Each semester, the college invites scholars, poets, priests, philosophers, artists, musicians, and cultural leaders to join the conversation that animates our collegiate culture. These visits usually take the form of Oxford-style Formal Hall dinners, where the guest shares a meal with faculty and staff and delivers a lecture, complemented by questions and answers, further conversation, and much-anticipated desserts.
The following list offers a selection of the speakers, seminars, and their topics:
Lecture/Seminar
Speaker
Affiliation
Poetry: Dynamite for the Imagination
Anthony Esolen
Professor and Writer-in-Residence, Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts
The Catholic Intellectual Tradition: Illustrated and Updated
Rev. John Piderit, S.J.
President of the Catholic Education Institute
What is Catholic Political Philosophy?
Mark Shiffman
Associate Professor in the Department of Humanities, Villanova University
Catholic Conversion and the Classics: The Spiritual Aeneid of Ronald Knox (1888-1957)
Matthew McGowan
Associate Professor of Classics, Fordham University
The Art of the Dramatic Monologue
Anthony Esolen
Professor and Writer-in-Residence, Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts
Dante, the Seeker of Liberty
Anthony Esolen
Professor and Writer-in-Residence, Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts
Does Dante’s Paradise Exist?
Robert Royal
Founder and President of the Faith and Reason Institute, Editor-in-Chief of The Catholic Thing
Saving Virgil: Dante and the Unity of the West
James Matthew Wilson
Professor of Humanities and Director of the MFA Program in Creative Writing, University of St. Thomas
Finding the Good in our Liquid Narcissistic World
Angela Franks
Professor of Theology, St. John’s Seminary in Boston
Henri de Lubac and the Christian Mystery of Nature and Grace
Nicholas Healy
Associate Professor of Philosophy and Culture, Pontifical John Paul II Institute
Hamlet’s Virgilian Lot and the Suffering Hero
Angela Marks
Associate Professor of English and Speech, St. John’s University
The Boethius Option
Anthony Esolen
Professor and Writer-in-Residence, Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts
Magdalen College is proud to announce that Dr. Barbara Nicolosi Harrington, ‘94, has co-written the screenplay for Fátima, a film to be released nationwide on 1000 screens. The film features Harvey Keitel and Sonia Braga as part of an international cast. The college will be scheduling a screening of the film for the fall of...
Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts Friday Night Lecture Series February 7, 7:30p.m. “The Boethius Option” Dr. Anthony Esolen Professor and Writer-in-Residence at Magdalen College On February 7, Anthony Esolen will present a lecture as part of the college’s Friday Night Lecture Series. The lecture will take place at 7:30pm at Magdalen College in the...
Dr. Bainard Cowan, professor of literature and Cowan Chair in Humanities at the University of Dallas, presented this academic year’s inaugural Friday Night Lecture, “The Curse and the Gift of Tragedy,” on Friday, September 13. In his presentation, Dr. Cowan discussed the core elements of tragedy, drawing on Aristotle’s discussion in The Poetics, and then...
On Friday, February 8, the college hosted Fr. Brian Dunkle, S.J., as part of its Friday Night Lecture series. Fr. Dunkle, who is the Assistant Professor of Historical Theology in the School of Ministry and Theology at Boston College, lectured on “The Eyes of Faith in Early Christian Literature.” Drawing on the writings of the Church Fathers,...
Friday, November 9, 2018 7:30p.m., St. Francis de Sales Midge Goldberg 2016 Howard Nemerov Award 2016 Readers Choice Award for Outstanding Book of Poetry in NH 2015 Richard Wilbur Poetry Award “The Poem Knows: Writing in Form and Meter” Join us in welcoming poet Midge Goldberg as our upcoming Friday Night Lecture guest. Midge Goldberg...
Friday, October 19, 2018, 8:00p.m., St. Francis de Sales Prof. Daniel Gallagher Associate Professor of the Practice in Latin at Cornell University Presents “What Do the Wise Know & How do They Know It?: Wisdom Among the Speculative Virtues in Aquinas” Join us in welcoming Professor Daniel B. Gallagher as our upcoming Friday Night Lecture...
Session I
June 18 – July 1, 2023
Registration is now open.
Students will have the opportunity to take one of the following courses for college credit. Taught in Socratic-style seminar discussions, each course enables students to explore a particular interest and consider whether they might like to pursue that academic discipline as a potential college major. Students will spend 3.5-4 hours in class each day, have some assigned homework, and spend the remaining time in prayer, liturgy, sacred music, relaxation with new friends, and a wide range of extra-curricular activities.
Courses:
Physics: Understanding Boomerangs, Billiard Balls, and Balance Beam Routines (1 credit) – Mr. John Klucinec
This course explores the laws of motion as described by Galileo and Newton by reading and discussing these authors and through classroom experiments. Students will gain an understanding of physics in concrete phenomena through studying air flight, fluid dynamics, the aerodynamics of the boomerang, the motion of billiard balls, and the physics of gymnastics and diving.
