This educational outreach initiative for alumni and friends hosts monthly seminars in designated cities. The purpose of the Executive Precept is to expand awareness of the scholarly activities supported by the James Madison Program in the Department of Politics at Princeton University. It also offers alumni and friends an opportunity to be engaged in the ongoing intellectual debates within the university.

Through a series of monthly discussions based on reading material assigned and provided, participants engage in a rigorous examination of historical and contemporary issues in political thought. The precept is designed to be a discussion, rather than a lecture, with the preceptor serving as a facilitator. Thus, the format is similar to the traditional precept, first introduced at Princeton by University President Woodrow Wilson in 1905. Participants, we hope, will experience Wilson's vision of a deeper understanding of a subject rather than simply retaining a "catalogue of facts."

Monthly precepts are held at selected locations. For academic year 2011-12 this initiative will be hosted in Dallas, Jacksonville, FL, New York City, Philadelphia, Princeton, and Washington DC.

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