April 17-18, 2023

The A.V. Elliott Conference on Great Books and Ideas

On Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Student Panel: (4:15 pm, April 17, 2023)

4:15-5:30pm in the Presidents Dining Room of the University Center

Opening Lecture: (6:00pm, April 17, 2023)

John T. Scott (Political Science, UC Davis)

"Rousseau's Freedom: Phenomenological, not Metaphysical"

6:00pm in the Presidents Dining Room in the University Center

Panel I: Rousseau on Human Being (9:00am, April 18, 2023)

9:00-10:30am in the Presidents Dining Room of the University Center

Arthur Melzer (Political Science, Michigan State University)

"The Natural Weakness of Man"

Emma Planinc (Political Science, Notre Dame)

"Pride Goes Before Destruction: On the Use of Orgueil in Rousseau's Second Discourse"

Samuel Stoner (Philosophy, Assumption University)

"Rousseau on the Origin of Ideas and the Nature of Human Thinking"

 

Panel II: Rousseau on Government and Citizenship (10:45 am, 4/18)

10:45am-12:15pm in the Presidents Dining Room of the University Center

Flora Champy (French, Princeton University)

"Rousseau, a Philosopher of Government"

Daniel Cullen (Philosophy, Rhodes College)

"Rousseau's Conservative Radicalism"

Denise Schaeffer (Political Science, College of the Holy Cross)

"Travel as Education: Toward Philosophy and Citizenship in Rousseau's Emile"

 

Panel III: Rousseau's Reveries (4:00pm, April 18, 2023)

4:00-5:30pm in the Presidents Dining Room of the University Center

Laurence Cooper (Political Science, Carleton College)

"The Philosopher as Natural Man"

Eve Grace (Political Science, Colorado College)

"Solon's Saying"

Christine Dunn Henderson (Political Science, SMU)

"Rousseau's Reveries: On the Condition of Women"

Closing Lecture (6:00pm, April 18, 2023)

Christopher Kelly (Political Science, Boston College)

"Misunderstanding Rousseau: The Enigmas of Rousseau: Judge of Jean-Jacques"

6:00pm in the Presidents Dining Room of the University Center

 

 

Past Events

September 14, 2022

"Dueling Constitutions: The Conflict over Slavery in the Early Republic"

James Oakes (Professor of History, City University of New York)

Mercer's Undergraduate Constitution Day Observance

6:00-7:15pm in the Presidents' Dining Room of the University Center

 

November 21, 2022

"Three Founding Narratives: The Historic Declaration of Independence, Democracy vs. Liberalism, and Slavery and the Challenges Facing American Conservatism"

Barry Shain (Professor of Political Science, Colgate University)

6:00-7:15pm in the Presidents' Dining Room of the University Center

 

February 6, 2023

"Abraham Lincoln and the Rule of Law"

Alexander Duff (Asst. Prof. of Political Science, University of  North Texas)

6:00-7:15pm in the Presidents' Dining Room of the University Center

 

March 20, 2023

"The American Founding In Four Acts"

Gordon Lloyd (Pepperdine University)

6:00-7:15pm in the Presidents Dining Room in the University Center

 

April 11, 2023

"Caught up in the half-light; or, Socrates and Melville are Coming to Dinner"

Stuart Warner (Philosophy, Roosevelt University)

6:00-7:15pm in the Willett Auditorium