Tuesday Course Descriptions

Automobility and Freedom
-Sam Kazman, J.D.

Individual mobility has always attracted the disdain of certain elites. In the 1850s the Duke of Wellington scoffed that "railroads will only encourage the common people to move about needlessly." Today, attacks on mobility come from central planners and journalists; some of their claims, such as those of pollution and road subsidies, may be superficially plausible, but their general attack is based on an underlying antipathy to mobility-and to freedom. Sam Kazman will examine such historical and cultural issues as the role of the car in the civil rights movement and in the downfall of the Iron Curtain. At the heart of the anti-car agenda, he will argue, is the conflict between central planning and a technology that allows us to go where we want, when we want. Mr. Kazman is general counsel of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based public interest group dedicated to the principles of free enterprise and limited government. Mr. Kazman has been extensively involved in public interest litigation and policy analysis. In 1992 he won a federal appeals court ruling that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had illegally concealed the lethal effects of its auto fuel economy standards on highway safety.

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Tidings of Comfort and Joy: A Realist and Romantic View of Architecture
-John Gillis

Architecture is art. But what does it mean for a building to be an artwork? And what does it mean for architecture to have a realist and a romantic style? A great work of architecture is unified, with no split between function and art. This unification can be best expressed in two words: comfort and joy. For architecture to be romantic and realist, it must have structural integrity and functional success while simultaneously creating a man-made reality informed by joy and the pleasures of human life. Photographs of successful romantic realist works from various eras (seventeenth, nineteenth, and twentheth centuries) will be shown, as well as some anti-romantic-realist works from various eras and places. John Gillis is the principal of his New York City architectural firm. His firm designs residences, restaurants, medical buildings, and offices. He received his architectural training at the Illinois Institute of Technology, the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, and the university of Illinois, Chicago. He has been published in Reason, the Freeman, Economic Affairs, and Interior Design, among others.

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The Takings Clause -Scott Bullock, J.D.

Eminent domain is the power of government to force a citizen to abandon their home, business, or other property. Because of the vast potential for abuse of such a serious and drastic power, the authors of the United States Constitution wrote the takings clause into the Fifth Amendment. Under this clause, the government may only seize property for "public use" and must pay "just compensation." Scott Bullock will address these two important limitations of government power from a philosophical and historical perspective. He will also address property violations that occur through regulatory takings and the evisceration of the public use provision. Mr. Bullock joined the Institute for Justice at its founding in 1991 and serves as a senior attorney. He litigates property rights, free speech, and other constitutional cases in federal and state courts.

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Sacred Sex
-Amy Hayden

Does Objectivism prescribe a particular sexual ideal? How does Objectivism treat casual sex? Amy Hayden will explore an Objectivist approach to sexuality that treats sex in a healthy, life-affirming manner. Amy Hayden is the business design editor of Copley Chicago Newspapers and is completing her degree in ethics and women's studies at Western Illinois University.

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A Workshop on Writing (two sessions)
-Susan McCloskey, Ph.D.

Ayn Rand observed that "a writer is a being of self-made style." This workshop explores how you can develop a distinctive style and adapt it to the range of your purposes. Susan McCloskey will discuss the elements of style-the choice of words, the shaping of sentences and paragraphs, the use of rhetorical figures-as they are illustrated in the work of professional writers. You will also analyze these elements in your own writing to identify the characteristics that make your style as individual as a fingerprint. This workshop is open by application to writers in all forms (fiction, non-fiction, business writing, etc.) and all levels of experience. Application deadline has passed. Susan McCloskey is the president of McCloskey Writing Consultants and an experienced writer, editor, and teacher of writing.

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What Should be the Limits of Government-Funded Research?
-R. Paul Drake, Ph.D.

Objectivism holds that the fundamental purpose of government is the defense of the individual rights of its citizens. Paul Drake will examine the implications of this purpose for government support of research. Using current issues as examples, he will discuss three grounds on which one might justify government support of research: the national defense, the defense of citizens against criminals, and the need to define new rights as technology and knowledge advance. Professor Drake is a plasma physicist at the University of Michigan, with a background in research, education, and scientific administration. His current research is in the application of large lasers to the simulation of astrophysical phenomena. He is also the Director of the Space Physics Research Laboratory, at Michigan, where more than fifty people build instrumentation and conduct research.

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The World of Art: Painting and Sculpture
-Lindsay Wilcox

Take a trip into the world of painting and sculpture. Lindsay Wilcox will present a slide lecture illustrating the basic principles of visual representation in painting and sculpture. Many people have a vague sense of why art "works," but are unable to articulate, or fully understand, their own appreciation. Ms. Wilcox will help the audience understand the principles of visual design and determine whether a particular work of art is a successful expression of those principles. Ms. Wilcox is a figure sculptor who has been studying the practice of art for the past seventeen years.

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Weapons and Women: Medieval and Modern
-Madeline Cosman, M.D., J.D.

From medieval to modern times, women have borne more than children. Why is there a misconception that women never bear arms? Why is that false "tradition" yet another justification for keeping women away from defensive weapons? Joan of Arc was not the only medieval woman to use fighting weapons. Did women in early America use guns? Do women train with weapons in the modern armies of America and Israel? Do proponents of the Second Amendment defend the rights of women as well as men to bear arms? Madeline Cosman, a medical lawyer and grandmother, practices her shooting skills with rifles and handguns. She makes the Objectivist case that defensive weapons allow women to protect their own personal and professional happiness, their families, their property, and their reason. Her most recent book (her fifteenth) Women at Work in Medieval Europe, has a chapter on women felons.

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How to Enjoy Ballet
-John Kerns

Ballet is one of the most enjoyable art forms, integrating dance, theater, and music in an artistic medium where the human form is the means of expression. John Kerns will present a beginner's guide to enjoying ballet and what to do as an audience member to maximize your enjoyment. Abundant video examples will illustrate the presentation. A longtime ballet enthusiast, Mr. Kerns is a financial consultant in San Francisco.

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Cultural Activism Information Session

The Objectivist Center staff will conduct an information session on cultural activism programs, including the Center newsletter, Navigator and the TOC Website.

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Professional Careers Panel and Reception

William Thomas will host a Professional Careers Panel and Reception. During this session, a group of panelists who have made successful careers in professional careers in areas such as law, medicine, science, engineering, and consulting will introduce themselves, answer questions, and offer tips to students and other participants interested in making careers in these areas. The panel discussion will be followed by a reception to allow participants to follow up with individual panel members.

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