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COMMUNITYCALENDAR

ST. JOHN’S COLLEGESANTA FE, NEW MEXICO VOL. 1.14

JAN/FEB 2014

In this Issue:Dean’s Lecture and Concert Series,

Community Seminars, Concerts, Theatre, Graduate Institute, Bookstore

Two Pianos, Different Temperaments Sunday, February 23, 3 p.m.Willis “Chip” Miller, piano

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DEAN’S LECTURE AND CONCERT SERIESPlease join us for the beginning of the spring 2014 Dean’s Lecture and ConcertSeries. All lectures are free and open to the public. See below for times and lo-cations.

Spengler and Bacon on the End and Beginning of the Modern WestFriday, January 24, 7:30 p.m. Great Hall, Peterson Student CenterFrank Pagano, tutor, St. John’s College, Santa Fe

Oswald Spengler is famous for the two-volume work, The Decline of the West,written during and immediately after the First World War. As the title sug-gests, Spengler is one of the most pessimistic writers in the Western tradi-tion. He argues that starting with the Enlightenment, the West has been inan irreversible decline and will fall altogether around the year 2100. FrancisBacon is one of the founders of the Enlightenment, who wrote such works asThe Advancement of Learning and The New Atlantis.He is one of the greatoptimists in the Western tradition. This lecture will juxtapose the pessimismof Spengler and the optimism of Bacon in an attempt merely to see in whatways the two depart from each other. It will not explain how the West in 300years moved from optimism to pessimism. Nevertheless, if it is still possibleto choose which course the West will take, then first it is necessary to under-stand the choice.

Those unfamiliar with Francis Bacon’s New Atlantiswould find it helpful toread the few pages from the beginning until the House of Salomon is de-scribed.

Frank N. Pagano earned his bachelor of arts degree from Cornell Universityin 1969 and a doctorate from Boston College in 1981. He held several academicpositions at the University of New England before joining the faculty of St.John's College, Santa Fe, in 1983. Pagano served as director of the college’sGraduate Institute from 2001 to 2004.

“Freedom Depends on its Bondage”: The Return to Plato in thePhilosophies of Leo Strauss and Emmanuel LevinasFriday, January 31, 7:30 p.m.Great Hall, Peterson Student CenterLeora Batnitzky, chair, department of religion, Princeton University

This lecture considers Leo Strauss’s and Emmanuel Levinas’ shared con-tention that a return to Plato or Platonism may restore the bondage thatmakes true freedom possible. For Strauss, the bondage that makes freedompossible is found in the law, while for Levinas, it is the obligation to the“Other” that binds freedom. With special attention to their respective read-ings of what each takes to be Maimonides’ Platonism, this lecture exploresthe commonalities as well as the striking differences in their interpretations

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of Plato. It also considers the implications of this analysis for thinking aboutphilosophy, politics, and ethics as well as their relations to one another.

Leora Batnitzky is the Ronald O. Perelman Professor of Jewish Studies andprofessor and chair of the department of religion at Princeton University. Herteaching and research interests include philosophy of religion, modern Jewishthought, hermeneutics, and contemporary legal and political theory. She is theauthor of three books: Idolatry and Representation: The Philosophy of FranzRosenzweig Reconsidered (Princeton, 2000), Leo Strauss and EmmanuelLevinas: Philosophy and the Politics of Revelation (Cambridge, 2006), andHow Judaism Became a Religion: An Introduction to Modern Jewish Thought(Princeton, 2011). Her current research focuses on legal theory and religion.

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The Shape of Musical TimeFriday, February 7, 3:15 p.m.Great Hall, Peterson Student CenterAndy Kingston, tutor, St. John’s College, Santa FeF.W.J. Schelling asserts that “rhythm is the music within music” and thatmusic is unconscious arithmetic. Edmund Husserl uses music as an initial illustration of the structure of internal time consciousness. After examiningthe role music plays in the thought of Schelling and Husserl, Mr. Kingston willargue that the shape of musical time can be a model for understanding the dynamics of intersubjectivity. Ultimately, Mr. Kingston seeks to reaffirm DukeEllington’s insight that “It Don’t Mean a Thing, If It Ain’t Got That Swing.”

Andy Kingston received an undergraduate degree in English from Kenyon College in 1995 and a doctorate in philosophy and music from The UniversityProfessors Program, Boston University, in 2003. Before joining the faculty ofSt. John’s College in 2005, he held a number of academic positions at B.U. andKenyon College. An accomplished jazz pianist, he is a familiar face on the localmusic scene.

