Maximum University
Abundance politics needs more practical education.
[Page last updated: November 19, 2023]
This page is currently under construction as I prepare the syllabi, schedules, and logistics of Maximum New York’s 2024 spring semester, which is February 2024 through May 2024. All details are currently provisional. It will eventually be prettier, but for now my emphasis is fast, easy centralization of information.
This page has two principal sections:
the MNY alumni working group list
the spring 2024 class list
When MNY Spring 2024 details are finalized, I will send an email via the MNY newsletter that contains all finalized class information. This will be done by approximately early December. Class applications will likely open after Christmas, sooner if logistics and planning permit.
If you see a class that you’re particularly interested in taking on this page, or you want to collaborate with me on a class (as an MNY alumni TA, a subject-matter expert, or more) you can register interest by clicking the button below and filling out the form.
Aside from the three Foundations classes (of NYC, NYS, and the federal government), every other class will be scaled according to demonstrated interest. If you want to take or collaborate on a class, grab your friends and fill out the interest form below. And be sure to apply when applications come out—you’ll get a link to do so by filling out the same form.
Table of Contents:
2024 Spring Semester Classes (applications opening probably after Christmas, although early arrangements can be made for groups of 10+)
The Founding Forty: A History Seminar on the American Founding, from 1763 to 1803
What is the law? An introductory seminar on legal philosophy, legal mechanics, and writing laws
Corporations, Companies, and Public Authorities: A Seminar on Non- and Quasi-State Governance
Nuclear New York: a public policy seminar (the only STEM class so far!)
Q&A: [in process; further detail coming]
Who are these classes for? The intellectually curious, the politically aspirational, the technically oriented, the kind, the smart, the ambitious. Many different people can successfully take these classes for many different reasons, although the baseline requirements are the same for all. You will learn well, by doing. You will meet people who want to learn like you. You will understand the law, and all it unlocks.
What do the classes cost? The Foundations classes are charged on a sliding scale, pay what you can afford. All other classes will be flat fee.
What materials do I need to acquire for class? At most a book or two, sometimes a course packet. All materials will be available for free in electronic form, or you can purchase physical copies (I, personally, love physical copies).
What is the weekly class time commitment? 1-2 hours of class time, and 1-5 hours of homework, depending on the class. You can always do more work if you want, and I will be happy about it!
Are classes in person? By default, assume everything is in person until announced otherwise.
When do classes start, and do they all start at the same time? They will run on a staggered basis, and repeat as interest allows. They do not all start at the beginning of February.
Will any classes be run multiple times in the four-month semester? They can be, according to student interest levels.
What are good goals to have for enrolling in class? Satiating intellectual curiosity, being concrete about very important things, defeating the anti-politics meme, experiencing the humanities and related fields the way they should be taught, formulating political and policy plans (and building the political capital to achieve them), and more. Be (or become) biased toward action, a can-do attitude, and a positive outlook.
Alumni Working Groups
You are eligible to join a working group if you successfully complete “The Foundations of New York: City” or “The Foundations of New York: State.” Taking other classes (see below) is highly encouraged; beyond the Foundations classes, they are 3-5 weeks, and focused on specific elements of government and politics that will help you succeed.
Maximum New York Political Science Group
Began October 2023 with a core group of three alumni researchers and me.
Here is the outline of our first project, with an expected publication date before the end of the year.
New project development is currently underway. I will ask for new members in early 2024.
Nuclear Electricity Policy Group
Will formally begin approximately April 2024, or sooner if alumni interest increases. Informal activity will happen before then (see second bullet below). This gives interested students time to take a required Foundations class (see below), and potentially the introductory nuclear policy seminar as well.
I will be hosting a get-together (online or in person, depending on interest) before the end of 2023 to discuss the working group, and the plan going forward. MNY alumni and non-alumni are both very welcome.
