Brooklyn Institute for Social Research
Classes in NYC
The Brooklyn Institute for Social Research, established in 2011, offers liberal arts education and research opportunities to local communities while supporting young scholars. With a mission to engage various intellectual traditions, the institute aims to provide accessible education and foster active, engaged citizens.
11 classes with availability
Thomas Bernhard: The Arts Trilogy
Brooklyn Institute for Social Research See all classes by this school @ 75 Broad St, New York, NY
Examine a powerful collection of modern literary works that explore art, memory, grief and isolation through an uncompromising narrative style. Engage with philosophical and historical perspectives while analyzing recurring themes of ambition, friendship and artistic integrity. Ideal for readers interested in literature, critical theory and intellectual discussion.
Oct 20th
6:30–9:30pm ET
Meets 4 Times
$355
25 Seats Left
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Tue. Oct 20th, 6:30–9:30pm ET
(12 hours over 4 sessions)
Thomas Mann: The Magic Mountain
Brooklyn Institute for Social Research See all classes by this school @ 30 Irving Pl, New York, NY
Delve into Thomas Mann's literary masterpiece, 'The Magic Mountain,' at the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research. This course invites exploration into the profound themes of love, loss, time, and the human condition against the backdrop of prewar Europe. Analyzing Mann's work alongside medical journals, reviews, and lectures, participants will ponder questions of health, the evolving nature of time in modernity, and the pursuit of enchantment in a rapidly changing world.
Nov 16th
6:30–9:30pm ET
Meets 4 Times
$355
25 Seats Left
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Mon. Nov 16th, 6:30–9:30pm ET
(12 hours over 4 sessions)
Critical Theory and the Now: An Introduction to the Frankfurt School
Brooklyn Institute for Social Research See all classes by this school @ 75 Broad St, New York, NY
Examine influential ideas that shaped modern critical thought through the writings of leading twentieth-century philosophers and social theorists. Explore concepts connecting culture, politics, history and art while considering their relevance to contemporary society. Engage with thought-provoking texts that encourage deeper analysis of today's world.
Nov 18th
6:30–9:30pm ET
Meets 4 Times
$355
25 Seats Left
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Wed. Nov 18th, 6:30–9:30pm ET
(12 hours over 4 sessions)
Andrea Dworkin: Sex, Power, and Politics (In-Person)
Brooklyn Institute for Social Research See all classes by this school @ 68 Jay St, Brooklyn, NY
Explore the polarizing legacy of Andrea Dworkin, a fierce critic of pornography and patriarchy, whose work ignited feminist debates and continues to provoke reflection in the #MeToo era. Delve into her writings, speeches, and radical ideas to uncover insights into feminism's evolution and its liberation ideals.
Oct 21st
6:30–9:30pm ET
Meets 4 Times
$355
25 Seats Left
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Wed. Oct 21st, 6:30–9:30pm ET
(12 hours over 4 sessions)
Mikhail Bulgakov: The Master and Margarita (In-Person)
Brooklyn Institute for Social Research See all classes by this school @ 45 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY
Examine a landmark work of twentieth-century literature through themes of censorship, morality, faith and artistic freedom. Explore how fantasy, satire and allegory challenge political power while raising enduring questions about truth, love and conscience. Gain deeper historical and cultural insight through thoughtful discussion and close reading.
Oct 21st
6:30–9:30pm ET
Meets 4 Times
$355
25 Seats Left
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Wed. Oct 21st, 6:30–9:30pm ET
(12 hours over 4 sessions)
Stoicism: a Philosophical Introduction (In-Person)
Brooklyn Institute for Social Research See all classes by this school @ 68 Jay St, Brooklyn, NY
Explore the ancient philosophy of Stoicism and its ideas about tranquility, ethics, politics, and human nature. Examine influential writings from Greek and Roman thinkers while considering questions of happiness, justice, freedom, and self-improvement. Reflect on the enduring relevance of Stoic thought in modern life.
Nov 16th
6:30–9:30pm ET
Meets 4 Times
$355
25 Seats Left
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Mon. Nov 16th, 6:30–9:30pm ET
(12 hours over 4 sessions)
Annie Ernaux: Shame and the Politics of Memory
Brooklyn Institute for Social Research See all classes by this school @ 81 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY
Examine the work of a Nobel Prize-winning author whose writing transforms personal experience into a powerful exploration of memory, class and gender. Through close readings of key texts, you'll explore themes of identity, politics and autobiography while considering the evolution of contemporary autofiction and literary voice.