Spirited Friends: On Dogs and Friendship Friday, February 21, 7:30 p.m.Great Hall, Peterson Student CenterGary Borjesson, tutor, St. John’s College, Annapolis

What can we learn from dogs about the nature of friendship? The guidingtheme of this lecture will be the meaning of obedience in our friendships,whether with each other or with dogs. In myth and philosophy, dogs symbolizethe spirited part of our natures. This spirited part may question or accept authority, just as it may make friends or enemies. With this in mind, Mr. Borjesson will first explore the evolutionary origins of friendliness andwhat it reveals about the role of authority in social relations. Then he will consider what friendship is and the role spiritedness plays. Finally, he will illus-trate the meaning of obedience in friendships by examining how it is exempli-fied in the drama of obedience training.

A tutor at St. John’s College, Annapolis, since 1999, Gary Borjesson received abachelor of arts degree from Whitman College in 1987 and master of arts anddoctorate from Emory University in 1994 and 1997, respectively. Prior to joiningthe St. John’s College faculty, he was an assistant professor of philosophy atEmory University and, subsequently, at the University of Central Arkansas.

Whatever it is, I fear Greeks even when they bring gifts.” — Virgil, Aeneid

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Plato and Socrates on Love in the Phaedrus and SymposiumTutor: Jacques DuvoisinDates: Four Wednesdays, February 5–26Time: 4–6 p.m.Cost: $140What, exactly, do we love when we love another person? Is love an exchangeof some sort (of feelings, affections, or other gratifications), or is it a sharedexperience of some transcendent good? Plato presents various approachesto these puzzling questions in the Phaedrus and the Symposium, which willbe considered in four meetings.

Egypt and IslamTutor: Claudia HauerDates: Three Wednesdays, February 12–26 Time: 4–6 p.m.Cost: $105This three-week seminar will explore the intellectual foundations of radicalIslam. The first session will focus on selections from the Qu’ran and an account of Mohammed’s revelation. In the second session, participants will read and discuss Sayyid Qutb’s writings on jihad, with supplemental read-ings in the Qu’ran and Reza Aslan’s No god But God. In the final session, wewill study the recent history of Egypt and ask about the future of Islam.

Three Movies from the Golden Age of Hollywood:Casablanca, The Big Sleep, and Sunset Blvd.Tutor: David CarlDates: Friday, February 7–Sunday, February 9Times: 5–7 p.m. (Friday) and 10 a.m.–noon (Saturday and Sunday)Cost: $105This seminar will examine three classic examples from Hollywood’s “GoldenAge” of cinema, focusing on the intersection of technical devices such asmise-en-scène, camera angle, and lighting with narrative, acting, and dra-matic development to discuss these great films as examples of both works ofart and successful entertainment. Emphasis in the discussions will be placed

COMMUNITY SEMINARSCommunity Seminars are special opportunities for community members to read and discuss seminal works in the same unique manner as do our stu-dents. Seminars are discussion based and small in size in order to ensure spirited dialogue. There are topics to pique every interest, and for many par-ticipants the discussion-based learning model is an entirely new experience. Please call 505-984-6118 to register for any of the seminars described below.Teachers with proof of full-time employment may enroll at a 50-percent discount. Community Seminars are free to 11th and 12th grade high school students (limited spaces available).

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on how visual information provided in the film advances the plot, helps develop the characters, and gives the audience a richer sense of what thefilmic experience entails. Although the classroom will be equipped with a TVand DVD player to aid the discussion, participants are asked to watch eachfilm in its entirely (preferably more than once) in preparation for the conver-sations. Films to be discussed over the three days sequentially are MichaelCurtiz’s Casablanca (1942), Howard Hawks’s The Big Sleep (1946), and BillyWilder’s Sunset Blvd (1950).

Three Films by Akira Kurosawa:Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, and RanTutor: David CarlDates: Friday, April 11–Sunday, April 13Times: 5–7 p.m. (Friday) and 10 a.m.–noon (Saturday and Sunday)Cost: $105Kurosawa was one of the most important Japanese filmmakers, hailed by in-ternational directors like Ingmar Bergman and Frederico Fellini as one of themost influential filmmakers of all time. George Lucas borrowed from Kuro-sawa’s Hidden Fortresswhen he made Star Wars, and Sergio Leone borrowedfrom him when he made his Fist Full of Dollarsmovies with Clint Eastwood.Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai consistently shows up on directors’, critics’, andaudiences’ lists of “Top 10 Movies of all Time.” Participants will watch threeof Kurosawa’s most important films, made over a 30-year period, from themonumental Seven Samurai (1954) to his Japanese re-envisioning of Shake-speare’s great tragedies, Throne of Blood (1957, based on Macbeth) and Ran(1985, based on King Lear). In addition to discussing his films, participantsalso will read his autobiography as a support and supplement to the consider-ation of his movies. Although the classroom will be equipped with a TV andDVD player to aid the discussion, participants are asked to watch each film inits entirely (preferably more than once) in preparation for the conversations.

