Lectures & Events
Most events are related to or sponsored by the Consitituional Studies minor, the Tocqueville Program for Inquiry Into Religion and American Public Life, the Potenziani Program in Constitutional Studies, and the Program on Constitutional Structure. Others may be posted as being of relevant interest to those in these respective programs. We hope you can join us!
Upcoming Lectures & Events
Recent Lectures & Events
Past Lectures & Events
Political Science Events
Upcoming Lectures & Events
Wednesday, April 17
“How to Be a Free People”
Prof. Richard Elkins
12:30 - Room 1140 in Eck Hall of Law.
Lecture by Richard Ekins, Tutorial Fellow in Law at St. John’s College, University of Oxford. Professor Ekins worked as a Clerk on the High Court of his native New Zealand, and later taught law at the University of Auckland, before moving (back) to Oxford (where he received his undergraduate and graduate degrees) in 2012. His book – The Nature of Legislative Intent -- is part of the new OUP series of books , Oxford Legal Philosophy.
Sponsored by the Natural Law Institute
Recent Lectures & Events
"Entrepreneurship: Nature, Vocation and Law"
Fr. Sirico (Acton Institute)
Co-sponsored by the Federalist Society
Tuesday, April 16
"The Religious Roots of the First Amendment"
Nicholas P. Miller (Andrews University)
with a comment by Donald Drakeman
Part of the 2012-13 Mellon-ISLA Interdisciplinary Workshop: Religious Freedoms, Modern Contexts
Co-Sponsored by the Tocqueville Program for Inquiry Into Religion and American Public Life
Tuesday, April 2
"Religious Liberty in Western and Islamic Law: Toward a World Legal Tradtition"
Kristine Kalanges (ND Law)
with a response by Daniel Philpott (ND Political Science/Peace Studies)
Part of the 2012-13 Mellon-ISLA Interdisciplinary Workshop: Religious Freedoms, Modern Contexts
Co-Sponsored by the Tocqueville Program for Inquiry Into Religion and American Public Life
Monday, March 25
Political Theory Colloquium:
"Defining Genoicide"
Ernesto Verdeja (ND)
Friday, March 22
"America's Upside-down Constitution"
Michael S. Greve (George Mason University School of Law)
Tuesday, March 19
Co-sponsored by the Federalist Society
"Lincoln's Constitution"
Steven Smith (Yale)
Tuesday, February 12
Steven Smith’s talk was based on the 2012 book The Writings of Abraham Lincoln, which he edited. Abraham Lincoln never wrote a book: his ideas are contained in speeches, letters, and occasional writings. By bringing these works together into a single anthology, Smith shows that Lincoln deserves to be counted among the great political philosophers.
Watch this lecture on Lincoln:
Professors for Lunch - Spring Series
"Why Choose the Liberal Arts?"
Mark Roche (ND German)
Friday, February 8
Watch this lecture on the Liberal Arts:
"Is Promoting Democracy in the Middle East a Mistake?"
John Agresto
Co-sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies
Thursday, January 17
This lecture in the Irish Rover!
Watch this lecture:
Professors for Lunch - Spring Series
“Roe at 40: The Supreme Court, Abortion, and the Culture War that Followed”
On the 40th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade
Amy Barrett (ND Law)
Friday, January 18
This lecture in the Irish Rover!
Watch this lecture:
Political Theory Workshop
Costica Bradatan (NDIAS):
Friday, November 30
"The American Congress: Legal Implications of Gridlock"
Keynote Speaker: Former Representative Thomas Allen (D-ME)
Friday, November 16
Saturday, November 10: John Tomasi (Brown)
Part of the Center for Ethics and Culture Fall Conference
"America's Unwritten Constitution: The Precedents and Principles We Live By"
Akhil Amar (Yale)
Friday, November 2
Sponsored by the Notre Dame Law Program on Constitutional Structure and the Constitutional Studies Minor.
