Summer Seminars
Overview
SUMMER SEMINARS FOR THE STUDY OF WESTERN INSTITUTIONS
The Phoenix Institute Summer Seminars for the Study of Western Institutions at the University of Notre Dame (USA) and in Trumau-Vienna (Austria) are designed to foster a better understanding of the Western.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
The Phoenix Institute understands itself as a meeting point for people who believe that the truth, beauty, and goodness that lies at the heart of the Western tradition can provide a useful foundation for the development of their communities.
The Institute’s Summer Seminars for the Study of Western Institutions have been carefully designed as the ideal setting for the study of such tradition.
The seminars are opened to all the candidates that have completed at least one year of undergraduate studies.
High academic qualifications, seriousness of purpose, willingness to actively participate in an international environment, a firm sense of personal responsibility towards the good of others, and a sincere interest in the Study of the Western culture and on the fulfillment of the Institute’s Mission, are the basic qualities that the Institute will be looking for among its prospective students.
Apply to our 2020 Summer Seminars
Our Seminars – 2020 Notre Dame Online
The Phoenix Institute Notre Dame Online Summer Courses
Monday, June 29 - Friday, July 24
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Phoenix Institute and the University of Notre Dame agreed to launch a new education effort: the Phoenix Institute – Notre Dame Online Summer Courses.
LOVE. A CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE GREEK, JEWISH, AND CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS
Dr. Diego I. Rosales
Professor, Philosophy
Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Mexico
Love is the most important question a person has to face in life. Not everyone addresses it in a theoretical way —searching for the essence of love or looking for its precise definition–, but sooner or later we all have to address the question in an existential way: “What or whom should I love?” and “How should I love them?” Throughout history, many philosophers have dedicated some of their most relevant thoughts to answer the questions of what love is and why it is so important for the manifestation and development of the human person. Among the philosophers of Ancient Greece, many can be found -Heraclitus, Socrates, Plato or Plotinus- who considered these as the most important questions a philosopher can ask. But Ancient Greece is not the only place where important philosophical, theological, and literary reflections about love can be found. In The Song of Songs, the Jewish tradition offers one of the most beautiful books ever written about the different facets of love: love as an erotic relation between two human beings, but also as a quest for the searching of God (a path that is followed to this day by contemporary Jewish philosophers such as Franz Rosenzweig or Emmanuel Lévinas). In Christianity, the Gospel itself is one of the most beautiful love stories ever told, but there is also a great Christian literary and philosophical tradition that places love at the core of its reflections: St. Augustine, St. John of the Cross, and Søren Kierkegaard, just to mention three great classics. After a general introduction to love and its manifestations through the reading of literary texts, this course will explore the main insights that the above-mentioned traditions provide on the matter. Reading materials will include the Platonic Symposium, the Song of Songs, excerpts from St. Augustine, and poetry works by Rilke, Shakespeare,St. John of the Cross, Borges, and others.
Dr. Diego I. Rosales. Ph.D. Philosophy, Comillas Pontifical University of Madrid, Spain. M.A. Philosophy, National Autonomous University of Mexico. B.A. Philosophy, Panamerican University, Mexico. Chair of Contemporary Thought at the School of Humanities of the Technological Institute of Monterrey, Mexico. Level I member of the Researchers National System (SNI, Mexico). Correspondent member of the la plate-form ALPHA at the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium.
WHAT TO EXPECT?
– Depending on the week, students will meet with their professor and classmates once or twice a week in live online sessions. These class meetings are a required and essential part of the course.
– Tutorial sessions will be conducted once a week by a teaching assistant in the first three weeks of the course.
– In addition to live sessions, students will work through online content designed by the professor. This work can be done anytime, anywhere, but there are specific weekly deadlines that students have to meet.
– Small class size ensures students benefit from peer-to-peer interaction and close faculty attention.
– Workload includes the above-mentioned digital live weekly sessions (60 minutes each); 30 to 50 pages of weekly readings; weekly answering of reflection questions; and writing a final paper.
– Time Expectations. On average, 6 to 8 hours per week, depending on your learning style, schedule, and your ability to read and write in English.
– Supplemental readings are provided to encourage further exploration of each topic.
– All reading materials, class discussions and homework will be in English.
– This online course offers the same rigor and excellence that have characterized the Phoenix Institute Notre Dame on-campus programs for over 30 years.
– Upon the successful completion of the course, students will be able to request a transcript from the Notre Dame Office of the Registrar.
ELIGIBILITY
The Online Summer Courses are open to all students with a high school degree. Typically, students must be 18 years and older.
COST
The cost of the course is 1,230 USD.
