The new Perelandra Scholars Program offers engaging learning opportunities for high school students in the 11th and 12th grades to study the humanities and earn college credit at Portland State University (PSU).
Affordable and taught in person by PSU professors, the 2021-2022 academic year course offerings allow students to engage serious ideas in the areas of philosophy, religion, politics, and literature:
- The Idea of the Nation (1 credit) | November 8, 15, 29, December 6, 13. 7-9:30pm.
- Identity and US Politics (1 credit) | February 7, 14, 21, 28, March 7. 7-9:30pm.
- Fantasy Literature and the Religious Imagination (1 credit) | April 25, May 2, 9, 16, 23. 7-9:30pm.
The first course, offered November 2021, The Idea of the Nation, will examine what it means to be a nation, when national identity is a force for liberty and when a source of conflict, how the national idea has developed in America as compared with countries such as Poland, Israel, and Scotland, and the importance and challenges of national identity today as compared with its alternatives. Readings include Ernest Renan’s essay “What Is A Nation?” and selected short texts on national identity in American, Polish, Israeli, and other contexts.
"This is a chance for 11th and 12th graders to grapple with big ideas and the great intellectual conversations of western culture, to discuss these ideas on the college level through critical dialogue," says Professor Michael Weingrad, "Students will engage controversial points of view, with the goal of understanding them and thereby sharpening their own thinking."
Professor Weingrad initiated this innovative program, collaborating with multiple departments within PSU. He serves as Perelandra Scholars Program Director as well as lead instructor. Weingrad is a member of the faculty of the Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies at Portland State University and has held fellowships at Harvard University, the University of Leeds, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is also the father of three inquisitive teenagers.
Classes are held on Monday evenings over five dates and cost $75 per course. Need-based scholarships are available. Each course is currently limited to 25 registrants. Participants may register for one, two, or all three courses. Each course provides one credit.
To learn more about the program and how to register, visit the Perelandra Scholars Program webpage.