Information about Amar's book can be found here.
"More Equal Than Others: Fisher v. Texas and Preferential Admissions"
Ilya Shapiro and Melvin Butch Hollowell
“Do We Truly Believe in Diversity? Religious Pluralism and Democratic Freedom”
Stephen Monsma (Calvin College)-Friday, October 26
Sponsored by the Tocqueville Program, the Rooney Center, and the Center for the Study of Religion and Society
"Adam Smith: From Love to Sympathy"
Ryan Patrick Hanley - October 4
The Ethics and Law of the Use of Military
Michael Lewis - September 26
Sponsored by the Notre Dame Federalist Society and the Constitutional Studies Program
"Professors for Lunch" Series: Faculty panel on HHS mandate - September 21
"Why is ND Suing the Obama Administration to Protect Religious Freedom? And Should it Be Doing So?"
ND Faculty: Ann Astell (Theology), Gerry Bradley (Law), Mary D'Angelo (Theology), and Mark Noll (History).
Co-sponsored by the Office for Undergraduate Studies and the Dean's Fellows
Constitution Day Lecture: “Obamacare, the Supreme Court, and the Lost Generation of Child Labor Reform”
Barry Cushman (ND) - September 18:
Co-sponsored by the Constitutional Studies Minor and the Notre Dame Program on Constitutional Structure, with support from the Office of Research
“Barack Obama and the Crisis of American Liberalism” Charles Kesler (Claremont McKenna) - September 13
Discussing his newly published book I Am the Change: Barack Obama and the Crisis of Liberalism
Sponsored by the Notre Dame Federalist Society and the Constitutional Studies Program
The Conservative Case for and against Gay Marriage with Dale Carpenter and John Finnis - September 10
Sponsored by the Notre Dame Federalist Society and the Constitutional Studies Program
"Professors for Lunch" with Carter Snead (ND) - Friday, September 7
"The HHS Mandate and Religious Freedom”
A discussion about the Department of Health and Human Services “contraception mandate” and how it impacts the religious freedom of religious institutions, such as The University of Notre Dame.
Co-sponsored by the Office for Undergraduate Studies and the Dean's Fellows
"Professors for Lunch" with Dan Philpott (ND) - Friday, August 31
"Reconciliation in Politics? On The Meaning of Justice in the Wake Of Massive Injustice."
With panelists Margaret Pfeil (Theology) and Paolo Carozza (Law)
About Professor Philpott's new book Just and Unjust Peace
Past Lectures & Events
"Bad Religion, How We Became A Nation of Heretics" --Wednesday, April 25th
Ross Douthat, New York Times Columnist
"The Latter-day Saints Come Marching In: Mormonism Abroad and At Home in the 21st Century.”--Tuesday, April 24th
Elder Bruce Porter
"Federalism and Subsidiarity" -- Thursday, April 19th
Professor Steven Calabresi from Northwestern University
Commentary by A.J. Bellia
"Why Choose the Liberal Arts?" -- Friday, March 30th
Panel of: Michael Zuckert,Kevin Burke and Kevin Flannery
"Structural Restraints: Low Level Waste, Civics Lessons, or Something More" -- Thursday, March 29th
John Finnis
"Originalism and the Rule of Law" -- Tuesday, March 27th
Johnathan O'Neill, Associate Professor of History, Georgia Southern University
"Death Sentence for the Life Sciences? How the Humanities Can Save Biomedical Research and the Pharmaceutical Industry" -- Monday, March 26th
Don Drakeman, Princeton
“Aristotle’s Political Science and The Problem of the Regime” -- Friday, March 23rd
Susan Collins, University of Houston
"Civic Freedom and Reverence for Law: The Legacy of Ancient Sparta" -- Thursday, March 22nd
Susan Collins, University of Houston
"Harry Truman and the Bomb" - Thursday, February 16th
David Solomn, Wilson Miscamble, Michael Baxter