REGISTRATION
General registration will remain open until June 24, 2020. Enrollment to the course is limited.
Apply to our 2020 Summer Seminars
Our Seminars – 2021 Notre Dame
The Phoenix Institute 2021 Notre Dame Summer Seminar for the Study of Western Institutions
July, 2021
OPENING SEMINAR
The Opening Seminar is designed to provide a proper introduction to the summer course as a whole. Students will meet their professors, classmates, and coordinators; review the calendar of curricular and extra-curricular activities; learn all they need to know about life at Notre Dame; etc. The Seminar will take place on the morning of the first Sunday of the program (TBA). Participation in the Opening Seminar is compulsory for all students.
COURSES
Participants will pick two out of the following three courses.
LIBERALISM, DEMOCRACY, AND MODERNITY. TOCQUEVILLE’S AMERICAN JOURNEY
Dr. V. Bradley Lewis
Associate Professor, School of Philosophy
Catholic University of America, USA
Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America (2 volumes, 1835, 1840) has been described as the greatest book ever written on democracy and the greatest book ever written on America. In it, Tocqueville perceives nearly all of the important issues related to modern liberal democracies and contextualizes them in his interpretation of the American experience. The book was written to convince Europeans that democracy was inevitable and to prepare them for it, so that the transition might be peaceful, moderate and just. Among the issues treated are the rule of law, the relationship between church and state, the activities of civil associations and local government, and the importance of culture and institutions in political life. This course will take Tocqueville’s book as its text in order to develop Tocquevillian themes related to politics and society today.
Dr. Bradley Lewis. Ph.D. Government and International Studies, University of Notre Dame. M.A., Government and International Studies, University of Notre Dame. B.A., Government and Politics, University of Maryland. Associate Professor at the School of Philosophy of The Catholic University of America. Associate Editor of The American Journal of Jurisprudence.
MEDIEVAL COSMOLOGY AND MODERN SCIENCE FICTION. EXPLORING THE SPACE TRILOGY OF C.S. LEWIS
Dr. Clinton Brand
Associate Professor & Chair of English
University of St. Thomas, Houston, USA
What do ancient myth-making and medieval cosmology have to do with modern science fiction and stories of space-travel and alien civilizations? Well, quite a lot, if you are to appreciate the Space Trilogy of C. S. Lewis. Though not as well known or widely read as his popular Chronicles of Narnia, or the fantasy fiction of his friend J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, Lewis’s Space Trilogy ranks as one of the most probing accomplishments of twentieth-century speculative and mythopoeic fiction with antecedents in the world-making imaginations of Dante and Milton. These three novels (Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength) also offer an intriguing survey of the range and variety of Lewis’s intellectual vitality as a writer, story teller, literary critic, moral philosopher, and Christian apologist. In this class, we will explore Lewis’s Space Trilogy in relation to his study of the integrated worldview of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, as outlined in The Discarded Image: An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature, as well as in the context of his pioneering work of moral and educational philosophy, The Abolition of Man. Then we will voyage to Mars in the narrative of Out of the Silent Planet, before another space flight to Venus in Perelandra. Finally, we come back to Earth in That Hideous Strength for Lewis’s dystopian tale of a world beset by scientific materialism and resurgent gnosticism and a novel that offers a searching critique of social engineering and the quest for human perfectibility. Along the way, we will discuss a number of philosophical problems and theological mysteries, including the relationships between language and reality, metaphysics and ethics, fall and redemption, nature and grace, incarnation and atonement, flesh and spirit, sin and charity, morality and politics, science and imagination, among others. The Space Trilogy will take us from the “outer space” of modern science fiction to the “Deep Heaven” of classical and medieval cosmology and then to “this pendent world,” the Earth, as the scene for a drama of academic intrigue and eschatological warfare.
Dr. Clinton Brand. Ph.D., English, Vanderbilt University. M.A. English, Vanderbilt University. B.A., English, University of Dallas. Associate Professor & Chair at the English Department of the University of St. Thomas.