You must complete The Foundations of New York (City or State) to join this working group, or an equivalent. Why? All group members need to share a common, sophisticated view of the government and law, one which gets better over time. They must know what the law is. You must be able to read statute and court cases, and understand the basics of what you’re reading. This will allow the group to go faster, although it might seem slower at first.
Applications for the following classes will open in early 2024:
The Foundations of New York: City
FNY: City a practical overview of NYC’s government, along with its dependencies at the state and federal levels. I also give a foundational overview of city political history; among other things, we discuss the birth of NYC in 1898. Homework emphasizes actually interacting with the political system, not just reading about it. We begin most classes by drawing a map of the city government together, and by the end you’ll have a basic, but robust, grip on city politics.
Previous iterations of this class have been seven weeks, but beginning in 2024 it will be an eight-week class. There will be field trips, writing projects, special guests, and more. And if you don’t know how to draw—you will by the end of this class.
FNY: City is Maximum New York’s marquee class, and an amazing opportunity to learn how and why the capital of the world works the way it does.
Any FNY: City alumni are welcome to rejoin the class on a graduate track with more advanced work.
Take a look at the course announcement for cohort 8 here for reference.
Duration: 2 hours, once a week, plus homework
Prerequisites: None
Length: 8 weeks
The Foundations of New York: State
FNY: State picks up where FNY: City leaves off. The structure of both classes is similar: we look at New York State’s governmental structure (and draw a map of it!); examine how it’s tied to governmental layers below, above, and beside it; and learn the basic political history of the state.
As with its city counterpart, this class emphasizes practical action. Outside of the classroom you will write, attend governmental functions, meet people working in government, and make your own political capital savings plan.
There will be a field trip to Albany that will not be required.
Duration: 2 hours, once a week, plus homework
Prerequisites: Foundations of New York: City highly encouraged
Length: 8 weeks
The Foundations of the Federal Government
2024 is a presidential election year, which means many Americans will be much more interested in politics than they usually are. Unfortunately, most of them do not have access to a robust explanation of how our federal government works, what the law is, or what the candidates they’re voting for can even do once in office. But you are not most Americans if you’re in NYC!
The Foundations of the Federal Government follows the same track as the other two Foundations courses. We map out the structure of the U.S. government, read the law directly, follow the bill production process through Congress, talk about what the Constitution actually says, discuss relevant political history, and more.
And, as with the other Foundations classes, you will actually interact with the political system as a student. No arm-chair philosophers, only practitioners. Even if you just want to take this class for intellectual fun (which is very welcome!), there is no better way to learn than to do.
There will be a field trip to Washington, D.C. that will not be required.
Duration: 2 hours, once a week, plus homework
Prerequisites: None
Length: 8 weeks
The Founding Forty: A History Seminar on the American Founding, from 1763 to 1803
Have you always wanted to understand the American Revolution? Have you forgotten what you learned in high school? Do you want to know how to independently put yourself into the mindsets of the Founders, and acquire a bullshit detector when others talk about “The Founding”? Are you curious about how this history can help you operate in the world today?
Then take The Founding Forty, where we’ll discuss the run-up to 1776, as well as what happened after the war was over. Most people are quite surprised when they learn about the Founding Era as adults—it’s far stranger, and far more interesting, than they expect.
We will also cover the basic methodologies of historical research in this seminar, which doubles as a brief “introduction to history” class. You’ll need these to grapple with our eighteenth century sources, and to productively form your own views about them.
This seminar will be capped at 12 students, but it will run multiple times between February and June 2024.
Duration: 1.5 hours, once a week, plus homework
Prerequisites: None
Length: 4 weeks
What is the law? An introductory seminar on legal philosophy, legal mechanics, and writing laws
What is the law? What is good law?
In this introduction to legal philosophy, we will examine the practical answers to these questions, which are best explored while learning to write law yourself. We will read stories, engage in dialectic, and draft legislation meant for New York City and New York State (although these lessons will be applicable to the federal level too).
