What do Thomas Merton, Alexei Navalny, the Dalai Lama, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Willy Wonka (as played by Timothee Chalamet) have in common? They met the challenges of leadership and influenced and inspired many from a most unlikely stance: joy. In a world obsessed with struggle and sacrifice, joy is often seen as a frivolous distraction. But what if we entered leadership roles that recognized that joy is not the antithesis of change but the very fuel that propels it forward? How can we adapt a leadership style accordingly? In this course we will explore the radical yet potent idea that joy is the foundation for creating positive change in ourselves, in our parishes, and, perhaps, the world.
Leadership Lessons from Thomas Merton: Riding a Wave of Joy
Sophfronia Scott is a novelist, essayist, and leading contemplative thinker whose work has received a 2020 Artist Fellowship Grant from the Connecticut Office of the Arts. Her book The Seeker and the Monk: Everyday Conversations with Thomas Merton won the 2021 Thomas Merton “Louie” Award from the International Thomas Merton Society. She holds a BA in English from Harvard and an MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her latest book is Wild, Beautiful, and Free, a historical novel set during the Civil War. Sophfronia’s other books include Unforgivable Love, Love’s Long Line, and This Child of Faith: Raising a Spiritual Child in a Secular World, co-written with her son Tain. Sophfronia is the founding director of Alma College’s MFA in Creative Writing, a low-residency graduate program based in Alma, Michigan.
Tuition
- Courses Sliding Scale: $75, $125, $175
- Workshops: Suggested Donation $25-$75
- Two-Part and Three-Part Workshops: Suggested Donation: $50-$150
- Preaching Intensives Sliding Scale: $159, $179, $199
Student and Recent Graduate Discounts
- Tuition is waived for current Yale Divinity School students.
- Tuition is waived for Yale Divinity School alumni/ae in their first year after graduation.
- A 50% tuition discount is available to Yale Divinity School graduates within their first 3 years of graduation.
Email Brandon Nappi for discount codes and scholarship information at brandon.nappi@yale.edu