University of Chicago Graham School
Source: https://graham.uchicago.edu
Archived: 2026-04-23 15:30
University of Chicago Graham School
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Explore big ideas, together.
Join a community of eminent scholars and intellectually curious peers.
Find Your Program
Video Description
Woman walks down street on University of Chicago campus. Classroom discussion with four students and instructor. Graham School instructor leads virtual classroom discussion. Student writes down reflections in notebook. Student smiles during classroom discussion. Three Graham School students greet each other prior to an event. David Brooks and Anne Snyder converse with a Graham School student. Three Graham School students explore the UChicago Smart Museum. Three Graham School students and Anne Snyder converse. Dean Seth Green looks over UChicago campus while speaking with a student.
Our new podcast, Enduring Excellence, is now live.
Listen to the second episode featuring Arthur C. Brooks.
Listen Now >
Featured Offerings
Our offerings are inspired by the belief that lifelong engagement with the liberal arts enriches lives and invigorates societies.
Courses
Build Deeper Connections
Join Booth Professor Nicholas Epley in exploring the science of human connection and ways to build more meaningful relationships.
Art and Science of Social Connection
Weeklong Residential Program
Engage in a Week of Civic Virtue
This August, spend a week on UChicago’s Hyde Park campus to explore big ideas and lively conversations with fellow Graham students.
Graham Summer School
Courses
Learning Never Stops
Renew your love of learning with a unique program aimed at personal
growth.
Returning Scholars
Travel Study
Explore the “City of Dreaming Spires.”
Study with world-class faculty and enjoy unique cultural experiences at Oxford with fellow lifelong learners.
Travel to Oxford
Master’s Degree
Grow as a Thinker and Leader
Elevate your critical thinking and leadership through advanced study in the liberal arts.
Master of Liberal Arts
Courses
Choose Your Intellectual Adventure
Embrace lifelong discovery by taking curated courses that will intrigue, engage, and inspire you.
Open Enrollment Courses
4 Year Certificate
Immerse Yourself in the Great Books
Explore timeless works of literature, philosophy, history, and social thought.
The Basic Program
Fellowship
Design a Future of Meaning and Impact
Join a community of accomplished leaders on a journey of self-discovery and meaningful action for society.
Leadership & Society Initiative
Travel Study
Take a Journey of Discovery
Join us on transformative visits to historical sites.
Plan Your Trip
Why Lifelong Learners Love Graham
Reading, literature, and philosophy were my first loves and all things the Graham School does so spectacularly well.
Don Phillips
AM’86, CER’17 (Basic Program)
Once you start, there is a thirst within you for more. We’re always looking for courses to take and books to read. The desire for new knowledge and understanding never ends.
Rosemarie Mitchell
MLA’12
By taking classes, I am reinforcing that we always have something new to learn. Knowledge helps us grow and enriches our lives. And through the University of Chicago, I can be an example of that.
Murad Sabzali
MLA Student
Browse Summer I Courses
Featured
Online
Summer I
James Joyce’s Dubliners and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Kendall Sharp
Featured
Online
Summer I
The Art and Science of Social Connection
Nicholas Epley
Featured
In-Person • Online
Summer I
The Great Gatsby
Jennifer A. Lind
Featured
In-Person • Online
Summer I
The Spirit of 1776: Writings from the War of Independence
Jennifer A. Lind
Online
Summer I
American Auteurs
Michael Latham
Online
Summer I
American Masters
J
John Gibbons
In-Person
Summer I
Aristotle’s Organon
Online
Summer I
August Wilson: Theater’s Poet of Black America
Paul Cato
New to Graham
Are You New to the Graham School?
In the Graham School’s one-of-a-kind community, you’ll join intellectually curious peers to explore big ideas with our extraordinary faculty and instructors. Whether studying the classics or looking at contemporary issues, our students are motivated by fundamental questions like: “Who am I?” “Why am I here?” “What difference do I want to make?” We create a welcoming space of intellectual discovery and discernment for learners in mid-life and beyond.
Choose from our wide variety of offerings to learn in the modality and at the pace that makes sense for you.
Find your Path
What we’re striving for as we age is wisdom, and I don’t think you can have it unless your mind is fully engaged and encountering the best that’s been thought and said.
David Brooks, AB’83
Senior Advisor & Senior Fellow, UChicago Leadership & Society Initiative
What I love most about teaching at the Graham School is that it is like eating at the chef’s table: there are no barriers between students and instructors. We are all peers, indeed, friends learning alongside each other.
