The School of Conservative Studies
The Russell Kirk Center is Home to America’s School of Conservative Studies.
The Russell Kirk Center’s School of Conservative Studies offers courses, seminars, and masterclasses for those seeking the kind of learning necessary for civilization to flourish. It is an educational initiative that explores the fullness of the conservative tradition and its humanistic foundations with students, researchers, professionals, and teachers at every level.
Reinvigorating Conservatism: New Courses and Certificate Opportunities
The School of Conservative Studies introduces a range of courses and new credentials that engage a living tradition of serious conservative thought and cultural contributions. These new courses are held in-person and online, and they are taught by top faculty. Select participants have the option of completing an advanced-level Certificate in Conservative Studies.
As Russell Kirk reminded us:
“The conservative is concerned, first of all, for the regeneration of spirit and character—with the perennial problem of the inner order of the soul, the restoration of the ethical understanding, and the religious sanction upon which any life worth living is founded. This is conservatism at its highest.”
The Kirk Center’s School of Conservative Studies provides new generations with intellectual formation in the best and highest tradition of American conservatism, both for their own sake and so that they can be effective conservative leaders, teachers, entrepreneurs, and political reformers.
It fosters an intellectual conservative disposition that rejects ideological dogma in favor of general principles, experience, and a formed moral imagination. It aims for each of its students and participants to better understand the beliefs, practices, and institutions that are the foundation of America’s constitutional achievement in ordered liberty.
Continuing the Mecosta Mission
The School of Conservative Studies is rooted in Kirk’s ancestral village and private library in Mecosta, Michigan. From here, it actively promotes scholarly and popular interest in the history, theory, institutions, literary works, and key figures that constitute the conservative intellectual tradition in America.
Its educational programs, new courses, and masterclasses introduce people of various levels and locations to the perennial ideas that can help shape our age. Its advanced-level Certificate in Conservative Studies will give select students a deep engagement with this tradition and offer a new academic credential.
The School of Conservative Studies pursues wisdom and virtue under the guidance of expert scholars and teachers from around the world who contribute to our reputation of academic excellence.
Below, you will find more information about the courses and certificates offered by the School of Conservative Studies. By participating in these opportunities, you will join a growing community of imaginative conservatives who make the Kirk Center an intellectually exciting and lively place.
Coming Soon
Coming Soon
“Regardless of whether you are a Kirkian or even a conservative, there is no better place to gain a deeper understanding of American conservatism than at the Kirk Center.”
“I would absolutely recommend the Kirk Center to anyone who is serious about political philosophy and conservatism.”