Law, which is made for the sake of human beings, has an important impact on our moral lives. The law claims authority and demands obedience. Individuals and groups assert rights to protect their interests and dignity. Legal systems are operated by persons carrying out distinctive moral and ethical duties arising from different roles (e.g., judge, prosecutor, defender, counselor). And living within any legal system can shape one’s character in ways that are difficult to define.
This semester, Collegium Institute’s Legal Humanities Fellowship will consider whether (and, if so, how) the law presumes and depends upon, fosters or frustrates, and shapes moral personality--the capacity for free and rational action in pursuit of the good. We will also consider, as an overarching theme, how engaging with the humanities and exercising moral imagination contribute to living a good life within a legal system.
The Legal Humanities Fellowship invites a small group of advanced undergraduate and law student fellows to participate in six seminar-style discussion sessions per semester. 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?
Dates: Mondays, 12:00 - 1:15 pm. Lunch will be provided for all participants.
September 8: The Priority of Persons with Brian Mogck, Ph.D. (Litigation Partner)
September 15: Developing Character in the Law with Brian Mogck, Ph.D. (Litigation Partner)
September 22: Do Lawyers Have a Professional Duty to (Sometimes) Do What is Wrong?
September 29: The Virtues of an Advocate with Jennifer Arbittier Williams (Lecturer, Penn Carey Law, and former United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania)
October 6: Integrity and the Persistence of Moral Personality with Loren Goldman, Ph.D. (Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Pennsylvania)
October 27: Does the Law Have a Moral Foundation? Special Event with Hon. Paul B. Matey (United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit)
This semester of Legal Humanities will be primarily facilitated by Brian Mogck, Ph.D. Partner at a litigation firm in New York City, Dr. Mogck received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from Emory University and his J.D. from Columbia University School of Law. He will be joined by Penn faculty in discussion with our student fellows.
Location: Houston Hall, University of Pennsylvania
To apply for the Fall 2025 Legal Humanities Fellowship, complete the brief application below.
Priority application deadline: Thursday, August 28
Application deadline: Thursday, September 4
Please direct any questions to Quinn Moore (qmoore@collegiuminstitute.org).