The primary texts for the class will be Lon Fuller’s The Morality of Law, which I discuss in this post on legal philosophy, as well as New York City and State legislative bill drafting manuals.
This seminar will be capped at 12 students. It will run multiple times between February and June 2024 according to interest.
Duration: 1.5 hours, once a week, plus homework
Prerequisites: None
Length: 4-5 weeks
How to Build a Skyscraper
How do you build a skyscraper? No actually? What is required from the perspective of land use law, economics, finance, history, building codes, politics, aesthetics, architecture, systems analysis, and more? We will use one prominent New York City skyscraper as a case study. Obviously there will be a field trip to it.
You will also meet special, subject-matter expert guests from around the city.
Duration: 1.5 hours, once a week, plus homework
Prerequisites: The Foundations of New York: City; email me after reviewing that course’s content if you want to discuss a prereq exception
Length: 4-5 weeks
What is Freedom of Speech? An introductory seminar
Everyone talks about it, but who really knows about it? What is the legal history of this right, and how has it developed in America? What is protected speech, and what is not? Is it American exceptionalism, or American folly?
Duration: 1.5 hours, once a week, plus homework
Prerequisites: None
Length: 4 weeks
How to do Politics with your Friends
co-taught with Priya Rose of Fractal University
[## description coming]
Duration: 1.5 hours, once a week, plus homework
Prerequisites: None
Length: 4 weeks
Should dogs be legal in NYC? A public policy seminar
The best way to explore public policy is with interesting questions that have surprising twists and turns!
[## description coming]
Corporations, Companies, and Public Authorities: A Seminar on Non- and Quasi-State Governance
[## description coming]
See this Twitter thread in the meantime.
Nuclear New York: a public policy seminar
TA: Jake Zegil (Foundations of New York: City, cohort 1 alumni)
This seminar will cover:
Technical overview: The structure, composition, and function of New York State’s energy grid. What is a grid? What are its constituent parts? What are the basic concepts of electricity and electrical transmission that you need to know to craft and understand policy (and to compare nuclear to other energy sources on a cost basis)?
Institutions: The state public authorities (and related entities) that oversee the grid, and their dependencies at the local and federal level. Some authorities are, for example: NYSERDA, NYPA, and the NYISO, to name a few.
Law: What is New York State energy law? Where is it written down? What’s in it? How do you understand it? How do you change it (legally, and politically)? What is federal energy law? How does it impinge on New York State, and how do you know which to work on, or whether you should work on both?
History: Where did civilian nuclear energy come from? Why no Project Independence? Tentative reference text: The Rickover Effect: How One Man Made a Difference
Survey of the modern landscape, and fun things to read: who is working on this policy area? What are the prospects for change? What is the state of the art in nuclear energy, and the adjacent possible? What are the challenges of nuclear, and is nuclear worth it? What are fun reads about energy and industrial policy (like
’s Substack, Casey Handmer’s blog, or Mark Nelson’s Twitter, to name a very few)?
I am working to secure an optional field trip to a power plant. There will also be opportunities at the city and state level to attend legislative hearings on related subjects.
Duration: 2 hours, once a week, plus homework
Prerequisites: Foundations of New York: City or State highly recommended, and I will give strong preference to course alumni. If timing doesn’t work for you to take one of those classes before this one, email me and let’s talk.
Length: 4-5 weeks
Practical Parliamentary Procedure
Practical Parliamentary Procedure (PPP) is an accelerated introduction to parliamentary procedure and practice, with specific emphasis on “Robert’s Rules of Order,” which is the version of PP that prevails in most (but not all) American institutions.
Take a look at this previous course announcement for reference.
Duration: 2 hours, once a week, plus homework
Prerequisites: Corporations, Companies, and Public Authorities (above) is highly recommended
Length: 5 weeks
New York City Community Boards: A Primer
[## description coming]