Introduction

Hilary Ilkay, faculty fellow

As an alumna of the Foundation Year and a current Faculty Fellow, I cannot think of a program better suited to grapple with the uncertainty and complexity of our time. Now, even a cursory glance at the syllabus will reveal that the vast majority of authors we explore together are, in fact, dead: this seems to place them decidedly in the past. Why should we turn our gaze back, and how can we find the motivation to do so, given the pervasive level of concern about the present and future state of our world?

The answer lies in the Foundation Year Program’s (FYP) unique commitment to think across time and place: it looks to the past as a way to orient us toward the future. It explores how we are shaped by the past but also, in turn, how we have shaped and continue to shape historical narratives; in doing so, it rigourously interrogates the question that Socrates asks at the beginning of his dialogue called the Phaedrus: “where are you going and where have you come from?” This is, in many ways, a historic moment to be embarking upon the Foundation Year, when the issues and subjects raised by the curriculum are more pressing and relevant than ever. Even though our current state seems exceptional and unprecedented, engaging with works of literature, philosophy, and art that reflect on what it means to exist in a world that is often hostile and unpredictable - all the way from the war-torn, plaguestruck Athens of the 5th century BCE to the London of the 1920s, still recovering from WWI and the Spanish Flu - will situate our position within a rich tradition. Life has always posed serious challenges for us, often deadly serious: but the FYP reading list is a testament to how humans have endured, leaving marks of themselves through various acts of creation, testimony, and reflection. In a time dominated by social distancing, self-isolation, and restricted movement, FYP will allow you to embark on an intellectual itinerary, introducing you to a community of thinkers and ideas that will remain with you for the rest of your life. We hope that you will join us to help think through, and with, them - for the sheer pleasure and challenge of learning together.