The day began with Dr. Trepanier’s introduction to the conservative intellectual movement in America, which led into his talk, “Russell Kirk on Liberal and Character Education.” This talk connected Kirk’s conservatism to the broader tradition of the liberal arts. Dr. Streeter then followed with a talk entitled “Conservatism and Community: Civil Society and the Value of Moral Habits,” bringing the insights of modern social science into a compelling case for the importance of intermediary institutions—families, schools, churches, and voluntary associations—in fostering human flourishing.

You can find more photos and responses from the The Mackinac Center interns on our highlights page.

This July, the Russell Kirk Center’s new School of Conservative Studies hosted its first in-person seminar, “The American Political Novel,” welcoming a select group of scholars and professionals to Mecosta. This program highlighted the intersection of politics, literature, and the moral imagination.

Dr. David Hein, the Center’s Distinguished Teaching Fellow and author of Teaching the Virtues, guided the discussions, delivered lectures, and incorporated writing prompts on which participants received thoughtful feedback.

The seminar centered on a careful study of Robert Penn Warren’s All the King’s Men, which literary critic Sanford Pinsker called “the best serious novel about politics ever written in America.” Participants examined the themes of virtue and vice, power and corruption, the difficult balance between ends and means, and the enduring reality of human imperfectability—proof of why All the King’s Men remains as relevant today as when it was first published.

As Russell Kirk reminded us, “Real literature is something much better than a harmless instrument for getting through idle hours. The purpose of great literature is to help us to develop into full human beings.” This inaugural seminar of the School of Conservative Studies embodied that conviction—inviting participants not only to read a great work, but to wrestle with its moral truths and deepen their understanding of the human condition.

You can find more photos and responses from the seminar on our highlights page.

As always, we thank you for supporting our work with your giving, prayers, and goodwill. We hope to see you online or in person soon for one of our seminars or master classes.

Yours in the permanent things,

Jeffrey O. Nelson, Ph.D.
Executive Director & CEO