Study Discussion Groups (SDGs) | The PLATO Society of Los Angeles

Study Discussion Groups (SDGs) are the heart of what we offer our members

The PLATO Society convenes peer-led Study Discussion Groups (SDGs) each term, sustaining rigorous, text-based inquiry across the liberal arts & sciences. Designed and facilitated by members, SDGs emphasize close reading, analysis, and collegial debate in seminar format.

Offerings this term span historical, literary, and contemporary studies - including Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, Urban Pioneers: The Jews of Los Angeles and Their Impacts, James Baldwin, Archaeology of the Hebrew Bible, and The Burning Earth - with meetings in person at Gayley Headquarters and via Zoom.

Member Created & Led,
Small Group, Courses

Each week a different member is responsible for leading the discussion. Our courses, no matter the subject, are discussion, not lecture-based, and depend on the active participation of all.

We Offer
Four Categories

Arts & Literature
Social Science
History
Science & Technology

Course Length
& Timing

We have 3 terms: Winter, Spring/Summer and Fall
‍
Offer 20+ SDGs per term.

Courses vary in length from 7-14 weeks.

Monday

10AM - 12PM

Our Current SDGs - Fall 2025

Urban Pioneers, The Jews of Los Angeles and Their Impacts

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World

The Novella à la Française

The Age of Revolutions and the Generations That Made It

Neanderthals

Melville's MOBY DICK

The Cleopatras, the Forgotten Queens of Egypt

The Color of Shadows: Recent Stories from the Celebrated, and the Promising

The Surprising Science Behind Love and Loss

The Groundbreaking Films of Germany

The Best TED Talks

The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human

Bully for Brontosaurus

Creating Original Art with AI

The Vikings: Almost an Empire

History of Literary Theory

The Undocumented

The Court at War: FDR, His Justices, and the World They Made

The Book of Exodus

The Burning Earth

James Baldwin

The Archeology of the Hebrew Bible