Nov 17th
6:30–9:30pm ET
Meets 4 Times
$355
3 Seats Left
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Tue. Nov 17th, 6:30–9:30pm ET
(12 hours over 4 sessions)
Andrei Tarkovsky: the Poetics of Cinema (In-Person)
Brooklyn Institute for Social Research See all classes by this school @ 68 Jay St, Brooklyn, NY
Explore the distinctive cinematic language of Andrei Tarkovsky through four landmark films and selections from his writings. Examine how memory, spirituality, nature, art and symbolism shape his work while considering Soviet film culture, philosophy and visual art. Reflect on the enduring questions of creativity, humanity and artistic expression.
Nov 17th
6:30–9:30pm ET
Meets 4 Times
$355
25 Seats Left
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Tue. Nov 17th, 6:30–9:30pm ET
(12 hours over 4 sessions)
Queer NYC: After Stonewall (In-Person)
Brooklyn Institute for Social Research See all classes by this school @ 304 Bond St., Brooklyn, NY
Explore the history of queer life and activism in New York City from the 1950s through the era of marriage equality. Examine Stonewall, community organizing, the AIDS crisis, and the evolving politics of gay rights through influential writings by queer activists, artists, and scholars.
Nov 18th
6:30–9:30pm ET
Meets 4 Times
$355
25 Seats Left
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Wed. Nov 18th, 6:30–9:30pm ET
(12 hours over 4 sessions)
King Lear: Madness, Soveriegnty, and Crisis (In-Person)
Brooklyn Institute for Social Research See all classes by this school @ 68 Jay St, Brooklyn, NY
Explore Shakespeare’s portrayal of political instability, power, and social upheaval through close reading and historical context. Examine philosophical influences from Montaigne and Machiavelli alongside theories of monarchy in early seventeenth-century Britain. Consider how the play’s themes of sovereignty, community, and political fracture remain relevant today.
Nov 19th
6:30–9:30pm ET
Meets 4 Times
$355
25 Seats Left
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Thu. Nov 19th, 6:30–9:30pm ET
(12 hours over 4 sessions)
The Subway: Urbanism, Infrastructure, and Social Life
Brooklyn Institute for Social Research See all classes by this school @ Online, New York, NY
Explore the intricate relationship between urbanism, infrastructure, and social life through the lens of the New York City subway. Investigate its historical, sociological, and economic impact, from its role in urban expansion to its influence on everyday life and politics. Delve into the subway's cultural representations and envision the kind of life it enables and could enable.
Nov 17th
6:30–9:30pm ET
Meets 4 Times
$355
25 Seats Left
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Tue. Nov 17th, 6:30–9:30pm ET
(12 hours over 4 sessions)
More classes to explore
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The Dystopian Imagination
Brooklyn Institute for Social Research See all classes by this school @ 247 West 37th St, New York, NY
Thomas More’s sixteenth century treatise Utopia – literally, “no place” – coined the term “utopia” in its modern parlance: a planned, perfected vision of a possible society in some misty other geography or time. Over the next several centuries, More’s peculiar mix of religious discipline and egalitarian traditionalism increasingly underlined the negative connotation that the concept of “utopia” acquired. In the...
This class isn’t on the schedule at the moment, but save it to your Wish List to find out when it comes back!
Politics of the City: Plato’s Republic
Brooklyn Institute for Social Research See all classes by this school @ 247 West 37th St, New York, NY
From the ancient world to contemporary debates, the work of Plato is foundational in Western philosophy. As Alfred North Whitehead once quipped, “The safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato.” In particular, Plato’s Republicremains a vital touchstone for contemporary political and moral philosophers trying to understand everything from the very...
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Signal and Noise: An Introduction to Statistics
Brooklyn Institute for Social Research See all classes by this school @ 247 West 37th St, New York, NY
How do numbers relate to the world? What insights can we derive from data? How do we separate signal from noise? This course is an introduction to statistical thinking and its applications to data analysis at a level accessible to a broad audience with no prior statistical background. We’ll learn and make intuitive the fundamental methods and concepts of data quantification: linear regression, logistic regression, probability distribution,...