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LUNCHTIME CONCERTS

DebussyFriday, January 24, 12:10–1:15 p.m.Junior Common Room, Peterson Student CenterPeter Pesic, pianoThere is no charge for admission

Musician-in-residence and tutor Peter Pesic continues his tour of music of the20th century with a program that features Debussy: Préludes Book I (1910).

Chopin and DebussyFriday, February 14, 12:10–1:15 p.m.Junior Common Room, Peterson Student CenterPeter Pesic, pianoThere is no charge for admissionThis concert features, in order of performance, Debussy: Réverie; Danse;Ballade (1890); Chopin: Études op. 10, no. 5–8; Debussy: Pour le piano(1896–1901); and Chopin: Ballade in F major, op. 38.

Peter Pesic is a tutor and musician in residence at St. John’s College, Santa Fe. Heattended Harvard and Stanford, obtaining a doctorate in physics. He has beennamed a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, theAmerican Physical Society, and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Founda-tion. Mr. Pesic is also a visiting scholar at Harvard University.

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EVENING CONCERT

Two Pianos, Different Temperaments Sunday, February 23, 3 p.m.Great Hall, Peterson Student CenterWillis “Chip” Miller, pianoThere is no charge for admission

Pianist Willis “Chip” Miller will returning to St. John’s College in a programthat features him playing on two different pianos—one tuned according tothe modern equal temperament and one to an older temperament, such aswas used in the time of Bach and in which the different key signatures possess audibly different characters. His program will illustrate Bach’s sensi-tivity to key color and personality by coupling each of a number of romanticpieces with a selection from Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier in the same key.The romantic pieces will consist of Book IV of Mendelssohn’s “Songs With-out Words” (in A-flat, E-flat, G Minor, F, A Minor, and A), two Preludes byRachmaninov (in D and G-sharp Minor), and a Prelude (in E) and two Etudes(in C-sharp minor and E) by Chopin.

Dr. Miller began piano studies at age four and had his professional debut atage 11. He has received international recognition at the Young KeyboardArtists Association, Music Teacher's National Association Competition, andthe Stravinsky International Piano Competition. He received his bachelor’sdegree from Virginia Commonwealth University, his master’s from Eastman,and his doctorate from the Moores School of Music at the University of Hous-ton. Dr. Miller has held a private studio for more than 10 years and has been aguest artist and faculty member at the Austin Waldorf School, the Universityof Houston, Virginia Commonwealth University, the Interlochen PathfinderSchool, and the Interlochen Arts Academy. Since 2003, he has specialized inthe music of J. S. Bach.

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January 25, February 22, March 15, and March 297:30–9:30 p.m.Great Hall, Peterson Student Center$25 per concert, advance ticket purchase recommended (on sale January 7, 2014)

Back by popular demand and expanded, Elevated features nationally knownjazz musicians in an intimate club-like setting. Doors open at 7 p.m.; smallplates and wine and beer available for purchase.

ASCAP award-winning vocalist Kathy Kosins kicks offthe second season on Saturday, January 25. Kosins haswon the hearts of critics and fans around the globe withher eclectic musical palette that expands the rich historyof jazz, and her continuing commitment to rhythm andblues is reflected in her musical creations. She has hadstints with the JC Heard and Nelson Riddle Orchestras,recorded with many well-known jazz and R&B artists,and shared the stage with jazz notables.

Jazz saxophonist Chase Baird performs on Saturday,February 22. An ever-surprising and evocative con-tributor to New York’s cutting-edge creative musicscene, Baird starting touring as a high-school student, performing in the United States and Japan with theMonterey Jazz Festival’s Next Generation Jazz Orches-tra. Now completing his final year at Juilliard School,Baird is exploring spontaneous inspiration that drawson elements of classical and folk music.

The season continues on March 15, with Larry Ham and Woody Witt, andconcludes on March 29, with Alan Pasqua.

Coming Soon!Grammy Award-Winning Guitarist David RussellFriday, March 7, 7:30 p.m.Great Hall, Peterson Student Center$40 at the door

Jointly sponsored by St. John’s College and the Santa Fe ConcertAssociation. Limited free admissionfor students, tutors, and collegestaff.

