Benjamin Franklin Project Series

On February 26, Marshall Brown, IIT assistant professor of architecture, and University of Virginia historian Peter Onuf appeared together onstage at MTCC's McCloska Auditorium for the discussion "Democracy and the Built Environment," sponsored by the Benjamin Franklin Project through the Department of Social Sciences.

The two scholars approached the topic from different angles, with Onuf speaking on private space, specifically, the design of Thomas Jefferson's quarters at Monticello, and Brown addressing public space, in particular, the need to reconsider the "Jeffersonian grid" on the urban landscape. Onuf and Brown also sat down for a conversation with the audience, moderated by historian Maureen Flanagan, chair of IIT's Lewis Department of Humanities. The questions from the audience yielded several points of contact between the two speakers on issues related to cultivating the character of a democratic society.

The event also featured the photographic exhibit "Transitions," by sociologist David Schalliol, a collection that surveys change, social equality, and the urban landscape.

Peter Onuf and Marshall Brown [photo credit: David Schalliol]

Peter Onuf [photo credit: David Schalliol]

Marshall Brown [photo credit: David Schalliol]

Marshall Brown [photo credit: David Schalliol]

Lewis Department of Humanities Chair Maureen Flanagan, Peter Onuf, and Marshall Brown [photo credit: David Schalliol]

Spring 2013 Benjamin Franklin Project [photo credit: David Schalliol]

Spring 2013 Benjamin Franklin Project [photo credit: David Schalliol]

Marshall Brown [photo credit: David Schalliol]

Spring 2013 Benjamin Franklin Project [photo credit: David Schalliol]

About the Benjamin Franklin Project at IIT

Statesman. Scientist. Humanist. Businessman. Inventor.

As one of the United States' Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin is known for his vision, his wit, his love of life, his expert knowledge in governance, science, engineering, business, education, music, and philosophy, and the treasure trove of writings, discoveries, inventions, and ideas that he left behind.

In partnership with the Jack Miller Center and with the generous support of The Brinson Foundation, the College of Science and Letters and the Department of Social Sciences at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) have launched the Benjamin Franklin Project to inspire a new generation of innovators who wish to think—and act—across today's disciplinary and professional lines.

Through a series of events and special courses taught at the IIT campus, the Benjamin Franklin Project allows students and scholars to explore the full range of the Founders' work—from their most practical domestic devices to the extraordinary idea and architecture of the New Republic. The Project focuses especially on the Enlightenment and the Framers as scientists, inventors and designers in both the social and the natural realms, exploring how all these elements continue to spark imaginations and shape priorities in today's far more interconnected world.

The inaugural Benjamin Franklin Project Lecture was delivered by renowned scholar Gordon Wood (Brown University) on March 15, 2012. This event was followed by a public symposium on April 26, 2012, and featured Ralph Lerner (University of Chicago), Stuart Warner (Roosevelt University), Jan Golinski (University of New Hampshire) and David Lieberman (University of California at Berkeley). The first Jack Miller Post-Doctoral Fellow took residency in the Department of Social Sciences and began teaching in August of 2012. The public debate "The Power of the President: How Much Is Too Much" took place on November 1, 2012, just five days before the presidential election, and featured Chicago's foremost scholars on the presidency, Alberto Coll of De Paul University and William Howell of the University of Chicago. WBEZ's Alison Cuddy moderated the debate.

Benjamin Franklin Image: Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky, Benjamin West c. 1816 [src: http://www.philamuseum.org]