Algebra, for many, is a difficult subject because it appears to be a set of meaningless rules and procedures without content. In a word, it is abstract. This workshop will look at the nature of abstraction and what role it plays in mathematics, language, and thought. Family friendly (ages 14+).

Instructor Dr. Chris Swanson, the president and a tutor at Gutenberg, was one of the men who began planning Gutenberg College a few years before it opened in 1994. Prior to that he taught at the University of Oregon, Northwest Christian College, and Westmont College. During the early years of the college, he was a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Oregon studying quantum fluids. He holds a B.S. summa cum laude from Westmont College in Mathematics and Physics and a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Oregon. He became Gutenberg College's second president in 2016. Chris and his wife, Cynthia, have three children, two sons and a daughter. Both of their sons graduated from Gutenberg.

The Gutenberg College Workshop Series is an educational outreach program designed to serve classical education communities, homeschooling communities, and independent learners. The workshops offer participants hands-on, high-quality educative experiences delivered by knowledgeable instructors that help participants develop skills, understand the world they live in, and cultivate their intellectual acumen.