Moral Philosophy: How Do We Make the Right Decisions? (1 credit) – Rev. Fr. Stephen Rocker
Natural law morality and utilitarianism are incompatible frameworks of moral reasoning, yet elements of both are mixed in the public mind. Catholic moral teaching and the Western system of law are grounded in natural law. This course will present these two moral frameworks and apply them to moral issues.
Poetry and Politics in the Western Tradition (1 credit) – Dr. Mary Mumbach
This course will examine poetic form and political form in the tradition of the West. Students will explore, in particular, how the Incarnation shapes the roles of imagination, prudence, and the heroic in literature and political philosophy. Readings in poetry, fiction, and American Founding documents will be considered.
Tuition:
$395.00 USD Tuition includes room and board. The purchase of a book may be required for some classes. Students should bring spending money for off-campus trips.
Session II
July 9 – 22, 2023
Registration is now open.
Students will have the opportunity to take one of the following courses for college credit. Taught in Socratic-style seminar discussions, each course enables students to explore a particular interest and consider whether they might like to pursue that academic discipline as a potential college major. Students will spend 3.5-4 hours in class each day, have some assigned homework, and spend the remaining time in prayer, liturgy, sacred music, relaxation with new friends, and a wide range of extra-curricular activities.
Courses:
Theology of the Body: The Deeper Meaning of Love, Sex, and Marriage (1 credit) – Dr. Ryan Messmore
When it comes to romantic relationships and marriage, today’s culture is awash in confusion. The Church calls people to see a deeper meaning to sexual desire and marriage. But what is that, and how can it be pursued in modern times? Saint Pope John Paul II has provided valuable teaching in this area. Along with his “Theology of the Body,” this course will explore the nature of love, the meaning of betrothal and marriage, and sexual ethics from a Christian perspective. Class discussions will be theological and philosophical as well as practical.
Philosophy & Humanities: Friendship in Western Culture (1 credit) – Dr. Brian FitzGerald and Dr. Erik Van Versendaal One of the most important features of human experience is friendship. Drawing on the great books of Western culture in literature, history, philosophy, and theology, from Aristotle and St. Augustine to Jane Austen and C.S. Lewis, this course will reflect on the nature of friendship across the centuries. Why do we need friends? What makes a good one? What are some obstacles to friendship? What happens as friends grow and mature in different ways?
Christ in Scripture (1 credit) – Deacon Karl Cooper
“Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” In this course we will seek to meet and understand Christ as he presents himself in all the Scriptures. We will read, discuss, enjoy, and pray through the most crucial texts, and focus our work on the living and present Christ.
Tuition:
$395.00 USD Tuition includes room and board. The purchase of a book may be required for some classes. Students should bring spending money for off-campus trips.
Collegiate Summer Programs Registration
Omega Session: College-Level Intensives for Credit
July 10 – 23, 2022
This session is now full.
Students will have the opportunity to earn one college credit by taking one of the following courses offered at Magdalen College. Taught in Socratic-style seminar discussions, each course enables students to explore a particular interest and discover if it could lead to a college major or area of focus. Students will spend 3.5-4 hours in class each day, have some assigned homework, and spend the remaining time in prayer liturgy, and sacred music, relaxation with new friends, and a wide range of extra-curricular activities.
Courses:
Myth in Philosophy: Seeking Wisdom through Poetry and Story (1 credit) – Dr. Erik van Versendaal
What is the relationship between poetry and philosophy? Why does speaking about ultimate things lead philosophers into the realms of poem and story? This course considers philosophical works that are undertaken in a poetic mode alongside poems that express philosophic truth.
Physics: Understanding Boomerangs, Billiard Balls, and Balance Beam Routines (1 credit) – Mr. John Klucinec
This course explores the laws of motion as described by Galileo and Newton, by reading and discussing these authors and through classroom experiments. Students will gain an understanding of physics in concrete phenomena: through the aerodynamics of the boomerang, the motion of billiard balls, fluid dynamics, air flight and the physics of gymnastics and diving.
Theology of the Body: The Deeper Meaning of Love, Sex, and Marriage (1 credit) – Dr. Ryan Messmore
When it comes to romantic relationships and marriage, today’s culture is awash in confusion. The Church calls people to see a deeper meaning to sexual desire and marriage. But what is that, and how can it be pursued in modern times?
Tuition:
$325.00 USD
Alpha Session: Engage a Variety of Liberal Arts Fields
June 19 – July 2, 2022
This session is now full.
Students will experience the joy of learning in a variety of liberal arts fields, including courses in literature, philosophy, theology, and politics. Taught primarily in Socratic-style seminar discussions, these courses allow students to read classic texts and wrestle with big questions across a range of disciplines. Students will spend 3.5-4 hours in class each day, have some assigned homework, and spend the remaining time in prayer, liturgy, and sacred music, relaxation with new friends, and a wide range of extra-curricular activities.
