete the program will have richly earned their designation as Kaplan Humanities Scholars.

Interested students can learn more about the program by viewing our brochure or by consulting the FAQ.

Yours,
Ken Alder,
Director, Kaplan Humanities Scholars Program

Ken Alder is professor of history and the Milton H. Wilson Professor in the Humanities. Alder teaches the history of science and technology in the context of social and political change. He is the author of The Measure of All Things: The Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden Error that Transformed the World, which appeared in 2002 and has been translated into 14 languages. His most recent book is The Lie Detectors: The History of an American Obsession. His current work examines the forensic sciences in America and Europe from the Renaissance to the era of the genome. He is also a novelist.

Students with questions should contact the program office, at: kaplanscholars@northwestern.edu