The Aspen InstituteSocrates Program is a program of the Aspen Institute designed to "provide emerging leaders values- and ethics-based learning through expertly moderated, text-based Socratic explorations that facilitate the exchange of ideas."
History
The first groups of participants came from Silicon Valley when the internet was coming of age, and Socrates seminars continue to enable participants to explore current, pressing global challenges. Discussions are built around contemporary texts and are led by moderators who engage and encourage participants to share their views with a diverse group of peers.
The Socrates Approach
The Socrates Seminar is a collaborative endeavor for participants from different fields. Participants are asked to contribute their understanding of and reactions to carefully selected readings, with the guidance of moderators who are experts in their sector. Participants develop an understanding of the reading material and formulate responses to the issues that they cover at the roundtable meetings. The seminars provide stimulating dialogue, values-based introspection, and dynamic debate that serves to enhance participants’ leadership capabilities.
What makes Socrates unique?
1. Socrates seminars attract leaders interested in critical problems facing the world. 2. Socrates demonstrates and champions the Aspen method of moderated learning and bringing diverse views to the table. 3. Socrates offers a seminar length designed for optimal balance between serious content and cross-disciplinary thought for busy professionals. 4. Socrates creates a unique professional network and engages people with ideas to move into action. 5. Socrates offers a diverse alumni network which has grown to over 7,000 emerging leaders from the US and abroad, from the public, private, non-profit, and academic sectors.
Programming
Flagship Seminars
Weekend-long seminars at the Aspen Meadows Resort in spring and summer serve as the flagship programming for the Socrates Program. Seminars are structured as groups of 20-25 participants discussing a specific topic under the leadership of an expert moderator. While the topics of the seminars varies widely, all seminars integrate values-based Socratic explorations and provide an opportunity for emerging leaders from different fields to build relationships. Examples of past moderators include: Madeleine Albright, James Fallows, Thomas Friedman, Seth Goldman, Maria Hinojosa, Sal Khan, Bill Kristol, and Anne-Marie Slaughter. Spring seminars on three topics are held every President's Day weekend and summer seminars on five topics are held on the first Friday following the end of the Aspen Ideas Festival.
International Seminars
International Seminars, utilizing the same weekend-long format as the Flagship Seminars, are hosted in cities around the world, usually in partnership with an Aspen Institute affiliate. Each international seminar has on average participation from five countries. Examples of international seminars include seminars in Ukraine, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and Romania.
The Emerging Governance Leaders Seminar Series provides professional development of beginner through mid-level congressional staffers. These seminars are designed as values-based Socratic explorations of Article 1, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution to facilitate the exchange of ideas and the building of networks to help emerging staffers better position themselves for longer, more impactful careers in the U.S. Congress. These seminars take place annually at the Aspen Institute Wye River Conference Centers with up to 100 Congressional staffers participating. The series is funded by the Hewlett Foundation and the Democracy Fund.
Scholarships
Several scholarships have been set up to make participation in seminars more accessible, including the Nathanson Public Diplomacy Scholarship set up by Marc and Jane Nathanson in 2016 to allow young professionals in government to partake in the Socrates Program.
