Update: For the spring 2026 semester (starting in mid-to-late Jan through around late May), I’d like to teach some more sessions of my Big Books of Continental Philosophy class. The syllabus will be identical to when I last taught it in fall 2024. I anticipate that there will be two sections: Saturday at 11:30am ET and Monday at 1pm ET; if there is sufficient demand, I will introduce another time that week (some possibilities are below in the description of the fall class). The first class would be held on Jan. 17 (for Saturday students) and Jan. 19 (for Monday students), and classes would be held every other week for nine weeks, concluding May 9th and 11th. The cost will remain at $310, and all other logistics are per the Fall 2025 description below.
Please email mark.linsenmayer@gmail.com if you’d like to attend, and let me know whether you’re available for the Saturday slot, Monday slot, both (indicate your preference), or if you want to take it but can’t make either of those, let me know what times you are available.
Old news: The fall 2025 Foundational Political Philosophy Texts class will involve nine sessions of 75 min (well, sometimes up to 90 min) each, typically given every two weeks, with a couple of one-week intervals to work around holidays and fit this whole thing in the Sep-Dec timeframe.
The class is discussion-oriented; I’ll talk plenty, but I rely on you to engage with me, with each other, and with the text.
When is it?
- Confirmed: Saturday 11:30am ET/10:30am CT
- Confirmed: Monday 1pm ET/noon CT
- Newly confirmed: Wednesday 9pm ET/8pm CT
- Possible though unlikely: Friday 5:30pm ET/4:30pm CT, or some other time. If you can’t make Sat., Mon. Or Wed., please let me know about this other option (email mark.linsenmayer@gmail.com), or broadly let me know about your availability and preferences.
So you would attend at one of the above times, though you’d be free to come to another time for a given week if you can’t make it for some reason. All sections will be recorded, so you can listen to what the other sections are talking about.
If you’d like to attend the Saturday, Monday, or Wednesday sections, enroll now.
Here are all the dates for the class, occurring every other week except as indicated (if a Friday section does get added, it would be before these dates):
- Sep. 6/8/10: Aristotle Politics
- Sep. 13/15/17: Machiavelli The Prince (Note: There’s only one week before this one, so that our first meeting avoids Labor Day weekend travel plans. Best to get a jump on BOTH of these first two readings before the class starts, if you can manage.)
- Sep. 27/29/Oct. 1: Hobbes Leviathan
- Oct. 11/13/15: Locke Second Treatise on Government
- Oct. 25/27/29: Rousseau Discourse on Inequality
- Nov. 8/10/12: The Federalist Papers (1, 10-12, 14-17, 39, 47-51) (Note: US daylight savings time ends on Nov. 2, so if your clocks don’t move, then classes from this point will be an hour later for you.)
- Nov. 22/24/26: J.S. Mill On Liberty
- Dec. 6/8/10: Freud Civilization and Its Discontents
- Dec. 13/15/17: Simone Weil “The Needs of the Soul” from The Need for Roots. (Note: There’s only one week before this final class so we don’t run into the holidays.)
How long are the readings? Do I actually have to read them?
The reading selections are based roughly on what we read for the relevant PEL episode (so search this site for a given topic, and you’ll see), shortening to make them more manageable as I see fit.
At minimum, you should in preparation listen to the PEL episode associated with the episode, and be prepared with some thoughts about what you hear. You should also always try to at least start the readings to get a flavor. The more you’re able to read, the more you’ll learn. In many cases, an audiobook version is freely available, so that’s a great option of you’re short on reading time, or use them to experience more of the book that is assigned on the syllabus.
Is there homework? Tests?
The only work is class prep per the above. There are no tests, but the syllabus will include study questions. If you’d like feedback on your writing or one-on-one time, you can purchase one-off tutoring sessions (typically $50 for the first hour, negotiated after that).
What if I can’t make it to one or more of the sessions?
Again, each session is recorded; you can watch them according to your schedule. Too much going on that week? Just skip it and come to the next one, or come to the other scheduled session for that week.
How much does it cost?
$310 for the course (9 sessions). (If this is too steep for you, contact me about a possible payment plan or discount.)
I also expect you to maintain an active PEL Citizenship (whether through our website, Patreon, or Apple) through the duration of the class (so $5/month), as some of the episodes you’ll need to listen to are paywalled, and our Discord server used for optional additional discussion is also restricted to supporters.
If you’d like just the recordings of the course, without coming to the live sessions, the cost is $250.
Is this class beginner-safe? Only for beginners? Should I take your Core Texts class first?
As with all of my classes, beginners should feel comfortable, but experienced philosophy readers (even ones returning to these texts you might have studied in school) are also very much welcome. You absolutely don’t have to take my other class first.
However, if you do want to purchase the past recordings for the Core Texts class instead of taking this new one, those are available for $250 (email me about how to get it).
Can I take a sample class?
The participants in one of my past classes have all consented for you to watch this full length, entirely unedited initial session from my last class (Core Texts in Philosophy); this new one uses the same format. Check it out.
How do I sign up?
Reserve your slot via your payment through partiallyexaminedlife.com/enrollment.
Should I start preparing now?
Absolutely! Go listen to our ep. 60 on Aristotle (you can purchase it or become a PEL Citizen), and start reading the sections in that text from Books 1 and 3 as indicated in the show notes. I recommend you also brush up on Plato’s Republic too; while we won’t have a session on it, it’s a necessary text for any philosophy student and provides the direct groundwork for Aristotle.