Conference on Catholic Legal Thought
2007 Summer Institute
June 13, 14 & 15, 2007
University of St. Thomas School of Law , Minneapolis , MN
http://www.stthomas.edu/law/CCLSTsummerinstitute.asp
Last June, at Fordham University School of Law, twenty-three Catholic law professors from all over the country met for three days to explore ways to foster the development of the emerging body of legal thought known as “Catholic Legal Theory” (“CLT”). The law schools represented at that meeting included Ave Maria, Boston College, Catholic University, Duquesne University, Fordham University, Loyola University Chicago, Loyola University Los Angeles, Notre Dame, University of Oklahoma, St. John's University, Seattle University, Seton Hall University, Texas Wesleyan University, the University of St. Thomas, and Villanova University.
At this initial Fordham meeting, we named our coalition of scholars the “Conference on Catholic Legal Thought.” We decided to organize annual meetings to support the development of CLT, to be hosted on a rotating basis by different law schools around the country. These annual meetings are directed both at those who are just beginning the enterprise of integrating Catholic thought into their teaching and scholarship and at those who are more experienced.
This year's meeting will be hosted by the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis , Minnesota . The first day will be a one-day introduction to basic aspects of Catholic social teachings. The second and third days will consist of more in-depth, interactive workshops exploring particular topics through the lens of CLT, or the application of fundamental principles of Catholic thought to the development of CLT in general. The advanced workshops will offer combinations of lectures, debates, and discussions by members of the Conference, as well as outside experts from other disciplines and other faith traditions. The four topics for this year will be:
- Corporations . An examination of one of the most significant liturgical/doctrinal events in Catholic social teaching in the 20 th century -- the institution of the Feast of Christ the King and the encyclical establishing it - Quas Primas . This encyclical provides the clear teaching and liturgical expression of the primary principle that Christ is the king of every person, family, society, corporation, partnership, city, state and country, which has significant ramifications for how to approach every area of law. Case Study: An ecumenical examination of how the teachings of Quas Primas relate to the ordering of the business world from both Catholic and Protestant perspectives.
- Feminism/Life Issues. A roundtable discussion on the tensions between resort to arguments based on emerging scientific knowledge and resort to arguments based on theological principles, in developing CLT in some currently contested areas. Topics under consideration include assisted reproduction, stem cell research, contraception, and the theology of the body.
- Legal Theory. A discussion on the challenges that modern legal theories pose to traditional modes of conceptualizing law, such as natural law theories. The discussion proceeds from within political theology, which seeks to evaluate the particular forms of imagery embedded in political discourse (which includes legal theory) against Christian doctrines such as Trinity, Church and eschatology. The focus here will be on why and how modern legal theories offer an alternative to traditional Catholic understanding of law.
- Constitution/Public Life. A book in progress, tentatively titled To Bind Up the Nation's Wounds: Rekindling the Spirit of Our Living Constitution , will be the subject of a workshop. CLT either overtly or covertly will provide the underlying structure for the book.
The conference will also offer time for communal prayer and reflection, a field trip to the Loome Theological Bookstore (“the largest secondhand theological bookstore in the world”: http://www.loomebooks.com) in the nearby scenic river town of Stillwater , and plenty of opportunity for fellowship with like-minded legal scholars.
There will be no fee to attend any of these events, but participants will be responsible for their own travel, lodging, and expenses. Thanks to a generous grant from Our Sunday Visitor Foundation, we do have limited funds available to cover expenses of participants whose schools might not support attendance.
If you are interested in attending or would like more information once the schedule is finalized, please fill out the attached registration form and e-mail it to: Lisa Schiltz: erschiltz@stthomas.edu .
We look forward to seeing you in June!
Kevin Lee, kplee@avemarialaw.edu
Russell Powell, rpowell@seattleu.edu
Lisa Schiltz, erschiltz@stthomas.edu
Susan Stabile, stabiles@stjohns.edu
Michael Scaperlanda, mscaperlanda@ou.edu
Amy Uelmen, Auelmen@law.fordham.edu
(The Executive Committee of the Conference on Catholic Legal Thought)
