Milton's Constitutional Convention

Milton's Constitutional Convention

ENGL 4013

David Anderson, Department of English
Andrew Porwancher, Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage

This course is a radical and highly innovative exercise that will explore the relationship between law, literature, religion and history. In this course, the classroom transforms into a convention hall and the students become delegates to a constitutional convention. Their task is to debate, draft, and ratify a constitution for a new country. The twist is that their constitution must derive its principles from John Milton's epic poem, Paradise Lost. In preparation for the convention, the class will immerse itself in Paradise Lost while drawing on American constitutional law as a reference point. Visiting experts from around the world will teach guest classes.

Public Lecture Series

Professor Phillip Munoz

Separation of Church and State

February 18, 2015
5 p.m.
Fred Jones Jr Museum of Art

Vincent Phillip Muñoz is the Tocqueville Associate Professor of Religion and Public Life in the Department of Political Science and Concurrent Associate Professor of Law at The University of Notre Dame.

Dr. Muñoz writes and teaches across the fields of political philosophy, constitutional studies, and American politics. His recent research has focused on the theme of religious liberty and the American Constitution. His first book, God and the Founders: Madison, Washington, and Jefferson (Cambridge University Press, 2009), won the Hubert Morken Award from the American Political Science Association for the best publication on religion and politics in 2009 and 2010. His First Amendment church-state casebook, Religious Liberty and the American Supreme Court: The Essential Cases and Documents, was published in 2013 and is being used at Notre Dame and other leading universities.

Dr. Muñoz is in the process of completing two more books related to religious freedom, a prequel to God and the Founders, which seeks to uncover the original meaning of the Constitution's Religion Clauses, and a constitutional history of religious freedom in America from the Founding to the present. His writings have appeared in scholarly and popular journals, including American Political Science Review, The Review of Politics, The Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, The Wall Street Journal, First Things, and The Claremont Review of Books. His media appearances include commentary on Voice of America Radio, Fox News Channel, and Turkish Public Television. He has testified before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee on the matter of "Hostility to Religious Expression in the Public Square."

Professor Paul Stevens

“Raphael’s Condescension: Paradise Lost, Jane Austen, and Secular Displacement of Grace.”

Thursday, March 12, 2015
4:30 p.m.
Fred Jones Jr Museum of Art

Paul Stevens is the Canada Research Chair at the University of Toronto, and one of the most celebrated Milton Scholars of his generation, a fact that has been recognized in his recent award of a Guggenheim Fellowship and his election as Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Some of his most important work has been on the subject of Milton’s understanding of emerging English nationalism, a theme that is highly pertinent to the interdisciplinary project we propose here. In addition to being the founder of the Canada Milton seminar and former president of the Milton Society of America, Professor Stevens is also an award-winning teacher.

Professor Maggie Kilgour

Milton and the classical tradition

Thursday, April 30, 2015
4:30 p.m.
Associate Room, Oklahoma Memorial Union

Maggie Kilgour, a beloved and innovative teacher of the sort who will make an ideal Dream Course guest, has achieved international respect as a Milton Scholar. Her most recent book, Milton and the Metamorphosis of Ovid, cemented her reputation as one of the leading experts on Milton’s engagement with the classical literary tradition. Professor Kilgour is a highly skilled interpreter of poetry, and has a great deal of experience in crossing interdisciplinary boundaries. We expect our students will learn a great deal from her thoughtful and engaging approach.