Spring 2025 Reading Groups

Wednesdays at 7 PM

With Kellen Narke

first meeting is THURSDAY February 6th at 7PM - Author Matthew Continetti will join the first session! The rest of the meetings will take place on Wednesdays.

When most people think of the history of modern conservatism, they think of Ronald Reagan. Yet this narrow view leaves many with the question: how did Donald Trump win the presidency? And what is the future of Republican Party? This group will read excerpts from The Right by Matthew Continetti, examining conservatism’s evolution from the progressive era to the present. Books will be provided to all participants!

Thursdays at 6 PM

With Orr Grosman

first meeting is January 30th at 6PM

Antisemitism is ancient, but it also evolves every generation. This reading group will tackle several topics: Is antisemitism continuous across time, as some people think, or is it an unrelated phenomenon at different points in history? Since 1948 and today, is “anti-Zionism” fundamentally different from antisemitism or just another form of it? Is historical “right-wing” antisemitism fundamentally different from “left-wing” antisemitism? Is antisemitism worse now, or is it less dangerous today by historical standards?

Thursdays at 7 PM

With Molly Hurt

first meeting is January 30th at 7PM

Many people have heard the “head” case for conservatism in America. In this book, writer Arthur Brooks presents the “heart” case for conservatism in America. Books will be provided to all participants!

Thursdays at 6 PM

With Sam Richardson

first meeting is January 30th at 6PM

This discussion group will examine how select thought leaders of the contemporary era—Viktor Frankl, Vivek Ramaswamy, Dennis Prager, and Natan Sharansky—have explored key ultimate issues such as finding significant personal meaning, the existence of a transcendent Deity, the problem of evil, and the essence of individual freedom. Join us for a journey into history, psychology, theology, sociology, and your own soul—where you might find the treasured elements of a meaning-full life. Books will be provided to all participants!

Wednesdays at 7pm

With Harrison Snedeker

first meeting is January 29th at 7PM

Why do some ideas work in theory but fail in practice? In a world filled with uncertainty, Taleb argues there are specific errors that academics, policymakers, and other experts often fall victim to—and with potentially dire and disillusioning consequences. In this group, we’ll examine such errors through the vastly interdisciplinary lens of Nassim Taleb’s Antifragile and discuss their foundations and implications. Books will be provided to all participants!

Wednesdays at 7 pm

With Howell Keiser

first meeting is February 5th at 7PM

Southern Appalachia has remained distinct, and its unique geographical and local character shaped much of the region’s experiences during the American Civil War. Southern Mountain counties were deeply split politically over secession, and local populations divided their loyalties between the Union and the Confederacy. The exigencies of the war and local violence devastated the region. This reading group examines the Civil War era from the mountain peaks and hollers of Appalachia. The topics covered include slavery, regional identity, the Appalachian home front, guerrilla warfare, and Reconstruction.

Thursdays at 6:15 pm

With Juliette Sellgren

first meeting is January 30th at 6:15PM

Atlas Shrugged is considered Ayn Rand's magnum opus, and follows a female railroad executive and her struggles against overregulation in a dystopian future United States. This group will explore (through excerpts!) some of the major themes in the book, including capitalism, collectivism, the role of government, and the mind-body dichotomy. Books will be provided to all participants!

Tuesdays at 12pm

With Jacob Conrod

first meeting is January 28 at 12 PM

Is there an intrinsic order to the moral universe? Does law ultimately proceed from human ideas, or does it have its source in something more fundamental?

All of these questions find answers through a careful study of the Natural Law tradition. We will contemplate the role of Natural Law through engagement with thinkers such as Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Richard Hooker, John Finnis, and Adrian Vermeule.

