Free, Biased, Useful Courses

Wanna review basic American political thought?

For resource Friday today I’m going to plug Hillsdale’s free online courses, specifically their politics courses. I’ve taken three of them. (I have not taken courses in other subject areas.)

Things I like:

• engagement with primary sources ← this is the best

• rich explanations, not too simple, not too complicated

• learn about anti-Progressivism (the Evil Administrative State)

• supplement and balance what you studied in high school or college (probably liberal-biased)

• practice critical thinking by considering what you agree with, what you disagree with, and what you feel like you are being snookered about

I get the sense this “classic” brand of conservatism is being outstripped today by newer varieties of postliberalism, integralism, and so on. But that’s okay. Here is a common base.

As a bit of context, many of the professors — and certainly the perspectives — on offer at Hillsdale are coming out of the Claremont school (journal: Claremont Review of Books), under the mentorship of Harry Jaffa (and a bit further back, Leo Strauss). There is also a Hillsdale Washington DC campus.

I’m not recommending for you to swallow whole. I’m recommending listening, learning, and critically thinking through. You will gain a lot! I did.

Hillsdale College Online Courses

(Click on the filter to narrow to the politics courses, including Constitution 101 and Constitution 201.)

Pose Ponder Question: What alternatives might there have been to deal with the Gilded Age? Fine, you vehemently dislike the (long term eventual outcome) of the Progressive Era “solution.” What should have been done instead? Or should Gilded Era robber barons have been left alone, leaving extreme capitalism to run amok?

Constitutional Convention, signing, by Howard Christy — info on the painting