Curious Minds, Unite

Forbidden Courses Is Trending—High School Students Join the Debate

Two weeks ago the UATX Admissions team welcomed nearly 60 students from colleges and high schools across the country to participate in our marquee Forbidden Courses program, a gathering of curious minds united by a desire to know and to build. This was the first time we opened the program up to high school students.

Over the course of three days, students cultivated the habits of civil discourse by facing challenging and, sometimes, contentious topics. They refined their opinions and tested their theories through classroom discussions and epistemological exercises—essential habits that are frequently disregarded, ignored, and even opposed in many high schools and universities today. They learned how to craft effective arguments and recognize logical fallacies, and put these lessons to the test in a debate tournament.

The program opened with a debate hosted by the Austin Union (𝕏), the independent student-led debate society here on campus that invites distinguished thinkers and doers to model open inquiry and healthy debate in the pursuit of truth. Moderated by UATX student Yale Abernathy, the resolution up for debate was, “Does artificial intelligence mean the end of human creativity in the music industry?” We listened to Jordan Young, who goes by the stage name DJ Swivel and is a Grammy award-winning producer, mixer, and songwriter and the founder and CEO of Hooky, an AI-powered music startup, argue the proposition with UATX University Dean Ben Crocker, a classically trained conductor.

Students were each enrolled in one of the following seminars:

• Who’s to Blame for Inflation? with Prof. Thomas Hogan (𝕏)

• Partisan Politics and the Decline of Democracy with Prof. Alex Priou (𝕏)(Substack)

• Discrimination in Higher Ed Admissions: What Do the Numbers Tell Us? with Prof. David Puelz

• When the Truth is Too Much to Bear: The Fearful Pursuit of Truth in Ancient Greek Tragedy with Prof. Isabella Reinhardt

• Why Does Government Fail So Often? with Prof. Scott Scheall (Substack)

Reflecting on his Forbidden Courses experience, Nathaniel, a high school senior from Pennsylvania who has committed to the Class of 2029, described the intellectual culture at University of Austin in the following way:

The culture at UATX and the culture in high school are polar opposites. In high school, most kids do not participate. … At UATX, everything is different. You can feel the energy in the room. Students and teachers look each other in the eyes and discuss deep, meaningful topics at a level I have not found anywhere else. In high school, you are lectured at. At UATX, you are learning with.

When it comes to those discussions, the students at UATX are in a league of their own. People think critically and deeply about their opinions and values. Ideas are simultaneously respected and rigorously tested. At UATX, “discussion” does not equate to “battle”, and if one party changes their mind, they can do so without the feeling of surrender and defeat. Changing your mind is not just okay, it is respected.

For those reasons, high school feels like a place to learn facts you may soon forget. UATX feels like a place where real intellectual growth can take place, transforming students into better thinkers and better people.

Officers of the Austin Union held a workshop modeled on UATX Advisory Board member Peter Boghossian’s (𝕏) Spectrum Street Epistemology exercises, designed to challenge students to question their beliefs—What are your beliefs? Why do you hold them? How certain are you in them? Under what conditions might you change or modify them? Topics explored included: Is it ethical to consume animals? Should abortion be illegal? Is climate change an existential threat to humanity?

University Provost Jacob Howland then offered the students a lecture titled, How to Craft Effective Arguments and Avoid Logical Fallacies. Howland provided the students frameworks for understanding what makes both sound and compelling arguments, why it is necessary to anticipate and address counterarguments, and how to be more persuasive advocates.

Left: Professor Reinhardt in seminar; right: students share a laugh

Despite the competitive posture of a debate, students found themselves building trust and collaborating with one another through a common endeavor and shared purpose.

This was not lost on Violet, who joined us from Washington. She aptly described the warm and welcoming environment created by fellow truth-seekers with a passion for learning and genuine curiosity about others:

In most schools I’ve been to, everyone is so eager to prove they’re right and nobody cares about making friends or listening to other opinions. They only want to be sure they are the loudest voice. But at Forbidden Courses, everyone wanted to hear what I had to say, they wanted to have a deep conversation, and they wanted to get to know me rather than prove they were correct. What I experienced at Forbidden Courses will stick with me my whole life, and I’ve made lifelong friends from just this one weekend!

At the University of Austin, students quickly come to find that diverse backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints are not inherently valuable for their own sake. Rather, they are valuable inasmuch as they contribute to, enrich, and enliven the life of the mind and our common purpose here at the University: the fearless pursuit of truth.

UATX Summer Experience for High School Students

Curious what a University of Austin education is all about? UATX’s summer program is designed to acquaint rising high school juniors and seniors with our community of daring thinkers and doers.

In this pre-college, immersive summer program, students will experience what makes the UATX undergraduate curriculum so exciting. Through Socratic-style seminars in small classes and workshops that challenge them with college-level coursework, students come to appreciate the challenges and joys of a rigorous, liberal arts-inspired academic program. They also have the opportunity to form an understanding of what college life at UATX is all about.

This year’s high school summer program will take place from June 27 through June 29. For more information, including eligibility requirements, a high-level program schedule, and course offerings, visit uaustin.org/summer.

Apply by May 1