Spring 2024 Applications Are Open!
(1) Foundations of NYC, (2) Foundations of NYS, (3) Foundations of America, (4) America's Founding Forty: 1763-1803, and (5) How to Write a Law
Summary: I’ll be teaching five classes during February and March 2024; they will repeat as needed in April and May 2024, with new classes added. Applications ARE OPEN through January 26, but seats are limited—applications will be considered on a rolling basis, and applying sooner is better. All classes use a common application. You can apply to one, or multiple.
When budgeting for classes, check to see if your employer gives you a continuing education budget. Many do!
Content:
Class line-up:
General Class Structure & Information
Class Expectations & Etiquette
About Your Instructor
Syllabi
FAQ
Class line-up for February-March
🗽 The Foundations of New York City
This is 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.
This 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. If you are wondering which class to take, I recommend this one first.
Any class alumni are welcome to rejoin the class on a graduate track with more advanced work. Just let me know you’re interested.
Time: 6:30-8:30pm, Mondays, February 5—March 25 (8 weeks)
Location: near Madison Square Park
Prerequisites: None
Completion reqs: final sit-down exam, all homework, no more than two absences
Tuition: $0-2,000. The price is $2k, give yourself whatever discount you need.
🗽 The Foundations of New York State
FNYS picks up where its city counterpart 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.
This class also serves as a general introduction to state government, and what it does within the federal system. You’ll find it far more fascinating, powerful, and important than you previously knew.
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.
Time: 6:30-8:30pm, Tuesdays, February 6—March 26 (8 weeks)
Location: near Madison Square Park
Prerequisites: FNYC is highly encouraged, but not required
Completion reqs: final sit-down exam, all homework, no more than two absences
Tuition: $0-2,000. The price is $2k, give yourself whatever discount you need.
🇺🇸 The Foundations of America
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 America 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.
Time: 6:30-8:30pm, Wednesdays, February 7—March 27 (8 weeks)
Location: near Madison Square Park
Prerequisites: None
Completion reqs: final sit-down exam, all homework, no more than two absences
Tuition: $0-2,000. The price is $2k, give yourself whatever discount you need.
🎆 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.
Finally, we discuss questions of political philosophy: did America “burn it all down” when it revolted? How did the American founding differ from other so-called revolutions, like the subsequent one in France? Why is it useful to think about these questions?
This seminar will be capped at 9 students, but it will run multiple times between February and June 2024.
Time: 2:00-4:00pm, Sundays, February 4—March 3 (5 weeks)
Location: near Brooklyn Academy of Music
Prerequisites: None
Completion reqs: final sit-down exam, all homework, no more than one absence
Tuition: pick a flat fee that you can afford, from $160, $260, and $360
📝 How to Write a Law: An introductory seminar on legal philosophy, legal mechanics, and legislative drafting
What is the law? What is good law? How do you write 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—although the lessons you learn here will be applicable to the state and federal levels too.
This seminar will be capped at 9 students, but it will run multiple times between February and June 2024 as interest allows.
Time: 6:30-8:30pm, Thursdays, February 8—March 7 (5 weeks)
Location: near Madison Square Park
Prerequisites: None
Completion reqs: final sit-down exam, all homework, no more than one absence
Tuition: pick a flat fee that you can afford, from $160, $260, and $360
General Class Structure and Information
Applications are open from January 3 until January 26 (5pm EST); they will be accepted on a rolling basis, and sooner is definitely better. Popular classes will be repeated in April and May, and those applications will open in early March.
I’ll inform all applicants of their status, successful or not, by January 26 or sooner. I aim to answer each application within a week of its submission. If you have not heard back from me by then, feel free to shoot me an email: daniel@maximumnewyork.com.
Meeting Time & Place
Classes will generally meet for two hours, once a week. Class location could change depending on enrollment. Classes are either 8 or 5 weeks. You will take your exam during your last class.
The Founding Forty:
Sundays, 2:00-4:00pm, beginning February 4 (5 weeks)
Near Brooklyn Academy of MusicFoundations of New York City:
Mondays, 6:30-8:30pm, beginning February 5 (8 weeks)
Near Madison Square ParkFoundations of New York State:
Tuesdays, 6:30-8:30pm, beginning February 6 (8 weeks)
Near Madison Square ParkFoundations of America:
Wednesdays, 6:30-8:30pm, beginning February 7 (8 weeks)
Near Madison Square ParkHow to Write a Law:
Thursdays, 6:30-8:30pm, beginning February 8 (5 weeks)
Near Madison Square Park
Class Structure:
Classes will be structured as seminars, not lectures. In the first meeting of each “Foundations” class, I will draw a map of the government on the whiteboard, and students will be the peanut gallery (it’s open season on questions and comments). We will repeat this exercise in various forms, including competitive ones, in each meeting.
