Hamilton will offer its fifth annual Alumni Seminar in the Liberal Arts this summer, when it presents Power, Morality and Integrity, July 26-29.
Moderators will be Carl Rubino, the Edward North Professor of Classics, and Mary Bernardine Dias '98, Robotics Institute, Carenegie Mellon University.
Must we agree with Lord Acton when he tells us that power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely? What constitutes power? How many kinds of power are there?How are we to define them? How does the power of Gandhi, for example, differ from the power of Hitler, the power of Joan of Arc from that of Napoleon, or the power of Cleopatra from that of Caesar Augustus? Who is worse off, the person who uses power to abuse others or the person who is abused? How do we preserve our integrity when it is threatened by those with the power to harm us?
Attendees will explore such questions by considering some classic works of literature and philosophy, by reading a play together and by viewing an opera and one or two films.
Alumni are welcome to invite a non-Hamilton friend or two to join them for this year's seminar.
Most activities will take place in the beautifully renovated Rogers Estate at the edge of campus. The Rogers Estate offers a porch with sweeping views of Clinton and the Oriskany Valley. Limtied accommodations are available in the facility, so we recommend reserving your space as soon as possible. Rooms are comfortable and lounge areas are spacious. Saturday evening will include dinner and a performance of Benjamin Britten's The Rape of Lucretia at the world-renowned Glimmerglass Opera House in Cooperstown.
For information about Hamilton's Alumni Seminar call Jennifer Potter Hayes at 1-800-222-6381 or email jhayes@hamilton.edu
