AGLN Blog

Are you looking to get back around a seminar table? Consider attending one of the Socrates Program's three winter seminar offerings this Februray in Aspen! See details about the experience and how you can join below! 
 

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The Aspen Institute's Socrates Program provides a forum for emerging leaders (approximately ages 28-45) from various professions to convene and explore contemporary issues through expert-moderated dialogue. Socrates invites you to join them in Aspen, CO for their 2017 Winter Seminars. Continue reading to learn more about the seminars and how to register to attend.
   
The Aspen Institute's Socrates Program invites you to join us in Aspen, February 17-20, for our 2017 winter seminars. We have an exciting selection of three expert-moderated seminars available. Registration is now open, and we encourage first-time participants to apply for scholarship for tuition assistance by November 18th.
   
 
The Motivation Divide in a Global Economy
 
To thrive in the modern economy, people must continue to learn and adapt all their lives. Happily, this is getting easier to do every day. A 12-year-old with a fast Internet connection can now learn physics from world-class professors for free. She can research, write, edit and broadcast her own manifesto (or movie) in under 24 hours. But succeeding at all of those tasks requires, among other things, serious motivation. Some countries and communities are doing a better job of cultivating this kind of motivation than others. Why is that? Where does motivation come from? Can it be taught in a systematic way? How do we prevent the "digital divide" of old from turning into a "motivation divide" in the years to come? 
 
Moderator: Amanda Ripley, journalist and bestselling author of The Smartest Kids in the World--and How They Got That Way
 
 
Global Security and America's Role in the New World Order
 
As a new administration comes into office it will have to develop America’s place in today’s new world order of power. International institutions have been upended or have fallen short. Rising new powers and threats are challenging the traditional balance of power. This seminar will explore three critical issues of domestic and international concern as nations struggle to find a new equilibrium — terrorism, rising cyber insecurity, and nuclear proliferation. Each session will develop a framework through readings for each issue, will pose critical questions to develop deeper understanding of the problems, and will analyze proposed solutions.
 
Moderator: Dina Temple-Raston,  NPR's counter-terrorism correspondent, and Harvey Rishikof, senior counsel in Crowell & Moring’s Privacy & Cybersecurity and Governments Contracts group and former dean of faculty at the National War College
 
 
The Influence of the Corporation

The modern corporation is the most influential institution of our day.  The global reach and distribution systems, decision rules and protocols, market influence and values of multinational firms are consequential in virtually every issue and challenge we face as a society.  Can we harness the business corporation for the public good?  Through readings and discussion, we will be talking about the History of the Corporation, the role of business in social change in the US, and what ideas and forces shape business behaviors.  We will look at case examples of promising conversations taking place in both Board Rooms and Classrooms to connect financial goals and sustainability goals and to support social intra-preneurs  - including a radical rethink the purpose of the corporation and how we measure success in business. 

Moderator: Judy Samuelson, executive director of the Aspen Institute Business and Society Program
 
Winter Seminars Details 

The seminar fee is $1950, which includes tuition, seminar readings, and all meals, throughout the weekend. Lodging is not included in the fee, but can be booked at the Aspen Meadows through online registration. Travel costs are not included, however discounted rates can be booked through Nancy Costanzo at Connoisseur Travel (aspentravel@ctltd.com, 202-469-8990). Tuition scholarship assistance for those attending Socrates for the first time is available by application during the online registration process. For more information, visit our website or contact Dana Hall, 202-736-3517.