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The Dignity of a Rich Intellectual and Cultural Life for All

book cover of Lost in Thought
from author's website

Oct 21, 2022 1:00-3:00 p.m., Eastern Time, Online Format

Moderator: David Yamada, Professor of Law, Suffolk University Law School, Boston, MA
https://www.suffolk.edu/academics/faculty/d/y/dyamada

Hosted by Suffolk University Law School (https://www.suffolk.edu/law/) and co-sponsored by:

Basic Program of Liberal Education for Adults, University of Chicago, Graham School https://graham.uchicago.edu/programs-courses/basic-program) 

Harrison Middleton University (https://www.hmu.edu) 

World Dignity University Initiative of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies (https://www.worlddignityuniversity.org)  

Description

See also: https://muchmorethanasong.home.blog/events/

Dr. Zena Hitz is a Tutor at St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, an institution of higher learning devoted to the liberal arts and sciences via examination of “Great Books” that have shaped our cultures.

In Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life (2020), Dr. Hitz uses a mix of memoir and exposition to invite us to engage intellectual life for its own sake, “stripped of its trappings of fame, prestige, fortune, and social use.” Among other things, she makes a compelling case that an intellectual life should be available to anyone as a matter of personal dignity, regardless of vocation or socioeconomic status. 
I have been in contact with Dr. Hitz, and she has agreed to speak about the theme of dignity and an intellectual life as the featured speaker in a co-sponsored fall program, delivered by Zoom, that hopefully will include: 
(1) her presentation on the dignity of an intellectual life, drawn from Lost in Thought; and, 
(2) a responsive panel including remarks from individuals associated with: 
  • Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies; 
  • Harrison Middleton University, a fully online university devoted exclusively to the study of the Great Books and Great Ideas; 
  • The Basic Program of Liberal Learning at the University of Chicago, a longstanding, non-credit program of adult education in Great Books of the Western World; and 
  • Suffolk University.