LOVE. A CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE GREEK, JEWISH, AND CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS
Dr. Diego I. Rosales
Professor, Philosophy
Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Mexico
Love is the most important question a person has to face in his existence. Even if not everyone addresses it in a theoretical way —searching for the essence of love or looking for its precise definition–, sooner or later we all have to address the question in an existential way: “What or who should I love?” and “How should I love it?” Throughout history, many philosophers have dedicated some of their most relevant thoughts to answer the questions of what love is and why is it so important for the manifestation and development of the human person. Among the philosophers of Ancient Greece many can be found -Heraclitus, Socrates, Plato or Plotinus- who considered these as the most important questions a philosopher can ask. But Ancient Greece is not the only place where important philosophical, theological, and literary reflections about love can be found. In the Song of Songs, the Jewish tradition offers us one of the most beautiful books ever written about the different facets of love: love as an erotic relation between two human beings, but also as a quest for the searching of God. There are also contemporary Jewish philosophers that have treated this question in depth such as Franz Rosenzweig, Martin Buber or Emmanuel Levinas. In Christianity, the Gospel itself is one of the most beautiful love stories ever told, but there is also a great Christian literary and philosophical tradition that places love at the core of its reflections: Saint Augustine, Saint John of the Cross, or Søren Kierkegaard, just to mention three great classics. After a general introduction to love and its manifestations through works of literature, this course will explore the main insights that the above-mentioned traditions provide on the matter. Reading materials will include texts from Plato, St. Augustine, St. John of the Cross, and Emmanuel Levinas, as well as literary works from W. Shakespeare, C. Peguy, and T.S. Eliot, among others.
Dr. Diego I. Rosales. Ph.D. Philosophy, Comillas Pontifical University of Madrid, Spain. M.A. Philosophy, National Autonomous University of Mexico. B.A. Philosophy, Panamerican University, Mexico. Chair of Contemporary Thought at the School of Humanities of the Technological Institute of Monterrey, Mexico. Level I member of the Researchers National System (SNI, Mexico). Correspondent member of the la plate-form ALPHA at the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium.
2021 GERHART NIEMEYER GRADUATION SEMINAR (FOR THIRD YEAR STUDENTS)
The Gerhart Niemeyer Graduation Seminar is the academic activity through which Phoenix senior students (Third Year) complete the Institute’s Program in Advanced Social, Economic and Political Studies.
Third Year students are expected to arrive on Campus three days before the rest of the group.
The Graduation Seminar will cost $120.00 USD (TBC).
LOCATION
The Seminar will be held in the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana. The University is about two hours by car from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and about 90 minutes from Midway International Airport. Coach USA maintains a bus shuttle several times daily between campus and both Chicago O’Hare and Chicago Midway airports. The South Shore Line trains run directly from the Chicago Loop (corner of Michigan and Randolph) to South Bend Regional Airport in South Bend (about a two-hour trip). From the South Bend airport, the Notre Dame campus is approximately a 15-minute ride by car.
COST
The cost of the program is 4,150 USD (TBC) and it includes the full tuition fee, double/triple-occupancy accommodations in non air-conditioned rooms, 20-Meal Plan, and the fees for the use of all the libraries and recreational facilities available on the Notre Dame campus.
A 300 USD non-refundable initial payment will be needed for registration 72 hours after a student is notified of their acceptance to the summer program.
Enrollment to both Summer Programs is limited.
General registration will remain open until May, 2021 (TBC).
All applications will be processed on a first-come, first serve-basis. Due to high demand, students are encouraged to apply as early as possible.
The full cost of the program’s tuition fee must be covered prior to the beginning of the summer program.
The first step to apply is by filling out the Pre-Registration form that can be found here.
Click here for the full description of the 2021 Admission Procedure.
STUDENT VISA
The University of Notre Dame will not require foreign students to get a student visa in order to participate in our summer programs (a regular B2 visa will suffice).
MEDICAL INSURANCE
Because of the high cost of medical treatment in the United States, all students must purchase a medical insurance policy prior to arrival at the University of Notre Dame.
The Phoenix Institute cannot provide for any medical care or medical costs and insurance coverage.
Participants, who have not sent the Phoenix Institute written proof of their medical insurance coverage by June, 2021 (TBC), will not be admitted to the summer program.
Apply to our 2020 Summer Seminars
Our Seminars – 2021 Trumau-Vienna
The Phoenix Institute 2021 Trumau - Vienna Summer Seminar for the Study of Western Institutions
July, 2021
OPENING SEMINAR
The Opening Seminar offers an introduction to the summer course as a whole. Students will meet their professors, classmates, and coordinators; review the calendar of curricular and extra-curricular activities; learn all they need to know about life at Trumau-Vienna; etc. The Seminar will take place on the first Saturday of the program (TBA). Participation in the Opening Seminar is compulsory for all students.
COURSES
Participants will pick two out of the following three courses.
