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CAU > Seminars and Study Tours > A Pre-Reunion Seminar: The Pulpit and the Public in America

A Pre-Reunion Seminar: The Pulpit and the Public in America

June 3-6, 2007

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Overview

America has entered an era of intense religiosity, perhaps the broadest wave of religious fervor in our history. We see it in so many ways and in so many places, from presidential pronouncements to church sermons, from Supreme Court cases to school-board battles. Given the strength and breadth of this resurgence of faith, we thought it would be particularly interesting to assess the impact of religion, religious faith, and religious agendas on American life today, in politics, law, and science, in the courts, on college campuses, and in our communities.

Faculty

Leading our deliberations will be CAU favorites Isaac Kramnick, the Richard J. Schwartz Professor of Government, and Hunter Rawlings, professor of classics and Cornell president emeritus. Isaac and Hunter have both given extensive thought to, and lectured and written widely on, issues of religion, science, and politics. Isaac will address both the historical and modern shape of the church-state relationship in American law and politics. Hunter will explore the critical role played by U.S. presidents in articulating American values about religion's place in government, and then turn to a very different subject: the current, sharp debate over the proper relationship between religion, the teaching of science, and the public schools. Isaac and Hunter will also be asking colleagues from several departments to join with us to explore contemporary relationships between the pulpit and the public. Topics we plan to address include the current Supreme Court and church-state relations; race and religion; religion in the modern White House; and religion on campus, from the sharply different attitudes and beliefs of the university's founders (you'll be surprised at how differently Ezra Cornell, Andrew White, and Henry Sage viewed religion's proper place at Cornell) to contemporary perspectives on evangelicalism on campus from faculty, chaplains, and students.

Itinerary

Our pre-Reunion seminar will begin Sunday evening, June 3, with a welcome dinner and introductions. We will meet each morning and afternoon Monday through Wednesday, and conclude with a valedictory dinner Wednesday evening. Daily sessions will include lectures and plenty of time for group discussion.

Program Cost and Travel Arrangements

The program fee of $700 per person includes the full educational program, welcome and closing receptions and dinners, and daily breaks. For those who would like to stay on central campus, we have reserved rooms at the Statler. The Statler rate of $595 per person (the supplement for single occupancy is $360) includes four nights' lodging, breakfast and lunch daily, and parking. We have also reserved rooms at the Best Western University Inn, just off campus. The rate at the Best Western, for four nights' lodging—including continental breakfasts and shuttle service to campus—is $220 per person (the supplement for single occupancy is $220). No special background is needed; just come with your experiences, perceptions, and opinions, and be ready for a lively, stimulating return to campus.