Summary

Yusif Kanan

The Brandeis Program, a recently founded program at Penn State Abington, is a trailblazer in its sphere, uniquely giving students the opportunity to freely discuss important worldly topics in a judgement-free zone.

Yusif Kanan

The Brandeis Program, a recently founded program at Penn State Abington, is a trailblazer in its sphere, uniquely giving students the opportunity to freely discuss important worldly topics in a judgement-free zone.

The Brandeis program is headed by Professor Salar Ghahramani, and when asked he described it as “designed to expose the participants to varying points of views on law and policy in a judgement-free environment, where civil discourse and respects for the principles of the First Amendment are paramount.”

The program is inspired by the Junto Club, a group with similar initiative founded by Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia. According to the program’s description, the Junto Club included a diverse set of members, and “discussions revolved around the themes of morals, politics, and philosophy, all aimed at both personal and societal betterment.” Franklin once wrote about the program in his autobiography, saying that “Our debates were to be conducted in the sincere spirit of inquiry after truth, without fondness for dispute or desire of victory.”

Commendable advancements came as a result of the club, including volunteer fire brigades, and even the first public library.

The programs description says that “Through active dialogue and mutual respect, much like the Junto Club, Brandeis Fellows endeavor to understand pressing societal issues, enriching both themselves and the wider community, and planting the seeds for future innovations and collaborations.”

Discussions are led by the Junto Club’s four pledges:

Have you any particular disrespect to any present members?

Do you sincerely declare that you love mankind in general; of what profession or religion soever?

Do you think any person ought to be harmed in his body, name or goods, for mere speculative opinions, or his external way of worship?

Do you love truth’s sake, and will you endeavor impartially to find and receive it yourself and communicate it to others? 

There are also a set of 24 questions used to vaguely guide conversation, ranging from “Have you lately heard of any citizen’s thriving well, and by what means?” to “Have you lately observed any encroachment on the just liberties of the people?”

More than discussions, however, the group also goes on trips to important sights or speakers. This includes a trip to St. Josephs in Philadelphia to view former US Senator Pat Toomey, a trip just last week to Washington, DC, and a trip planned in November to listen to a former US Ambassador to Russia speak.

Brandeis Fellow and second-year student Evrim Artman, an Earth Science and Policy major, describes the program as “Civilly talking about topics and being able to disagree with peers in a healthy way,” She goes onto say “It’s been a really nice way to meet people who I may not have met in classes and such but get along with so well already, it’s really nice to talk about interesting things with people like archaeology and ethics because these are conversations I don’t have with my everyday friends.”

To join the program, you can either be nominated by Professor Ghahramani himself or by one of your professors. You can also contact Ghahramani at sxg@psu.edu, or in his office at 119 Sutherland.

The program aims to continue through the spring semester, and hopefully to continue cultivating meaningful conversations for future generations of Penn State Abington students.