FYODOR DOSTOEVSKY’S THE IDIOT AND BROTHERS KARAMAZOV
Dr. Bernhard Dolna
Dean of Studies and Professor of Philosophy at the
International Theological Institute, Austria
“Beauty will save the world”. This famous quote from Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky`s masterpiece “The Idiot” gives the keynote and the theme for this course. What does this statement mean? In order to receive a comprehensive answer to this question we will study both “The Idiot”, as well as the other masterpiece of Dostoevsky “The Brothers Karamazov.” In this intellectual and at the same time highly inspiring enterprise we have to be aware that the author in his writings never separates truth from good and beauty. The good, taken separately from truth and beauty, would be only an instinct feeling, a powerless upwelling; truth taken abstractly would be an empty word; and beauty without truth and the good could easily become an idol. In our studies, we will pay attention to this interrelation. Dostoevsky seems to understand these three inseparable forms as an entity of one absolute idea of the human soul, which in its perfected fullness is Christ incarnate. Therefore, also the human soul in its infinity is capable to fit into itself all the boundlessness of divinity: the greatest good, the highest truth, and the perfect beauty. However, in the world of contradictions we live in, this does not happen without resistance, not without tragedy, as the novels show. The special character of this course is that deep truths are interspersed in novels of the highest poetic and artistic quality, written by one of the most powerful thinkers and artists of Russian culture and religion. Reading these books is itself an extraordinary event, an encounter with the true greatness and depth of the human soul. It is a constant intellectual and emotional transcending out of limited, subjective human situations into objective universal questions, to which only Christianity has the answers, as Dostoevsky confesses.
Dr. Bernhard Dolna. Studied philosophy, theology, and German literature at the University of Vienna and the University of Freiburg. Doctorate in Theology. Magister in Jewish Studies. Assistant Professor of Ecumenical Studies and Jewish Studies, Vice President and Dean of the International Theological Institute, Austria. Lecturer of Jewish Studies at the University of Vienna, Austria; at the Philosophical and Theological University Benedict XVI, Heiligenkreuz, Austria; and at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. His areas of specialization include Judaic Studies, Jewish/Christian Relations, and theological and philosophical reflections on world literature. Dr. Dolna publishes extensively internationally.
ON THE GENEALOGY OF FEAR
Dr. Alberto I. Vargas
Professor, Philosophy
Universidad Anáhuac, Mexico
One of the deepest feelings of the human soul, fear is a key element in the understanding of the birth and development of Modernity. In many ways, the repeated use of fear as a means to explain and direct human action lies in the origin of some of the most important social problems our societies face today. In this course, we will study how, despite its successful use in the construction of a new world during the past centuries, fear and deceit have ultimately conducted our world towards the sadness and existential despair we face today. By exploring the possibilities of personal freedom in the face of fear, our ultimate goal will be to uncover the many opportunities that the current situation holds within. Reading materials will include selected texts from Plato, Augustine, J. Duns Scotus, M. Luther, N. Machiavelli, T. Hobbes, R. Descartes, S. Kierkegaard, F. Nietzche, M. Heidegger, and J. Habermas, among others.
Dr. Alberto I. Vargas. Ph.D. in Philosophy and M.A. in Governance and Organizational Culture, University of Navarra, Spain. M.P.P. and a B.A. in Political Science from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Mexico. Dr. Vargas is the head of the Department of Philosophical Anthropology at Anahuac University in Mexico City. Works include “On the Genealogy of Fear: An Anthropological Study of Modernity” and “Gift and Being: An anthropological Game Theory”.
HUMAN DIGNITY, RELIGIOUS LIBERTY AND FREEDOM OF EDUCATION. THE LIMITS OF THE STATE
Dr. Christiaan Alting von Geusau, J.D., LL.M
Rector and Professor for Philosophy of Law and Christian Education
at the International Theological Institute, Austria
Honorary Professor, Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola, Peru
Article 18 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states that “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance”. In no time of human history however has religious persecution, especially against Christians, been so vehement and widespread. The freedom of parents and families to educate their children according to their (religious) convictions is also increasingly under threat globally, especially in the West, where new ideologies seek to impose their own orthodoxy, despite Article 26 (3) of the UDHR stating that “Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children”. During the first week this course will explore what are the historical, philosophical and legal origins of the concept of human dignity. The protection of human dignity is the rallying cry for modern society when defining and defending human rights and fundamental freedoms. Yet, what does human dignity mean, and what rights derive from it? What role do or should the state, international organizations and international treaties play here? In the second week, we will look at how our understanding of human dignity determines the actual protection of religious liberty and where and how it is under threat or being outright trampled today. During the third week, we will focus on freedom of education as dependent on freedom of conscience and religion and in what ways this human right is currently being undermined in both totalitarian and democratic societies. Reading materials will include texts from, among others, Paul VI, Jacques Maritain, James V. Schall, and Christopher Dawson.
