This year, our group of 11 high school-to-graduate school students hailed from places such as Argentina, Guatemala, and all directions of the U.S. from Las Vegas to Long Island. We had a third-time returnee, eager to soak in the experience again.
Unlike their experience at traditional school, our students relished spending an entire week studying and discussing very difficult readings— usually six hours a day—more than double the usual college class-day hours. And that was IN class. They spent many more hours prepping and studying together after class. Our theme this year was “Reason and Power,” and we read texts exploring all kinds of power, including physical power, psychological power, philosophical power, economic power, and political power. Our readings included Newton, Goldhammer and Shils, Machiavelli, Hayek, Montesquieu, Madison, and more.
Our students were particularly interested in the value of the separation of powers and how important that is to keeping a well-functioning political unit, whether it be the Federal government or the city. We spent considerable time understanding what “separation of powers” meant and how it worked. Then we analyzed the breakdown of good political functioning when there is not sufficient separation of powers in the current governments of Chicago, Argentina, and the U.S.
Ed Bachrach, former head of Bachrach Men’s Clothing, policy activist, and author of The New Chicago Way: Lessons from Other Big Cities, recounted his life and career for the students, explaining valuable strategies he used along the way. The students soaked up everything he said. Santiago Riancho, an economics student at the Center of Macroeconomic Studies University (UCEMA), said “He inspired me in following his steps as entrepreneur and writer.”
After the seminar, Ed wrote this to me: “Thank you for the opportunity to meet such fine young learners. I was very impressed by those who chose to attend your seminar. You are doing great work and influencing young leaders like no others in Chicago.”
Our Advisor, Malachy Walsh, former creative director for J Walter ThompsonWorldwide, reprised his writing course based on Aristotle’s Rhetoric, called “Socratic Scribbling” (now a book!). He teaches an approach to writing that famous novelists, scriptwriters, researchers, and even comedians use!
And students loved it. For example, Elian Ramirez, an accounting student from Universidad Argentina de la Empresa, said “I found it extremely valuable that he gave us advice to write in such a way that we remain in the memory of that person. I really think that the knowledge acquired will help me in my professional career when it comes to sending important letters. He taught us to think in a more original and unique way of writing and communicating.”
We also hosted Larry Borland, a renowned pediatric anesthesiologist from the University of Pittsburgh. He described the arc of his career and some of the work he’s been most proud of, including liver transplant procedures in children. Students were rapt.
