Summer 2025 Dialogues of Civilization

Title: Ancient Forests: Legal and Philosophical Perspectives

Term: Summer 1

Start date: May 25

End date: June 24

Faculty: Meica Magnani & Getty Lustila

Priority Deadline: December 2nd

Standard Deadline:January 15

Description: The Dialogue will take place in British Columbia in western Canada (Vancouver and Vancouver Island) and the Olympic peninsula in Washington state and will include a 5-day guided backpacking trip into Olympic National Park, home to one of the largest intact old growth forests in the country.

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Title: England and the Scientific Revolutions

Term: Summer 2

Start date: June 29 

End date: July 28

Faculty: Katy Shorey

Priority Deadline: December 1st, 2024

Standard Deadline: January 15th, 2025

Description: This Dialogue studies two revolutions in scientific thought: the Scientific Revolution of the 17th and 18th centuries and the computational revolution of the 20th century. The goal of this Dialogue of Civilizations is to understand these two revolutions and how they contributed to philosophical discussion of the nature of science and scientific explanation.

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Title: Philosophical and legal Perspectives on Dissent in France (Honors)

Dates: Summer 2

Start date: June 30, 2025

End date: July 31, 2025

Faculty: Candice Delmas

Priority Deadline: December 2nd, 2024

Standard Deadline: January 15th, 2025

Description: This Dialogue explores the legal and philosophical frameworks that regulate free speech and protest in France, with an eye to comparing them with the United States context. France has a vibrant culture and history of protest and resistance, from the French Revolution to today’s general strikes. It also has strict hate speech laws and a much less permissive free speech culture than the US. The Dialogue combines an Honors Seminar (HONR 3309) exploring the central legal issues surrounding free speech with a social and political philosophy course (PHIL 2303) focused on the ethics of protest, with both courses converging under the broad umbrella of dissent. The Dialogue is set in Paris and Lyon, where students will familiarize themselves with distinct aspects of France’s rich history of protest and meet different local actors, including lawyers, solicitors, jurists, historians, philosophers, and activists.

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