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Kant’s Critical Aesthetics
Brooklyn Institute for Social Research See all classes by this school @ 75 Broad St, New York, NY
Art was anything but peripheral to Kant’s philosophical project. In judging a thing to be beautiful, Kant maintained, we bridge “the great gulf” of nature and human freedom, and prepare ourselves to “love something, even nature, without interest”—that is, exercise moral judgment. Immensely influential in its time, the so-called “third Critique” inspired and gave energy to both German Idealism, which attempted to provide a rational...
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Feminist Science Fiction
Brooklyn Institute for Social Research See all classes by this school @ 3009 Broadway, New York, NY
The world is not usually imagined for the benefit of women. What can feminist science fiction tell us about these oppressive arrangements and how the world might be otherwise? What makes a work of science fiction feminist? From utopia to dystopia, satire to space opera, in what ways does science fiction hold up a mirror to difficult realties? This course offers a selective introduction to critical themes in twentieth and twenty-first century...
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Architectural Experiments: Revolutions in Design
Brooklyn Institute for Social Research See all classes by this school @ 15 E 40th St , New York, NY
Explore how architecture has served as a vessel for radical imagination and collective aspiration across two centuries of social transformation. From utopian phalansteries to the avant-garde visions of Red Vienna and anti-functionalist collectives, this course examines how the built environment can embody dreams of a world beyond capitalism.
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Socrates
Brooklyn Institute for Social Research See all classes by this school @ 178 Stanton St, New York, NY
The trial, conviction, and execution of Socrates on the vote of the Athenian democracy is a founding myth in the history of Western philosophy. And yet very little is known with certainty about the historical Socrates, who himself wrote nothing, but whose way of life, as accounted by Plato (and others) has become a powerful and enduring paradigm of philosophical practice. To Athenian eyes and ears, Socrates was doubtless strange: notoriously...
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Everyday Irrationalism: T. Adorno, Politics, and Reason
Brooklyn Institute for Social Research See all classes by this school @ 30 Irving Pl, New York, NY
Students in the course will read selections from a number of Adorno’s works, including The Stars Down to Earth, Minima Moralia, and The Authoritarian Personality. We will look at the famous dispute between Adorno and philosopher of science Karl Popper both to understand the grounds of their debate but also to understand their vast areas of agreement between empirical research and critical theory. We will pose a series of questions that emerge from...
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Introduction to Music Theory
Brooklyn Institute for Social Research See all classes by this school @ 30 Irving Pl, New York, NY
What are the basic structures of western music? What rules and norms—of harmony, melody, and rhythm—unite works as remote from each other in time and style as Bach’s St. Matthew Passion and the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper? What are the acoustic, perceptual, and historical roots of this musical grammar, and does understanding them shape the way we hear and respond to music? These are some of the questions we will address in Introduction...
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Reviews of Brooklyn Institute for Social Research
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Late-Capitalist Architecture
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Reading the Iliad
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Solarpunk: Theory, Fiction, and Radical Futures
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Herman Melville: The Confidence-Man
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Architectural Experiments: Revolutions in Design
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Emanation and Return: an Introduction to Neoplatonism (In-Person)
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Kierkegaard: Either/Or
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Ruins: Beauty, Feeling, and Catastrophe (In-Person)
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Leo Strauss: Philosophy Between the Lines
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Hysteria, Dreams, and Psychoanalysis: an Introduction to Freud
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Leo Tolstoy: Anna Karenina (In-Person)
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The Subway: Urbanism, Infrastructure, and Social Life
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Vergil’s Aeneid: Myth, Empire, and Ruin
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Vergil’s Aeneid: Myth, Empire, and Ruin
First, I was really out of my element. I was lost from the start! I found the reading difficult….and I think I had the wrong book. Second, the discussions were tedious and baffling. The “class” was filled with Aeneid groupies who tried one-upping each other at every turn; I didn’t get anything out of that except being annoyed that everyone was trying to impress each other with their academic prowess. It just was the wrong class for me. I’m sure the students I’m referring to loved it! But it was really beyond me. And that’s on me. -
Mining: Industry, Ecology, and Capitalism
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James Joyce: Ulysses
It was not easy, but I didn't expect it to be. I got some very useful insight into the book, which will help in my second reading. I will be looking for more classes taught by Professor Porte. -
Hannah Arendt: The Human Condition
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Proust in Time: The Prisoner
pretentious, and unwelcoming professor -
Henry James: The Portrait of a Lady
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Don DeLillo: Underworld