There will be breaks about every 30 minutes. Eat snacks and do what you need to do then. And since class will be in the winter, and people will be coming in from the cold: please make sure to blow your nose and clear out sniffles before class, and as needed.
Class Preparation & Homework:
There will be readings for each class, small class projects, and a final exam that is graded pass/fail. Plan to allocate at least 2-4 hours a week for this work. Final exams will be taken during your last class.
You will have to create a Substack blog for all classes (reasonable substitutions can be accommodated). Each week’s homework will include one Substack post that will be reviewed by me and class TAs. While I encourage students to keep their blogs public and share their progress, you can make your blog private too. You must complete all of these assignments to pass the class.
For the three Foundations courses, you must complete two “witnessing government” assignments. You will attend government meetings and respond to a variety of prompts based on what you witness. There will be evening, weekend, remote, and pre-recorded options. You must complete these two assignments to pass the class.
Join the Maximum New York Discord. Class participants will be added to a Maximum New York Discord server, which will be our primary mode of communication for coursework, office hours, and general discussion. There will be a code of conduct you need to accept to join the Discord, similar to the class expectations and etiquette outlined in the next section.
And after the courses, the real fun of government and politics begins. It’s an open world.
Class Expectations & Etiquette
Classes are open to anyone who wants to improve the capacity of NYC’s government, with an end toward making NYC larger, more wealthy (both absolutely and per capita), more opportunity-rich, and more enjoyable for everyone. Maybe you want to get deeply involved in politics. Maybe you’re just intellectually curious. Maybe you’re somewhere in between. You’re welcome in any case.
The classroom environment I encourage is one of exploration, curiosity, playfulness, and charity/tolerance; if you have dug-in political ideas, you need to let those go, at least for the duration of the class. We are here to learn how things work first and foremost, although larger questions of political philosophy absolutely come into play at various points. You should think about politics as a systems problem with no perfect solutions, but still plenty of good ones.
This class has four formal rules of etiquette that you must follow:
Politics is a good word, and a potentially beautiful thing. We are here to learn how to do government as friends, in a chill fashion, even while dealing with weighty issues.
No bullshitting, aka be concrete. We’re all here to learn together, but we’re doing it in a rigorous fashion. You must always strive to deeply understand the reality of governance that underpins your political thought.
Extend grace to everyone. We’re here to learn together. Government and politics are complicated fields, and no one knows everything. We will be better, together.
Anger is the rare exception, and a friendly “what the hell” is the norm. Taking things seriously does not mean being mad about them. The wider world can pressure people to get mad to prove that they take political ideas seriously. I do not equate anger with either sophistication or dedication, so I relieve you of that burden. Make jokes, be serious, push back, learn a lot. But give yourself (and others) a break while you’re in class.
About Your Instructor
Hello, my name is Daniel Golliher (goll- as in the gall, the nerve, and the audacity; iher- as in how they say “your” where I come from: Gol-yer). I’ve lived in New York City for five years. Besides my writing on this website, you can learn more about me on Twitter, and my personal blog. I’ve written a few books, play the piano and sax, enjoy all manner of physical fitness, and can’t wait to meet you.
I graduated from Harvard College in 2014 with a degree in Government1, and since then I’ve worked in the legal industry, a coffee shop, higher ed, the legal industry again, and now I dedicate my time to Maximum New York.
The Fall 2023 semester of MNY had to be pushed to Spring 2024 due to my recent brush with cancer, but we’re back now, baby! You’ll all get to see my hair grow back in real time.
Course Syllabi
Starting on January 4, I will publish one dedicated post per class that will explain the content that we’ll cover in detail.
You can refer to a previous course announcement for an example of what to expect.
Frequently Asked Questions
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. When budgeting for classes, check to see if your employer gives you a continuing education budget. Many do!
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? ~2 hours of class time, and 2-4 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. If a class can’t meet in person, we can either meet virtually or schedule a make-up class. All classes are designed to be able to lose one full class meeting without a make-up, although we will ideally have a make-up.
When do classes start, and do they all start at the same time? They begin the first full week of February, and run through March.
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.