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Bringing the very best ideas in defense of Western civilization to a new generation of intellectuals. www.HertogFoundation.org

The Hertog Foundation offers several highly competitive educational programs for outstanding individuals who seek to influence the intellectual, civic, and political life of the United States.

10/22/2026

Today is the 100th anniversary of the publication of The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. Last Winter, Hertog Humanities students studied this modernist masterpiece, asking questions about mortality, war, and the modern world. This Winter, explore other classics with us: 1984, Anna Karenina, Lonesome Dove, Song of Solomon, and The Magic Mountain.

10/21/2026

A warm welcome to our Fall 2026 America at 250 fellows!

As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, they are reading works that illuminate the promises and challenges of self-government, from the Declaration of Independence to Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Led by Yuval Levin, Ryan Hanley, Darren Staloff, Christopher Scalia, and Diana Schaub, the seminar brings political thought, history, and literature into conversation about liberty, equality, and the American republic.

The conversation continues this Winter. Explore our Humanities at Hertog seminars and apply for our Winter or Spring courses:

https://hertogfoundation.org/programs/humanities

10/16/2026

Welcome to our international Summer 2026 fellows!

Kensea Aaron is a rising fourth-year student studying Philosophy and Great Books at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. He is the president of the Great Books Society, and runs a volunteer program that tutors elementary students. Kensea is from Camrose, Alberta, Canada. He is an alum of the Humanities at Hertog seminars.

Jordan Kiss is a political adviser to His Majesty’s Leader of the Opposition, Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP. Concurrently, Jordan serves as a Justice of the Peace (Magistrate) on the North East London Bench.

Tom Scheer is graduating senior studying Political Science at the University of Amsterdam. He has experience in geopolitical risk analysis and editorial leadership. He is interested in war studies, strategic theory, and foreign policy analysis, with particular attention to the relationship between military operations and political objectives.

Bradley Spencer Smart is a final-year undergraduate student at the University of Cambridge bridge studying Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion. He researches the deep Hebraic roots of Western liberty, including the Jewish origins of the Enlightenment and the political philosophy of Spinoza. He is an alum of the Humanities at Hertog seminars.

10/15/2026

George ’s #1984 has become a shorthand for political fear, surveillance, and the corruption of language. The novel itself is stranger and more demanding than the shorthand.

In our five-session seminar, the American Enterprise Institute's Charles Lane will lead fellows through Orwell’s account of power, truth, memory, intimacy, and the effort to preserve an inner life.

The schedule: Mondays from 6:00 to 8:00 PM ET on January 4, 11, and 25, February 1, plus Tuesday, January 19, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM ET.

10/14/2026

Welcome to our Fall 2026 Absalom, Absalom! fellows!

Together with Sam Postell, they are taking up William Faulkner’s demanding Southern epic and its questions of memory, inheritance, loyalty, and moral judgment. Through close reading and sustained conversation, the seminar asks how the stories we inherit shape our understanding of the past and our responsibilities in the present.

Great books reward good company. Join us for a Winter 2027 Humanities at Hertog seminar. Explore the courses and apply by November 16, 2026:

https://hertogfoundation.org/programs/humanities

10/09/2026

Meet our Summer 2026 Fellows from the Midwest!

Anna Stirton is a rising senior at Hillsdale College studying Philosophy and Psychology. She serves on the board of Hillsdale’s Federalist Society undergraduate chapter, is part of the Collegiate Scholars Program and the Phi Sigma Tau Philosophy Honorary, and writes for The Collegian newspaper. Anna is from Alton, Illinois.

Abigail Wagner is a graduate of Hillsdale College, where she majored in History. She has been a fellow at the John Jay Institute in Philadelphia and an intern at Advancing American Freedom’s Meese Institute for the Rule of Law. Abigail is from the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri.

David Glick is a rising senior at Carnegie Mellon University studying Political Science, Security, & Technology. He is a member of the Policy and Law Review and the Alexander Hamilton Society. David is from Brooklyn, New York.

Ayushi Chaudhary is a rising senior at Temple University studying International Business and Economics. She has studied internationally in Rome, Philadelphia, and Tokyo, and is a Boren Scholar.

10/08/2026

Set in the years leading up to the First World War, Thomas Mann's is a novel about learning, teaching, & ideas. Among other themes, the novel explores the relationships between science & religion, enlightenment & faith, progressivism & conservatism—subjects of enduring significance.

In this interview excerpt, Russell Berman — Stanford University Professor & Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution — discusses the competing ideas that shape the education of the novel's protagonist, Hans Castorp. Join Professor Berman this winter for a four-session online seminar on .

Applications for our Winter seminars close on November 16! We hope you'll join us.

10/05/2026

A warm welcome to our Fall 2026 Liberal Education in America fellows!

With Paul Stern, they are asking what education should cultivate in us: useful skills, sound judgment, or a fuller understanding of a good life. Their readings move from Plato and Aristotle to the American founding and the modern university, exploring the relationship between liberal learning and democratic citizenship.

Continue the conversation with us this Winter. Explore our Winter 2027 online seminars and apply by November 16, 2026:

https://hertogfoundation.org/programs/humanities

10/03/2026

Welcome to our Summer 2026 Fellows from the South!

Sabrina Farley-Allen is a rising senior at Georgia Tech, studying International Affairs, Spanish, and Linguistics. She is a PEER educator, a student ambassador for the Ivan Allen College, and a teaching assistant in the School of Modern Languages. Sabrina is originally from Atlanta, Georgia.

Rachel Friedman is a graduate of Emory University with degrees in History and International Relations. She interned with FDD, AEI, and Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Rachel held summer fellowships with the Tikvah Fund and the Alexander Hamilton Society, and is spending a semester studying at a religious seminary in Israel.

Lucy Meurer is a graduating senior at University studying English Literature. She studied abroad at the University of Oxford, where she hopes to return to read for an M.Phil. in English Studies.

10/02/2026

Even in moments of real disagreement, something rare can happen.

2025 alumna and University of Notre Dame student Elizabeth Mitchell recalls a seminar where things got heated—but mutual respect and generosity carried the conversation forward.

“I've never had so much exposure to people who are so knowledgeable but also so charitable with one another… an experience I’ll be eternally grateful for.”

That spirit of civil discourse is at the heart of the .

Learn more: https://hertogfoundation.org/programs/political-studies

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