In this Legal Humanities Fellowship, we will consider perhaps the most important amendment to the US constitution: the 1st. Our aim in considering this amendment will be twofold. We’ll aim to understand the implicit philosophy of the human person that undergirds the 1st Amendment. What does its high evaluation of religion, speech, mean about the human person? Secondly, we will try to understand the legal implications of these amendments especially as legal practitioners and citizens.
This program welcomes a small group of student fellows to participate in six seminar-style discussion sessions. The discussions will be facilitated by academics and professionals in law, history, and philosophy. The seminars seek to cultivate reflection on the relationship between law and the good life, exploring questions like: How can law—its substance and practice—help us to become more fully human?
Alumni of the Fellowship are eligible to participate again in the Spring semester, as all of the readings and speakers will be new. To learn about past semesters' speakers, readings, and topics, visit https://www.collegiuminstitute.org/legal-humanities.
The meetings will take place in the Benjamin Franklin Room 218 on the following Mondays, 12:00pm–1:15pm:
January 23 - Introduction: Understanding the human person
January 30 - The History of the First Amendment
February 6 - Homo religiousus: Freedom of Religion and the spiritual orientation of the human
February 13 - Homo Locans: Freedom of speech and the communicative nature of the person
February 20 - Homo Politicus: Freedom of Assembly and Petition and the human as the political animal
February 27 - Retrospective Discussion
Meet our Spring 2023 Legal Humanities Fellows:
Iulia-Elena Cazan is an international student from Romania and senior majoring in Political-Science and minoring in French and Philosophy at Drexel University. She enjoys engaging in philosophical discourse, with a specific interest in exploring the intersection between people's God-given liberties and government sovereignty, the moral underpinnings of the legal system, and the philosophical interpretation of biblical precepts and symbolism.
Iulia-Elena Cazan
Becca Smith is a junior in SAS studying Philosophy with a second major in CIS.
Becca Smith
Paul-Angelo dell’Isola is a J.D. candidate and Franklin Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. His interests lie at the intersection of international law and environmental policy. Born and raised in Paris, Paul-Angelo attended the dual BA program between Columbia University and Sciences Po Paris, where he majored in economics, math, and political science. Before coming to Penn, he worked in environmental economic consulting. Paul-Angelo now serves as associate editor for the University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law and represents the Law School in the Jessup International Law Moot Court as an oralist.
Paul-Angelo dell’Isola
Sydney Sun is a junior studying neuroscience and healthcare management at the University of Pennsylvania. She is interested in how the law intersects with faith and is looking forward to connecting with peers and professionals in the Legal Humanities Fellowship.
Sydney Sun
Brandon Merrill is a current 2L student at Penn Carey Law. Brandon earned a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University and plans to incorporate this background into a career as a patent litigator. Brandon and his wife both hail from the great state of Texas and live in South Philadelphia currently. Brandon will be splitting his time this upcoming summer between law firms in Dallas and Washington, DC. Despite the technical focus in his legal career, as a Christian, Brandon remains deeply interested in questions surrounding personhood, the protections afforded under the Constitution, and how to conceive of rights under both American law and natural law traditions.
Brandon Merrill