Marian art is a central theme in the history of European painting. This seminar will look at the history of how Mary has been depicted in the painting of the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and in more modern movements. It will discuss these paintings not only from the...

Charles Taylor is one of the most influential philosophers in the world today. He is celebrated not only for the range of his interests–which include language, politics, science, and religion–but also for the accessibility of his writings. This reading group will meet...

The Abolition of Man By early 1943, it was clear to many observers that the Allies would win the Second World War. But for C.S. Lewis, the conflict had revealed a civilizational crisis that military victory alone could not solve. He feared that the war had a exposed a...

Imagining Race Three years before receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature, Toni Morrison gave a series of lectures at Harvard examining depictions of race in American culture. She argued that the American imagination had been profoundly shaped by the categories of...

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions When Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientifc Revolutions appeared in 1962, it offered a radically new perspective on the history of science. It challenged the prevailing view that science develops by “accumulation” and argued...

Lara Buchak Associate Professor of Philosophy; Senior Fellow, Berkeley Institute Understanding Ritual Whether we are religious or secular, our lives are structured by rituals. Religious believers often participate in liturgies, but our culture is filled with other...

Steven Hayward Visiting Professor, Goldman School of Public Policy Visions of Justice: From Conservatism to Postmodernism Justice today typically comes in hyphenated forms. There’s social justice, racial justice, environmental justice, and even spacial justice. Many...

Anselm Ramelow Professor of Philosophy; Senior Fellow, Berkeley Institute Understanding Architecture Architecture shapes our lives and forms our imaginations in ways we often do not fully appreciate. Places of work, learning, worship, and living do more than provide...

How to Be Christian In College A lot of people think it should be hard to be a Christian and a college student. Is it? Should it be? And in any case, how can you do both well? Berkeley professors Lara Buchak and Steven Justice will offer both intellectual and...

The Fire Next Time: Race & Religion in James Baldwin Many are wondering if it is still possible to dream of an America where people of vastly different backgrounds can live and thrive together. This seminar proposes an actual beginning to the conversation by...

Our summer fiction reading group continues with Milan Kundera’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being. We will meet weekly to talk about Kundera’s understanding of erotic love, its relationship to human finitude, and his frequent reflections on theological themes. A free...