On Sept. 23 – 25 TFAS held its first-ever Curriculum of Liberty Seminar entitled Liberty from Locke to Hayek. This was the first of four seminars to be held in 2011 and 2012 co-sponsored by the Liberty Fund, Inc. The invitation-only event took place in Arlington, Va. with TFAS alumni participating. Participants were advanced undergraduate students or current graduate students. The purpose of the seminar was to introduce alumni to classic authors and key concepts in free-market economics.

Throughout the weekend, attendees engaged in lively conversation. Sessions, led by Professors Jim Otteson, Ph.D. of Yeshiva University and Mark LeBar, Ph.D. of Ohio University, went beyond basic economic concepts to examine the broader social, political, cultural and moral implications of different visions of human liberty.

“I feel truly empowered by the new knowledge that I have gathered during our debates,” said,” Anna Ebers (AIPES 07).

2012 Curriculum of Liberty Seminars:

Liberty and Responsibility in the Media (Feb. 3 – 4, 2012): This seminar will bring together working journalists to study the role of the press in a free society. It will serve as a featured part of the new TFAS Leadership Fellows in Journalism program.

Philanthropy and Liberty: This program is for select alumni working in the nonprofit sector. The seminar will examine the obligations individuals have to one another in a free society.

Liberty and Equality: Held in conjunction with the TFAS Freedom Scholars program in April, this conference will expose undergraduate students to views that they may not otherwise study.

For information about participating in a future Curriculum of Liberty Seminar, contact Emily Hill (IPVS 05) at alumni@TFAS.org.

Based in Indianapolis, Liberty Fund, Inc. is a private educational foundation established to encourage the study of the ideal of a society of free and responsible individuals. The organization sponsors over 150 conferences a year throughout the United States, Canada, Latin America and Europe. After a successful first program, the Liberty Fund has agreed to co-sponsor similar programs in 2013.

Liberty from Locke to Hayek Participants

Roy Abdo (IIPES 06, CSS 07) M.S. in marketing at The Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School

Maria Denisa Albu (IIPES 08) M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University

Dana Amihere (IPJ 10) M.A. in journalism at the University of Maryland

Elizabeth Bryant (IBGA 05) M.A. in Security Studies at Georgetown University

Marianne Caballero (ILA 09) M.A. in public policy at Harvard University

Anna Chorniy (AIPES 07, EMJI 08) Ph.D. in economics at Clemson University

Mary Couick (AIPES 10) B.A. in biology from the University of South Carolina

Anna Ebers (AIPES 07) Ph.D. in economics/governance at Syracuse University

Noam Gidron (IIPES 08) Ph.D. in government at Harvard University

Chenqi (Bill) Huang (AIPES 08) Ph.D. in political science at the University of Maryland

Cody Kamin (IBGA 09) B.A. in technology and policy at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Sarah Meier (IIPES 11) B.A. in political science and integrated marketing communications at Wichita State University

Dafina Mulaj (AIPES 07, CSS 08) M.A. in economics at George Mason University

Xunyi (Jane) Xu) (AIPES 07) B.A. from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University