Upcoming Online Events
The Agora Foundation is a nonsectarian 501(c)3 non-profit endeavor, providing great books seminars and other educational opportunities to those who are busy with careers, families, and daily responsibilities yet are seeking to further their education. The goal of these offerings is to provide an understanding of the ideas that shape civilizations and to promote civil discourse on complicated subjects. The Agora Foundation has facilitated over 1,000 great books seminars and teacher trainings, covering a wide variety of topics including literature, philosophy, political science, theology, history, art, psychology, and more, featuring ancient and modern texts from around the world. In addition to seminars, since 2014 Agora has produced 31 panels, gatherings, and video interviews, promoting civil discourse on controversial and complicated subjects. Hundreds of these events can be freely viewed and listened to on this website.
Generously funded by The Ahmanson Foundation, Southern California Edison, The Shanbrom Family Foundation, the Ventura County Community Foundation, the WRG Foundation, the Constance Eaton and William Hart Fund, the Ojai Valley Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club of Ojai, CIty of Ojai, and private donations, the Teachers for Lifelong Learning Program provides training to high school teachers in this engaging approach to learning, and The Ojai Chautauqua provides panels promoting civil discourse on controversial and complicated subjects.
Upcoming Regular Events
Online Seminar Series
The Origins of Totalitarianism
by Hannah Arendt
Saturday, May 4
12:00-2:00PM PDT
The Origins of Totalitarianism, published in 1951, strives to understand the causes and the mechanics of Nazism and Stalinism as the major totalitarian political movements of the 20th century. We invite you to join us as we explore this entire book, meeting about once per month.
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May 4 Reading:
Chapter Ten - A Classless Society
(pages 305-340)
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Schedule:
12:00-2:00PM PDT
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Tutor:
Andy Gilman
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Online Format:
Register to receive the link
Online Seminar Series
Shakespearean Marriage
Sunday, May 5
12:00-2:00PM PDT
This series serves as an invitation to consider Shakespearean comedy and tragedy together, loosely grouped, all but one of the plays set in Italy, all but one by the Bard, comedies followed by tragedy, each play always standing on its own, winking perhaps at the others.
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May 5 Reading:
Othello by Shakespeare
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Schedule:
12:00-2:00PM PDT
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Tutor:
Eric Stull
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Online Format:
Register to receive the link
Free Online Community
Seminar Series
Supreme Court Decisions
Sunday, May 5
2:30-4:30PM PDT
A story with no real beginning or end, the work has come to assume a preeminent place in English literature.Published in 1939, the book would take Joyce two decades to complete. Join us as we read this text a few pages at a time, every other Wednesday afternoon.
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May 5 Readings:
1) Congressional Research Service Sidebar
2) April 25 SCOTUS Oral Arguments Audio and Transcript
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Schedule:
2:30-4:30PM PDT
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Tutor:
Karl Haigler
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Online Format:
Register to receive the link
Agora Foundation Interview with City Manager Ben Harvey
March 6, 2024
On Wednesday, March 6, 2024, Tom Krause and Andy Gilman of the Agora Foundation met with Ben Harvey, Ojai’s new City Manager. The conversation ranged from the role and best practices of a city manager to the characteristics of a well-functioning city council. Topics included:
- Priorities on capital improvement and land use,
- Ojai’ similarities with other tourist cities in California,
- How to think about visitors and new residents,
- How can a balance of priorities and pressures be achieved,
- How do we address a middle class under cost-of-living pressures,
- Legal expenses in Ojai,
- The health of our city budget,
- What Ben hopes to accomplish in 2024.
Andy Gilman - Motivation for the Agora Foundation - Interview with Andra Belknap
Fall 2023
In fall 2023, Andra Belknap, writer, thinker, and principal of This Little Valley met with Andy Gilman, director of the Agora Foundation. The conversation ranged from curriculum, careful reading, civil discourse, and much more. View more topics here.
An Introduction to The Agora Foundation. What is liberal education?
An Introduction to The Agora Foundation's Ojai Chautauqua Panels.