Virtual Reading Groups

with Jim Hartley

“Our society is so abnormal that the normal man never dreams of having the normal occupation of looking after his own property. When he chooses a trade, he chooses one of the ten thousand trades that involve… more

with Amy Willis

Harriet Martineau’s Illustrations of Political Economy is a 9-volume series that uses short, easily understandable stories to explain economic concepts concerning equality, wealth, labor, trade, and more.… more

with Carl Richard

This Virtual Reading Group examines the importance of fame for the American Founders and explores how Cincinnatus, Cato, and Cicero served as role models for them. Readings primarily come from ancient Roman… more

with Catherine Labio

Debt crises and stock market bubbles and crashes are not a 20th century phenomenon. In the 18th century, Scotsman John Law helped France overhaul her financial system. Then the burgeoning French stock market… more

with Alice Temnick

Love, selflessness, sacrifice and the reevaluation of what truly matters in life. Welcome to our discussion of Leo Tolstoy’s timeless short story, Master and Man.

The cold month of February is an ideal time to… more

with Sarah Skwire

Shakespeare’s Othello has always been an interesting play, but its considerations of race, rank, and romance may have become more interesting as our cultural contexts have changed around it. How do we read… more

with Janet Bufton

This is the second in our series of Timeless reading groups about Harriet Martineau’s Illustrations of Political Economy. We will read two novellas about the contrast between wage labour and slavery, and the… more

with Renee Wilmeth

Published in 1831, Notre-Dame de Paris (or, as we know it, The Hunchback of Notre Dame) was a social criticism about progress, education, science, the class system, and the state of the city of Paris.… more

with Tawni Ferrarini

Join us for the March 9-16, 2025 Timeless Reading Group where we’ll take a deep dive into Elinor Ostrom’s work on common pool resource problems, exploring how communities can manage shared resources… more

with Jonathan Jacobs

This Virtual Reading Group will explore some of the fundamental issues concerning the relation between law and morality in a liberal democracy, with a focus on matters concerning criminal justice. Among the… more

with Sarah Skwire

On March 31, 1776, Abigail Adams wrote to husband John, encouraging him to “Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of… more

with Tawni Ferrarini

Join us for a 90-minute virtual discussion about Elinor Ostrom’s work on common pool resource problems, exploring how communities can manage shared resources effectively. Ostrom took on the conventional… more

In this reading group we will read two of James Buchanan’s classic essays about public choice: “Politics Without Romance” and “Before Public Choice.” These essays define Buchanan’s concept of public choice and what distinguishes… more

With “The Mirror and the Light” available for US viewers, it’s a good time to think about Shakespeare’s portrayal of Henry VIII and our continuing cultural obsession with his life and reign. How does Shakespeare’s play confirm… more