Great Connections

My wife is organizing a 1 week seminar for college and high school students. In Chicago, July 25 to Aug 2. Here is a *partial* list of presentations. I believe the 2nd item is for me to do:

Presentation on "Statistical Literacy and the Liberal Arts" - Evaluate the accuracy of statistically-based arguments for public policies such as gun control, IQ testing, and racially-based affirmative action. 

Seminar on Poetry - learn how poetry works and consider the role of reason in the most romantic and spiritual of poems.

Presentation on "Global Warming/Climate Change: Dissecting the Evidence" - Understand the scientific evidence and theories on both sides of the climate change argument. Apply your newly acquired reasoning skills to significant issues in the news.

Seminar on Property and Money - Debate the views of James Madison, Adam Smith, Karl Marx, and Carl Menger on the nature of property and money. Develop your economic literacy and understand how they relate to current economic developments and crises.

Seminar on the Powers of the President - Consider the role of the president's Constitutional authority and how it has been interpreted. Wrestle with the pros and cons of the rise in presidential power.

So... just commenting on that 2nd item, "how poetry works" is fascinating, complicated, and the subject of much debate. The "role of reason" in poetry is also an interesting question. Not all poems are argumentative, but all deal in concepts and propositions, and the thirst for art arises from the needs of the human brain.

Prose is best for normal reasoning.
Poetry throws in formal seasoning.