Don’t panic! We’ve temporarily taken down our 2020 events as we rebuild the summer calendar — this empty page of events will soon accurately reflect the offerings of our 2020 online assembly. Our program directors are currently working with 2020 lecturers, chaplains and artists to confirm their participation via remote video feed. Please check back beginning in early June as we begin posting frequent updates regarding confirmed programs and the online forum in which they will take place.

Week Two :: July 4–11

Forces Unseen: What Shapes Our Daily Lives

We like to think we have ultimate freedom of choice. Yet every product or experience we can possibly consider has been carefully selected for us by a mostly invisible class of societal gatekeepers and tastemakers. Our choices are not only limited, but also affected by everything from explicit advertisements and an industry of “influencers” to secretive campaigns and algorithms.

• Who are these shapers of modern life? How do they decide what trends to push?
• Who are they accountable to, and how can we as individuals recognize and contend with them?