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Jekyll & HydeFriday, February 28, and Saturday, March 1,7:30 p.m.; Sunday, March 2, 3 p.m.Great Hall, Peterson Student CenterThere is no charge for admission

With book and lyrics by Leslie Bricusseand music by Frank Wildhorn, the musi-cal’s story is as timeless as it is irre-sistible. A devoted man of science, Dr.Henry Jekyll is driven to find a chemicalbreakthrough that can solve some ofmankind’s most challenging medicaldilemmas. Rebuffed by the powers thatbe, he decides to make himself the subjectof his own experimental treatments, acci-dentally unleashing his inner demonsalong with the man the world would cometo know as Mr. Hyde. Directed by artist-in-residence Roy Rogosin, Jekyll & Hydewill be fully staged production.

The performances are free and open to the public.

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The Graduate Institute in Santa Fe would like to call your attention to an exciting new summer opportunity:

GREAT BOOKS…AND GREAT FILMS. 2014will be the inaugural summer of the St. John’s College Film Institute, aneight-week program approaching great works of cinema as visual poetry.Each week focuses on a great director, spanning from the 1920s to the 1970s.The program also will feature lectures and workshops by film industry pro-fessionals to help students develop a deeper understanding of the technicalaspects of filmmaking. With nightly classes, film showings at local cinemas,and tutorials on works of film analysis (frequently written by the directorsthemselves), this program will attempt to approach all sides of film as a liberal art, exploring its unique status as visual communication in time andits contribution to the ideas of our culture.

The Film Institute is taught by David Carl and Krishnan Venkatesh, amongother tutors. Classes are small, allowing each individual more time to learn.The cost of tuition for summer 2014 will be $4,900.

THE DATES FOR THE FILM INSTITUTE ARE JUNE 15 THROUGH AUGUST 8.

On-campus room and board are available for Film Institute participants atreasonable rates.

Applications are accepted until December 14. Applications can be found atwww.sjcsf.edu/gradprograms/sf_film.shtml. For further information,please contact Zoe Haskell at 505-984-6050 or filminstitute@sjcsf.edu.

JUNE 15 – AUGUST 8 , 2014 | SANTA FE

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NEW THIS YEAR…AN EXTRA WEEK OF HOMERIC GREEK!

The Graduate Institute in Santa Fe hosts the Summer Greek Institute, a nine-week accelerated course in ancient Greek. This summer we havechanged the pacing to an “accelerated” course. Intensive language programsacross the country are known for their high attrition rate (often around 50%)and extreme stress: this is why the Greek Institute is not an “intensive.” Whileour program still requires an enormous amount of work and dedication, andnecessarily entails memorization, drills, quizzes, and tests, it also leavesspace to appreciate the unique opportunities of a Santa Fe summer, from afternoon lectures at St. John’s to evenings at the Santa Fe Opera. In short,the extra week in this summer’s program is meant to facilitate a more humane, healthier pace, as well as an even deeper immersion in this beautifullanguage.

This course prepares participants to read in Homeric Greek works such asthe Iliad and theOdyssey. It will also prepares graduate students at other institutions to pass a language exam in Ancient Greek. The course’s gram-mar text is Homeric Greek, 4th edition, by Pharr, Wright and Debnar. (Notethat earlier editions will not suffice.) Following the completion of the gram-mar component, participants immerse themselves in a careful reading of selections from the Iliad and theOdyssey. This year’s tutors will be LlydWells and Alan Zeitlin, veterans of last year’s inaugural program. Returningas well will be popular assistant Thomas Conroy.

Classes are small, allowing each individual more time to learn. No previousexperience in Greek is necessary to apply. The cost of tuition for summer2014 is $2,900, considerably lower than tuition for comparable study atother institutions.

THE DATES FOR THE GREEK INSTITUTE ARE JUNE 9 THROUGH AUGUST 7.

On-campus room and board are available for Greek Institute participants atvery reasonable rates. For further information, please contact Zoe Haskell at 505-984-6050 or GreekInstitute@sjcsf.edu.

June 9 – August 7, 2014

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Meditating Selflesslyby James H. Austin, M.D.

The Poems of Jesus Christtranslated by Willis Barnstone

The Resurrectionist: The Lost Workof Dr. Spencer Blackby E. B. Hudspeth

Morrissey Autobiography

Avedon: Womenby Peter Avedon

VISIT THE ST. JOHN’S COLLEGE BOOKSTORE

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WINTER HOURSWe will be closed from December 21-January 15 for remodeling.

STARTING JANUARY 16

Monday 8:45 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

Tuesday 8:45 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

Wednesday 8:45 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

Thursday 8:45 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

Friday 8:45 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Closed Saturday

Sunday 12-6 p.m.

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