Mackinac Center Interns Explore the Conservative Disposition at the Russell Kirk Center

The Russell Kirk Center recently welcomed interns from the Mackinac Center for their annual intellectual retreat, this year centered on the theme “Russell Kirk and the Conservative Disposition.”

Joining them were two distinguished scholars whose expertise bridged both theory and practice: Dr. Ryan Streeter, Executive Director of the Civitas Institute and former domestic policy advisor in federal and state government, and Dr. Lee Trepanier, Dean of the D’Amour College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at Assumption University and a leading scholar of political science and civic education.

The day began with Dr. Trepanier’s introduction to the conservative intellectual movement in America, which led into his talk, “Russell Kirk on Liberal and Character Education.” This talk connected Kirk’s conservatism to the broader tradition of the liberal arts. Dr. Streeter then followed with a talk entitled “Conservatism and Community: Civil Society and the Value of Moral Habits,” bringing the insights of modern social science into a compelling case for the importance of intermediary institutions—families, schools, churches, and voluntary associations—in fostering human flourishing. Taken together, their insights offered interns both a practical roadmap and an intellectual foundation for understanding modern conservative thought.

Now home to the School of Conservative Studies, the Russell Kirk Center continues its mission of forming a new generation in the best tradition of conservatism.

 

More Highlights & News

Interns Engage with Conservative Principles

Each summer, the Kirk Center welcomes a group of interns from the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty to an intellectual retreat to focus on first principles. This July, Acton interns gathered in the Kirk library for a seminar titled "Politics,...

Graduate Students Discuss “Liberty and Liberal Education”

On April 22 - 25, graduate students invited by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute met at the Kirk Center for a conference on “Liberty and Liberal Education,” co-sponsored by Liberty Fund, Inc. They examined the connection between liberty and liberal education, with...

Seminar Explores Shakespeare’s Plutarch

On March 25 - 27, Hillsdale College students gathered for a seminar at the Kirk Center on the topic: “If You Have Writ Your Annals True: Plutarchan Lives and Shakespearian Tragedies.” Students read aloud selections from the plays Coriolanus and Julius Caesar, as well...

Book Launch of The Conservative Mind in Brazil

We're pleased to announce that The Conservative Mind, translated into Portuguese for the first time, has recently been published in Brazil. On January 12th, Alex Catharino, the writer of the introduction, conducted the virtual book launch from the É Realizações...

“Very valuable. I feel more confident in my views and beliefs.”

participant

“This seminar was extremely valuable to me, especially in refining how I view conservatism. So many political and ideological terms get thrown around regularly, but they are rarely defined. I appreciate learning more about the guiding principles of conservatism and about Russell Kirk’s work.”

participant

“The panel was a great mix of theoretical and practical insights.”

participant