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Brooklyn Institute for Social Research

The Brooklyn Institute for Social Research, established in 2011, offers liberal arts education and research opportunities to local communities while supporting young scholars. With a mission to engage various intellectual traditions, the institute aims to provide accessible education and foster active, engaged citizens.

Upcoming Classes (20)

All courses are held at unless indicated.

Tuesday, July 8th
6:30–9:30pm EDT (4 sessions)

$335

Wednesday, July 9th
6:30–9:30pm EDT (4 sessions)

$335

Wednesday, July 9th
6:30–9:30pm EDT (4 sessions)

$335

Wednesday, July 9th
6:30–9:30pm EDT (4 sessions)

$335

Thursday, July 10th
6:30–9:30pm EDT (4 sessions)

$335

Sunday, July 13th
1–4pm EDT (4 sessions)

$335

Sunday, July 13th
1–4pm EDT (4 sessions)

$335

Sunday, July 13th
2–5pm EDT (4 sessions)

$335

Sunday, July 13th
2–5pm EDT (4 sessions)

$335

Sunday, July 13th
2–5pm EDT (4 sessions)

$335

Thursday, August 28th
6:15–8:15pm EDT (13 sessions)

$1,323

Tuesday, September 2nd
6:30–8:30pm EDT (12 sessions)

$1,323

Monday, September 8th
6:30–9:30pm EDT (4 sessions)

$335

Tuesday, September 9th
6:30–9:30pm EDT (4 sessions)

$335

Wednesday, September 10th
6:30–9:30pm EDT (4 sessions)

$335

Wednesday, September 10th
6:30–9:30pm EDT (4 sessions)

$335

Thursday, September 11th
6:30–9:30pm EDT (4 sessions)

$335

Sunday, September 14th
2–5pm EDT (4 sessions)

$335

Monday, September 15th
6:30–8:30pm EDT (12 sessions)

$1,323

Wednesday, September 17th
6:30–8:30pm EDT (12 sessions)

$1,323

Provider Description

The Brooklyn Institute for Social Research was established in 2011 in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. Its mission is to extend liberal arts education and research far beyond the borders of the traditional university, supporting community education needs and opening up new possibilities for scholarship in the 21st century.

The Brooklyn Institute for Social Research provides liberal arts educational opportunities to local communities. At the same time, it provides material and intellectual support and space for young scholars to teach, write, research, publish and, put simply, work. We are a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization.

Although consciously modeled, in part, after the famous Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt, Germany – especially in its heyday under the directorship of Max Horkheimer – we are not all scholars in that tradition, nor is any intellectual, literary or artistic tradition unwelcome in our Institute. As we honor and build upon their extraordinary contributions to human thought and social commitments, we strive to engage the worlds of philosophy, literature, science, the arts and social sciences with the world at large and people everywhere. At a time when the price of traditional higher education reaches ever higher, even as support for scholars and scholarship has substantially diminished, we are committed to the idea that to learn, teach, study, write and think is labor worth doing both for its own sake and for the sake of communities and citizens who are active, engaged and alive.

15 W 16th St, New York, NY 10011
Brooklyn Institute for Social Research
Union Square, Manhattan
15 W 16th St
Btwn 5th & 6th Avenues
New York, New York 10011

Reviews of Brooklyn Institute for Social Research

(4.6-star rating across 33 reviews)
  • Leo Tolstoy: Anna Karenina (In-Person)

    Anonymous • March 12, 2025
  • The Subway: Urbanism, Infrastructure, and Social Life

    Neeraj P. • October 18, 2024
  • Vergil’s Aeneid: Myth, Empire, and Ruin

    Janine W. • October 11, 2024
  • Vergil’s Aeneid: Myth, Empire, and Ruin

    Nancy H. • October 10, 2024
    First, I was really out of my element. I was lost from the start! I found the reading difficult….and I think I had the wrong book. Second, the discussions were tedious and baffling. The “class” was filled with Aeneid groupies who tried one-upping each other at every turn; I didn’t get anything out of that except being annoyed that everyone was trying to impress each other with their academic prowess. It just was the wrong class for me. I’m sure the students I’m referring to loved it! But it was really beyond me. And that’s on me.
  • Mining: Industry, Ecology, and Capitalism

    Anonymous • November 8, 2023
  • James Joyce: Ulysses

    Francis D G. • July 5, 2022
    It was not easy, but I didn't expect it to be. I got some very useful insight into the book, which will help in my second reading. I will be looking for more classes taught by Professor Porte.
  • Hannah Arendt: The Human Condition

    Anonymous • June 26, 2021
  • Proust in Time: The Prisoner

    Anonymous • February 19, 2021
    pretentious, and unwelcoming professor
  • Henry James: The Portrait of a Lady

    Christine S. • December 13, 2020
  • Don DeLillo: Underworld

    Christine S. • November 19, 2020
  • Freedom, Politics, and the Individual

    Christine S. • October 10, 2020
  • The Mahabharata: From Exile to Apocalypse

    Christine S. • July 10, 2020
  • Feminist Science Fiction

    Matt P. • March 31, 2020
  • God or Nature: Spinoza’s Ethics

    Anonymous • March 31, 2020
    This was a great class. I'm excited to continue to take BISR classes every month for the rest of my life! LOL I'm serious.
  • The Good, the Bad, and the Evil

    Morgan H. • February 18, 2020
  • The Worst of All Possible Worlds: an Introduction to Schopenhauer

    Anh T. • December 11, 2019
  • Kant’s Critical Aesthetics

    Blanca Q. • August 5, 2019
  • Hannah Arendt: The Human Condition

    Anonymous • July 10, 2019
  • The Singularity: AI & the Post-Human Future

    Anonymous • February 27, 2019
    Required more structure. Seemed more of a reading review club, than an instructional class.
  • Jorge Luis Borges: Mysticism, Fiction, and Politics

    Anonymous • July 31, 2018
    Teacher was knowledgeable, good readings, active participants.
Show More Reviews

Review Summary by CourseHorse

Students who have taken classes at the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research found the classes challenging, but appreciated the useful insight they gained into the material, which helped with their further study. Others specifically praised Professor Porte's teaching and expressed a desire to take more classes with them. Students seemed to enjoyed the class and expressed excitement about continuing their education with BISR. Other students especially recognized the knowledge and expertise of the instructors and appreciated the quality readings assigned in the classes. Direct quotes: 1. "I got some very useful insight into the book, which will help in my second reading." 2. "Excellent class. Excellent instructor. Raphaële breathed life into stats. Very fun class!" 3. "This was a great class. I'm excited to continue to take BISR classes every month for the rest of my life! LOL I'm serious."

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