Jennifer Lind, MLA’22
Instructor, UChicago Graham School
By discussing texts from around the world and throughout history, Graham School students, faculty, and staff seek answers to universal questions about human life while also appreciating the diversity of human experience.
Paul Cato, AM’19
Basic Program Instructor, UChicago Graham School
Our students are hungry. They want to talk about ideas. They want to read exciting, challenging texts and learn to think about them in new ways.
Mark Miller, MA’87, PhD’93
Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the English Department, UChicago
Upcoming Events at Graham
View All Events
Apr
27
Discussions
Relevance, Purpose, and Meaning After a Major Life Transition
Gleacher Center
7:30 am – 9:15 am CT
What happens when the drive that built your career becomes the thing that prevents you from ever truly knowing yourself? Geoff Curtis spent nearly 30 years in healthcare communications before an acquisition erased his role — and forced him to confront what it really means to find purpose after a major life transition.
View Event
Apr
30
America at 250
Sewell Chan on The Past, Present, and Future of Journalism
David Rubenstein Forum
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm CT
From the collapse of local news to rising threats to press freedom, journalist Sewell Chan draws on two decades at America’s leading newsrooms to explore the past, present, and future of journalism and its essential role in democracy.
View Event
May
01
First Friday
Historians Made Elsewhere Than at Rome: Polybius and Josephus on the Roman Empire
Online
12:15 pm – 1:30 pm CT
This First Friday Lecture is supported by the Anastaplo Lecture Series Fund in memory of Basic Program Instructor George Anastaplo.
View Event
May
05
Discussions
Wild Fictions: A Conversation with Amitav Ghosh
David Rubenstein Forum or via livestream
5:15 pm – 7:30 pm CT
Join us for a wide-ranging discussion with novelist and essayist Amitav Ghosh on the present ‘catastrophic convergence’ of social, historical, and natural forces—and how new (and old) narratives might allow us to repair our relationships with our environment and one another.
View Event
May
07
Enduring Excellence
Enduring Excellence: A Conversation with Steven R. Swartz
Gleacher Center or via livestream
8:00 am – 9:15 am CT
Join us for our Enduring Excellence conversation with Steven R. Swartz, President and CEO of Hearst, one of the world’s largest and most diversified global information, services, and media companies.
View Event
May
07
Basic Program Info Session
Online
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm CT
Join the Basic Program for an online information session.
View Event
May
08
Discussions
The Future of Work Is Grey: A Conversation with Dan Pontefract
Online
11:00 am – 11:30 am CT
What if the greatest untapped resource in today’s workforce has been there all along? And what does it take to lead through the most significant demographic shift of our time?
View Event
May
12
Enduring Excellence
Enduring Excellence: A Conversation with Don and Liz Thompson
Gleacher Center or Livestream
8:00 am – 9:15 am CT
Join us for our Enduring Excellence conversation with Don and Liz Thompson, renowned business and civic leaders whose professional achievements and philanthropic vision have long been intertwined.
View Event
May
19
Discussions
Longevity Nation: A Conversation with Michael Clinton
Online
1:00 pm – 1:45 pm CT
The 100-year life is no longer a distant dream—it’s today’s reality. Join us for a conversation with author Michael Clinton exploring how individuals and institutions are redefining the second half of life through science, reinvention, and purpose.
View Event
May
20
Discussions
A Little More Social: Understanding the Science of Everyday Interactions
Online
11:00 am – 11:45 am CT
Why do we so often choose to be alone when connecting with others makes us happier? And what small choices could transform our everyday interactions into moments of genuine connection?
View Event
Graham School Stories
View Articles
Latest Post
Apr 21, 2026
Articles
Noah Chafets Reappointed as Cyril O. Houle Chair of the Basic Program of Liberal Education for Adults
Chafets recognized for continued leadership and commitment to the Basic Program.
Read Now
Apr 2, 2026
Articles
Reflecting on 250 Years of U.S. Foreign Policy
A conversation with John J. Mearsheimer and Jennifer A. Lind on the history and founding ideas that shape U.S. relations beyond its borders.
Read Now
Apr 1, 2026
Student Stories
Building Skills for a Changing Workforce
Master of Liberal Arts Student, Felix Quayson, reflects on education, technology, and the future of work.
Read Now
GRAHAM SCHOOL COMMUNITY
We believe that the best learning happens in classrooms where people actively engage each other in the spirit of joint inquiry.
That’s why Graham School faculty focus on asking provocative questions and facilitating discussion rather than just imparting their expertise. Our courses invite learners to engage in meaningful dialogue across divergent perspectives.
Why Graham
Questions? Reach out for support.
Contact Us
This is the search overlay. Use the Escape key to close it.
