Summer Learning & More: Upcoming College Seminars and Events

After the last vehicle rolls off the Thomas Aquinas College campus following Commencement; when the residence halls, once teeming with students, grow quiet; when silence briefly replaces Socratic discourse in the classroom buildings, it may seem as though the intellectual life of the College has slipped into a summer’s hibernation.

In reality, the intellectual life of the academic year has merely given way to a very different, albeit still vibrant, sort of intellectual life. Most of the students have left, but not all, and although their formal instruction has been suspended, their learning most certainly has not. Likewise, the summer offers educational opportunities for the College’s various other constituencies — prospective students, faculty, alumni, and benefactors.

As usual, Thomas Aquinas College will offer a wide range of conferences, seminars, and other academic opportunities this summer. Follow the links below to learn more about any of the events.

Conference: “The Importance of the Philosophy of Nature”

June 16-17

This summer a number of faculty members, graduates, and fellow scholars from across North America will participate in the annual West Coast meeting of the Society for Aristotelian- Thomistic Studies. An international organization founded in 1974 “for the purpose of promoting friendship in the pursuit of wisdom,” the Society examines current issues of scientific or philosophic significance.

This year’s conference, which will focus on the theme “The Importance of the Philosophy of Nature,” will feature lectures and question-and-answer periods with six scholars, including alumni and tutors from the College. The talks will be given in the mornings and afternoons, and the conference will close with a Thursday dinner in honor of the speakers.

Conference: “The Person and Economic Society”

June 17-19

Immediately following the Society for Aristotelian-Thomistic Studies’ conference will be the eighth annual Conference on the Social Doctrine of the Church, sponsored by The Aquinas Review. Attendees will take part in a series of three seminars concerning the principles underlying the Church’s teachings on economics and social justice. The theme of this year’s conference is “The Person and Economic Society.”

The inspiration of the late Dr. Ronald P. McArthur, founding president of Thomas Aquinas College, the seminars will examine relevant works of Aristotle, E.F. Schumacher, and Jacques de Monleon. Conference attendees will split into small groups, led by members of the College’s teaching faculty, to analyze and discern the meaning of the texts. They will also come together for Mass, meals, and a lecture over the course of the weekend.

The 2016 Summer Seminars “Suffering: The Christian Response”

June 24-26 and July 15-17

Each summer the president of Thomas Aquinas College hosts two Great Books Summer Seminar Weekends. These weekends take place on the College’s campus, nestled in the foothills of the Topatopa Mountains, just outside of Santa Paula, California. Attendees gain an inside look at the unique education the College provides its students, while enjoying great books and good fellowship.

Under the guidance of the president, the dean, and senior faculty members, guests participate in a series of classroom discussions centered on timely and important themes. Between seminars they enjoy delicious meals served both indoors and outdoors. In addition, the College’s chaplains offer daily Mass and Confession in Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel.

This year’s theme is “Suffering: The Christian Response.” After examining Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich, participants will discuss Pope St. John Paul II’s 1984 Apostolic Letter, “On the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering” (Salvifici Doloris), and St. Thomas Aquinas’s profound meditation on Christ’s passion and resurrection from the Summa Theologiae. Cost is $750 per person or $1,200 per couple, including seminar tuition, meals, lodging, and readings. (Space is limited. Priority will be given to members of the President’s Council.)

St. Thomas Aquinas on Justice & Mercy Napa Institute Conference Seminar

July 7

In the Psalms God is described as just: “The Lord is just, and has loved justice.” He is also described as merciful: “All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth.” St. Thomas Aquinas considers in what way God is just, without owing His creatures anything; and how He can be merciful without feeling sorrow for His creatures. St. Thomas also shows how God’s justice is compatible with His mercy.

Please join members of the College’s faculty in a lively discussion of this topic at a seminar and a buffet breakfast at this year’s Napa Institute conference, “Equipping Catholics in the Next America,” in Napa, California. The seminar and breakfast are open, free of charge, to all of the conference’s registered attendees.