Wednesdays at 5:30 pm

With Zach Nachlis

first meeting is January 29th at 5:30 PM

As the private equity industry rebounds from a two-year lull, financial sponsors are looking for new and innovative ways to deploy capital across a wide array of industries. This reading group will cover the ethical implications of sponsor-led transactions in global M&A markets by examining how some of the largest alternative asset managers in the world are positioning themselves to succeed amidst dynamic issues such as those related to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles. This group will take a balanced and nuanced approach to understanding the future of the private equity industry and ways that the industry is adapting to meet evolving challenges.

Wednesdays at 6pm

With Meg Jay and Ella Wyman

first meeting is January 29th at 6PM

Are we overmedicating 20somethings? Clinical development psychologist and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Meg Jay will join the Blue Ridge Center for a reading group on her latest book, The Twentysomething Treatment. The book delves into the young adult mental health crisis in America. For 25 years, Dr. Jay has specialized in twentysomethings, and she argues that most young people don’t have disorders that must be treated: they have problems that can be solved. Books will be provided to all participants!

This reading group surveys the thoughts of one of the most famous and influential religious and political thinkers in all of history: St. Augustine of Hippo. The group will use selections from a few of his works -- including ones that people rarely read -- to follow Augustine as he uses reason, belief, and moral thought and action to pursue what he considered the highest purpose: to know and love God and to act in life in accordance with that. Dinner provided each week in the Blue Ridge office.

Led by Petra Turner

Key Southerners generated -- over 100 years -- the most sophisticated line of "reactionary" or anti-modernist thinking in America. This reading group surveys this thinking from John C. Calhoun in the 1830s-1840s through to the Southern Agrarians in the 1930s. This is a crucial strand in American political thought, a counterpart to European thinkers like Joseph de Maistre, and one of the rare examples of Americans questioning the wisdom of industrialization and modernization. Dinner provided each week in the Blue Ridge office.

Led by Howell Keiser

This group will meet Tuesdays at 7:15 pm.

This French visitor became maybe the most influential and enduring thinker about the politics & culture of the United States. This reading group will sample his famous Democracy in America to learn and evaluate what he had to say about the U.S. -- and what seems relevant today.

STUDENT LED by Margot Sellgren

This group will meet Thursdays at 6:15 pm.

Value investing is one of the most famous and high-impact traditions of investing in stocks. It combines deep research, long-term thinking, and original insights into both real value creation and the psychology of buyers and sellers. This group will familiarize students with the main thoughts of value investing's leading proponents -- including Warren Buffett, the most successful stock picker in history. Dinner provided each week in the Blue Ridge office.

Led by Zach Nachlis.

This group will meet Tuesdays at 7:45 pm.

Americans have been fiercely debating for more than 50 years whether it matters if people get married. A leading voice in that debate is UVA's legendary Professor Brad Wilcox. This reading group will focus on his recent and prominent book Get Married, reading parts of it along with thinkers who sharply disagree with him. Dinner provided each week in the Blue Ridge office.

Led by Sam Richardson.

This group will meet Tuesdays at 7 pm.

Originalism is the single most prominent theory that judges use to interpret the Constitution and the law. This group will explore this legal theory and its leading critics, to understand the most important debate dividing the legal world today. Dinner provided weekly in the Blue Ridge office.

Led by Will Bleveans

This group will meet Mondays at 6 pm.

Spring 2024

Value investing is one of the most famous and high-impact traditions of investing in stocks. It combines deep research, long-term thinking, and original insights into both real value creation and the psychology of buyers and sellers. This group will familiarize students with the main thoughts of value investing's leading proponents -- including Warren Buffett, the most successful stock picker in history. Led by Harry Cowen.

Spring 2024

What is the best way to achieve social equality for victims of injustice and disadvantage? Are the fastest route and the most effective route the same thing? Two giants in America's intellectual history, Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Du Bois, disagreed -- with one arguing that the key is individual economic activity and the other insisting on the need for political intervention. This debate sums up today's main policy debates as much as it did 100 years ago. Led by Sarita Zaffini.