Your Shopping Cart
Enroll Now
We use
cookies
to enhance your experience on our site.
Skip to main content
Explore big ideas, together.
Join a community of eminent scholars and intellectually curious peers.
Find Your Program
Video Description
Woman walks down street on University of Chicago campus. Classroom discussion with four students and instructor. Graham School instructor leads virtual classroom discussion. Student writes down reflections in notebook. Student smiles during classroom discussion. Three Graham School students greet each other prior to an event. David Brooks and Anne Snyder converse with a Graham School student. Three Graham School students explore the UChicago Smart Museum. Three Graham School students and Anne Snyder converse. Dean Seth Green looks over UChicago campus while speaking with a student.
Our new podcast, Enduring Excellence, is now live.
Listen to the second episode featuring Arthur C. Brooks.
Listen Now >
Featured Offerings
Our offerings are inspired by the belief that lifelong engagement with the liberal arts enriches lives and invigorates societies.
Courses
Build Deeper Connections
Join Booth Professor Nicholas Epley in exploring the science of human connection and ways to build more meaningful relationships.
Art and Science of Social Connection
Weeklong Residential Program
Engage in a Week of Civic Virtue
This August, spend a week on UChicago’s Hyde Park campus to explore big ideas and lively conversations with fellow Graham students.
Graham Summer School
Courses
Learning Never Stops
Renew your love of learning with a unique program aimed at personal
growth.
Returning Scholars
Travel Study
Explore the “City of Dreaming Spires.”
Study with world-class faculty and enjoy unique cultural experiences at Oxford with fellow lifelong learners.
Travel to Oxford
Master’s Degree
Grow as a Thinker and Leader
Elevate your critical thinking and leadership through advanced study in the liberal arts.
Master of Liberal Arts
Courses
Choose Your Intellectual Adventure
Embrace lifelong discovery by taking curated courses that will intrigue, engage, and inspire you.
Open Enrollment Courses
4 Year Certificate
Immerse Yourself in the Great Books
Explore timeless works of literature, philosophy, history, and social thought.
The Basic Program
Fellowship
Design a Future of Meaning and Impact
Join a community of accomplished leaders on a journey of self-discovery and meaningful action for society.
Leadership & Society Initiative
Travel Study
Take a Journey of Discovery
Join us on transformative visits to historical sites.
Plan Your Trip
Why Lifelong Learners Love Graham
Reading, literature, and philosophy were my first loves and all things the Graham School does so spectacularly well.
Don Phillips
AM’86, CER’17 (Basic Program)
Once you start, there is a thirst within you for more. We’re always looking for courses to take and books to read. The desire for new knowledge and understanding never ends.
Rosemarie Mitchell
MLA’12
By taking classes, I am reinforcing that we always have something new to learn. Knowledge helps us grow and enriches our lives. And through the University of Chicago, I can be an example of that.
Murad Sabzali
MLA Student
Browse Summer I Courses
Featured
Online
Summer I
James Joyce’s Dubliners and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Kendall Sharp
Featured
Online
Summer I
The Art and Science of Social Connection
Nicholas Epley
Featured
In-Person • Online
Summer I
The Great Gatsby
Jennifer A. Lind
Featured
In-Person • Online
Summer I
The Spirit of 1776: Writings from the War of Independence
Jennifer A. Lind
Online
Summer I
American Auteurs
Michael Latham
Online
Summer I
American Masters
J
John Gibbons
In-Person
Summer I
Aristotle’s Organon
Online
Summer I
August Wilson: Theater’s Poet of Black America
Paul Cato
New to Graham
Are You New to the Graham School?
In the Graham School’s one-of-a-kind community, you’ll join intellectually curious peers to explore big ideas with our extraordinary faculty and instructors. Whether studying the classics or looking at contemporary issues, our students are motivated by fundamental questions like: “Who am I?” “Why am I here?” “What difference do I want to make?” We create a welcoming space of intellectual discovery and discernment for learners in mid-life and beyond.
Choose from our wide variety of offerings to learn in the modality and at the pace that makes sense for you.
Find your Path
What we’re striving for as we age is wisdom, and I don’t think you can have it unless your mind is fully engaged and encountering the best that’s been thought and said.
David Brooks, AB’83
Senior Advisor & Senior Fellow, UChicago Leadership & Society Initiative
What I love most about teaching at the Graham School is that it is like eating at the chef’s table: there are no barriers between students and instructors. We are all peers, indeed, friends learning alongside each other.
Jennifer Lind, MLA’22
Instructor, UChicago Graham School
By discussing texts from around the world and throughout history, Graham School students, faculty, and staff seek answers to universal questions about human life while also appreciating the diversity of human experience.