Dr. Christiaan Alting Von Geusau. Dr. Iur., University of Vienna. LL.M., University of Heidelberg. J.D., University of Leiden. Rector and Professor for Philosophy of Law and Christian Education at the International Theological Institute, Austria. Founder and President of the International Catholic Legislators Network. Lectures regularly in Europe, Africa, and North and South America. Founder of the Catholic Highschool Schola Thomas Morus.
2021 GERHART NIEMEYER GRADUATION SEMINAR (FOR THIRD YEAR STUDENTS)
The Gerhart Niemeyer Graduation Seminar is the academic activity through which Phoenix senior students (Third Year) complete the Institute’s Program in Advanced Social, Economic and Political Studies.
Third Year students are expected to arrive on Campus two days before the rest of the group).
The Graduation Seminar will cost 65 Euros (TBC).
LOCATION
The Seminar will be held in Trumau, Austria, at the campus of the International Theological Institute (ITI). Located 20 minutes south of Vienna and 30 minutes southwest of Vienna Airport by car, Trumau offers ample opportunities to take full advantage of Vienna’s rich cultural atmosphere.
COST
The cost of the program is 2,000 Euros (TBC), and it includes the full tuition fee, double/triple-occupancy accommodations, use of the ITI facilities, a number of cultural activities in and around Vienna (transportation included), and a three-week Meal Plan (daily breakfast and lunch Monday-Friday).
The full cost of the program’s tuition fee must be covered by June, 2021, preferably earlier. Admission to the campus will only be possible after full prior payment of the tuition fee.
A 300 Euro non-refundable initial payment will be required 72 hours after a student is notified of their acceptance to the summer program.
Enrollment to both Summer Programs is limited.
General registration will remain open until May, 2021 (TBC).
All applications will be processed on a first-come, first serve-basis. Due to high demand, students are encouraged to apply as early as possible.
The first step to apply is by filling out the Pre-Registration form that can be found here.
Click here for the full description of the 2021 Admission Procedure.
VISA
Applicants from outside the EU need to inform at the Austrian Embassy or consulate in their home country whether a (student or tourist) visa is required for entry into Austria.
MEDICAL INSURANCE
Prior to arrival in Austria, all participants must purchase a full medical insurance policy that covers any medical emergencies or needs whilst attending the course.
The Phoenix Institute cannot provide for any medical care or medical costs and insurance coverage.
Participants, who have not sent the Phoenix Institute written proof of their medical insurance coverage by June, 2021, will not be admitted to the summer program.
Apply to our 2021 Summer Seminars
Admission Procedure
PRE-REGISTRATION
Complete the pre-registration form for the Summer Seminars
Enrollment to both Summer Programs is limited. If interested in attending, you should submit your pre-register as soon as possible. Applications will be considered on a first-come, first-serve basis
APPLICATION
After completing the pre-registration form for the Summer Seminars you will receive an e-mail from the Phoenix Institute with the corresponding Application format.
INTERVIEW (FIRST YEARS ONLY)
Once you have completed the above-mentioned Application form, you will be interviewed by a Phoenix Institute representative.
NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE
All candidates will be informed by e-mail whether they have been accepted, rejected or placed on a waiting list.
INITIAL PAYMENT
Once you have been accepted, complete your registration to the program by means of a non-refundable initial payment (applicable to your tuition fee), and the online completion of the relevant registration requirements (to be informed).
Apply to our 2020 Summer Seminars
Financial Aid
The Phoenix Institute annually provides a limited amount of scholarships to carefully selected students.
Scholarships are only available for Summer Seminars.
The following requirements need to be met to be eligible to apply for a scholarship:
- The applicant has been accepted to the Summer Program by the corresponding Assessment Committee;
- The applicant is either an enrolled full-time graduate or undergraduate student, or a person regularly working with students;
- The applicant has submitted a detailed explanation of his/her financial need (preferably providing sufficient written proof of the inability to pay the full tuition fee);
- The applicant is able to pay part of the tuition fee with personal funds (full scholarships are not granted);
- The applicant must submit a detailed personal report before the end of the Summer Seminar attended with the scholarship.
Students applying for a scholarship must understand that the Phoenix Institute is fully dependent on its benefactors and therefore cannot guarantee that a scholarship will be granted.
Though they will not be taken into consideration until a student has been accepted to a summer program, scholarship applications can be sent along with the student’s Application form and Curriculum Vitae.
If interested in requesting a scholarship for the Notre Dame or Trumau-Vienna program, please apply by April, 2021, at the latest, preferably earlier.
Applicants must furthermore be aware that news about the grant of a scholarship might be received as late as a few weeks prior to the start of the Summer Seminar.
Please send the corresponding documents to summer.seminars@thephoenixinstitute.org
Apply to our 2020 Summer Seminars