About the Course
Join Martin Hooss for The Fountainhead Reading Group, featuring weekly sessions of detailed analysis of Ayn Rand’s inspiring novel.
Architect Howard Roark wants to erect buildings “such as had never stood on the face of the earth,” but his innovative approach sparks resentment and resistance. Even the woman he loves works to undermine his career, believing people are too small-minded to accept his work—or to deserve it. But he will build or die, even if that means putting up gas stations in the middle of nowhere while his inferiors win prestigious commissions to erect towering structures. The Fountainhead shows us a man who thinks for himself and accepts nothing he can’t make sense of.
It is a novel of profound philosophic insight, but some of its key ideas and characters commonly are misunderstood, and certain scenes in the novel raise deep and potentially perplexing questions.
Join Martin—along with active-minded readers from all over the world—for fun and enlightening discussions, and pull every ounce of value from Ayn Rand’s classic novel.
Missed the course? We’ll notify you the next time it's offered!
How This Course Works
Sessions will run on Fridays from 8am–9:30am PT, starting October 4, 2024 through February 28, 2025 (no class Nov. 29, Dec. 20, Dec. 27, and Jan. 3).
This course is interactive and discussion-driven, so enrollment is limited. Register early to secure your spot.
The course is held live on Zoom, which you can download for free here. Sessions are video recorded, so if you miss a session (or want to review), you can watch the recording. OSI may sell course recordings and/or use them for marketing, promotional, or educational purposes.
If you don’t yet have a copy of the book, you need to acquire one so you can read the chapters we’ll be discussing each week. You can purchase the book from Amazon, BetterWorldBooks, or practically any other bookstore. We recommend a print copy of the book, but if you prefer an electronic copy, that is fine, too. (If your financial situation is such that you cannot afford to purchase a copy of the book, please let us know by emailing [email protected], and we will help you acquire one.)
Course handouts and supplementary materials are delivered via email. Course participants are invited to an exclusive OSI Courses group on Facebook, where they can post questions and engage in discussions with the instructor and other participants.
Have a question that wasn’t answered here? Read our FAQ or email us at [email protected].
By enrolling, you agree to OSI’s Course Terms and Conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
OSI courses are live, interactive, and discussion-driven, so enrollment is limited. Register early to secure your spot.
Courses are held on Zoom, and sessions are recorded, so if you miss a session (or want to review), you can watch the recording. You can download Zoom for free here.
Courses vary in length. And some involve homework. Please see the specific course pages for details.
Course handouts and supplementary materials are delivered via email (please register with an active email address). Participants have access to an exclusive OSI Courses group on Facebook.
Zoom is a free video-conferencing app that we use to conduct our courses. You can download it here.
Sessions are video recorded, so if you miss a session (or want to review), you can watch the recording. That said, we highly recommend attending each live session so that you can ask questions and engage with your instructor(s) and other participants.
If you do miss a session, we recommend that you watch the recording before attending the next session.
Anyone aged 29 or younger may apply for an OSI scholarship to cover the full cost of a course. For information on how the scholarships work, please visit our Scholarships page.
You can see all current and past courses here.
If you have a question that isn’t answered in the FAQ or course description, please email us at [email protected].