Paul Cato, AM’19
Basic Program Instructor, UChicago Graham School
Our students are hungry. They want to talk about ideas. They want to read exciting, challenging texts and learn to think about them in new ways.
Mark Miller, MA’87, PhD’93
Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the English Department, UChicago
Upcoming Events at Graham
View All Events
Apr
27
Discussions
Relevance, Purpose, and Meaning After a Major Life Transition
Gleacher Center
7:30 am – 9:15 am CT
What happens when the drive that built your career becomes the thing that prevents you from ever truly knowing yourself? Geoff Curtis spent nearly 30 years in healthcare communications before an acquisition erased his role — and forced him to confront what it really means to find purpose after a major life transition.
View Event
Apr
30
America at 250
Sewell Chan on The Past, Present, and Future of Journalism
David Rubenstein Forum
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm CT
From the collapse of local news to rising threats to press freedom, journalist Sewell Chan draws on two decades at America’s leading newsrooms to explore the past, present, and future of journalism and its essential role in democracy.
View Event
May
01
First Friday
Historians Made Elsewhere Than at Rome: Polybius and Josephus on the Roman Empire
Online
12:15 pm – 1:30 pm CT
This First Friday Lecture is supported by the Anastaplo Lecture Series Fund in memory of Basic Program Instructor George Anastaplo.
View Event
May
05
Discussions
Wild Fictions: A Conversation with Amitav Ghosh
David Rubenstein Forum or via livestream
5:15 pm – 7:30 pm CT
Join us for a wide-ranging discussion with novelist and essayist Amitav Ghosh on the present ‘catastrophic convergence’ of social, historical, and natural forces—and how new (and old) narratives might allow us to repair our relationships with our environment and one another.
View Event
May
07
Enduring Excellence
Enduring Excellence: A Conversation with Steven R. Swartz
Gleacher Center or via livestream
8:00 am – 9:15 am CT
Join us for our Enduring Excellence conversation with Steven R. Swartz, President and CEO of Hearst, one of the world’s largest and most diversified global information, services, and media companies.
View Event
May
07
Basic Program Info Session
Online
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm CT
Join the Basic Program for an online information session.
View Event
May
08
Discussions
The Future of Work Is Grey: A Conversation with Dan Pontefract
Online
11:00 am – 11:30 am CT
What if the greatest untapped resource in today’s workforce has been there all along? And what does it take to lead through the most significant demographic shift of our time?
View Event
May
12
Enduring Excellence
Enduring Excellence: A Conversation with Don and Liz Thompson
Gleacher Center or Livestream
8:00 am – 9:15 am CT
Join us for our Enduring Excellence conversation with Don and Liz Thompson, renowned business and civic leaders whose professional achievements and philanthropic vision have long been intertwined.
View Event
May
19
Discussions
Longevity Nation: A Conversation with Michael Clinton
Online
1:00 pm – 1:45 pm CT
The 100-year life is no longer a distant dream—it’s today’s reality. Join us for a conversation with author Michael Clinton exploring how individuals and institutions are redefining the second half of life through science, reinvention, and purpose.
View Event
May
20
Discussions
A Little More Social: Understanding the Science of Everyday Interactions
Online
11:00 am – 11:45 am CT
Why do we so often choose to be alone when connecting with others makes us happier? And what small choices could transform our everyday interactions into moments of genuine connection?
View Event
Graham School Stories
View Articles
Latest Post
Apr 21, 2026
Articles
Noah Chafets Reappointed as Cyril O. Houle Chair of the Basic Program of Liberal Education for Adults
Chafets recognized for continued leadership and commitment to the Basic Program.
Read Now
Apr 2, 2026
Articles
Reflecting on 250 Years of U.S. Foreign Policy
A conversation with John J. Mearsheimer and Jennifer A. Lind on the history and founding ideas that shape U.S. relations beyond its borders.
Read Now
Apr 1, 2026
Student Stories
Building Skills for a Changing Workforce
Master of Liberal Arts Student, Felix Quayson, reflects on education, technology, and the future of work.
Read Now
GRAHAM SCHOOL COMMUNITY
We believe that the best learning happens in classrooms where people actively engage each other in the spirit of joint inquiry.
That’s why Graham School faculty focus on asking provocative questions and facilitating discussion rather than just imparting their expertise. Our courses invite learners to engage in meaningful dialogue across divergent perspectives.
Why Graham
Questions? Reach out for support.
Contact Us
This is the search overlay. Use the Escape key to close it.
Your Shopping Cart
Enroll Now