The SG Academy is a new initiative by Studium Generale to engage budding engineers in literature, philosophy, critical thinking, and a generally broader look at human culture through all kinds of media. Think of it as a modern book club, where a small group of (aspiring) intellectuals get together to discuss not just books, but writers, comics, art, movies, essays, articles, and documentaries.

The content will focus on everything from philosophy, to anthropology, cultural criticism, linguistics, logic, mythology, political ideologies, and metaphysics. Think Socrates, the Tao te Ching, Machiavelli, Marx, Zen Buddhism; the phenomenon of bullshit jobs; Banksy; the hidden meaning of your favorite Hollywood films; and other eye-openers.

Here’s how it works. When you sign up for the SG Academy mailing list, you will receive regular updates on the upcoming material, and the date and location where we will discuss it. Just RSVP if and when you want to join a discussion and you’ll get a confirmation. Discussions (and reading/viewing materials) will be informal and in English, led by Klaas from SG; the groups will be no bigger than 10 people, and we’ll get together during lunch breaks in the TU Library to chat. As a bonus, if you like, you can write about your thoughts and we’ll publish them on the SG website.

The objective is not to burden you with massive loads of reading or viewing material. Instead, we’ll take small bits at a time and use them to expand each others’ minds through in-depth analysis. Fun!

So here’s step one: sign up for the mailing list through SG program manager Klaas @ k.p.vandertempel@tudelft.nl

Tell us your name, what you’re studying, and briefly what your interest is as a human being in cultural and social matters.

Who the heck is Klaas?

Program manager at Studium Generale since 2010, Klaas graduated in 2002 with an IB diploma specializing in world literature, an honors Bachelor of Arts degree from the University Toronto in Anthropology, Political Sciences, and International Relations in 2006, and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Utrecht in the Comparative History and Philosophy of Science in 2009. Apart from organizing and engaging in tons of mentally stimulating activities at SG, Klaas writes books on philosophy, the power of language, belief systems, and mystical experiences. His greatest ambition is to increase his intelligence, compassion, and wisdom, together with others.