Spring 2024

What is cancel culture? What toll has it taken on society, and does it threaten democracy? Students considered those questions and more as they read The Canceling of the American Mind—the first comprehensive study of the phenomenon—and considered what, if anything, should be done to counter current trends in academia and beyond. Led by Sam Richardson.

Spring 2024

Students discussed the intersection of politics and religious faith. What is the proper role of faith in the political arena, if any at all? How much should politics intrude into religious practice? Have religious people been more inspired or disappointed by engaging politically? The group weighed perspectives from modern liberals and conservatives. Led by Dan Moy.

Spring 2024

Students explored the relationship between leadership and virtue by tackling two of the greatest conversations in political philosophy: Xenophon’s Education of Cyrus and Machiavelli’s interpretation of Xenophon. Ultimately they pondered the question: What is the ideal political leader? Led by Max Lykins.

Spring 2024

Israel has one of the most complex societies in the world, and doesn't fit simplistic narratives. Half its Jewish population traces its ancestry to Arab countries, and its Bedouin, Druze, and substantial Arab minorities play prominent roles in Israel's society, economy, military, and, increasingly, politics. This group does a deep dive on what Israel's society actually looks like.

Fall 2023

Is free speech necessary for free thought and progress, or can some speech harm people and should it be restricted? Do professors have to hold a wide range of viewpoints to deliver a real college education and drive the best possible research and science? These are some of the most important issues facing students today. This group is intended primarily for first years.

Read more and apply here

Fall 2023

C.S. Lewis remains a strikingly popular thinker and writer 70 years later, especially among Christian intellectuals. What is it that so many people see in him? This group explores his major writings, including his most famous Narnia novel, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Fall 2023

he biggest conflict in Europe since World War 2 may be changing how wars work, in real time. Did the Russian invasion confirm or refute major theories of international relations? Can a smaller country really beat a Great Power on the battlefield? Are drones and other technologies making traditional militaries obsolete?

Fall 2023

Many consider Burke the inspiration of modern conservative thought. This group does a deep dive on his most famous, influential, and enduring book.

Fall 2023

Why is the U.S. government set up in the complicated, separated way that it is? A set of professors, including from UVA Law, work through the theory, the practice, and the controversies of the format of America's basic Constitutional order.

Fall 2023

Co-authored by long-time UVA professor Jonathan Haidt, The Coddling of the American Mind tries to explain controversial developments on college campuses like extensive self-censorship by students, the shouting down of speakers, and political polarization. This group will read through Coddling, considering Haidt's theories about the origins of these behaviors and weighing his solutions.

Fall 2023

Alasdair MacIntyre believed that something essential has been lost in the modern world, and that society, morality, and our lives would be improved by recovering it. His book After Virtue made him one of the most important philosophers of the last 75 years. This group explores this iconic book.

Spring 2023

With the participation of UVA professors, a group of students discussed whether firms should focus on profitability or uphold values held by managers, employees, and other stakeholders. They read and considered how both advocates and opponents tackle this controversial issue.

Spring 2023

Led by a UVA professor who himself ran for elected office, this group discussed the intersection of religious faith and politics. What is the proper role of faith in the political arena, if any at all? Have religious people been more inspired or disappointed by engaging politically? The group weighed perspectives from modern liberals and conservatives.

Spring 2023

Led by a distinguished attorney, with direct participation from two leading UVA Law professors, this group discussed the legal theory of originalism, tackling content from both proponents and critics.

Spring 2023

Led by a UVA professor, this group studied the leading book by Russell Kirk, considered by some to be the “father of American conservatism.” Initiated at the request of UVA students, the group considered both critical and complementary takes on Kirk’s philosophy.

Spring 2023

Entirely led by UVA students, this group engaged with post-liberal theories of current American politics, engaging with both advocates and critics.

Fall 2022

Professor Alexander and 8 students read and discussed major research works by economist and social theorist Thomas Sowell, as well as an extended critique of his work.