Lee University’s political science department will host guest lecturer Dr. Vincent Muñoz for its fifth annual symposium on politics and philosophy. The two-day symposium will begin Friday at 12 p.m. and end the following day at 3:30 p.m.
The symposium discussion sessions and keynote lecture will be held in person in the School of Nursing Building on Lee’s campus. Attendees will be required to pass the campus health check, maintain proper physical distancing, and wear masks during the symposium events.
Dr. Muñoz will present the keynote lecture Friday evening at 5:30 p.m. on “Faith, Freedom, and the Foundations of State Power.”
“We are very excited to be able to host the symposium this year,” said Audrey Haley, Lee alum and co-founder of the symposium series. “Dr. Muñoz is one of the nation’s top scholars on constitutional law and religious liberty. Given events from this year, Dr. Muñoz’s talk will be particularly timely as we explore the proper use of state power in times of crisis.”
According to Ms. Haley, it is crucial to provide an opportunity for Lee students and the community to reflect on these core issues of civil and religious liberty and engage in open discourse. “We look forward to a fruitful discussion.”
The symposium usually maintains an intercollegiate aspect, bringing in students and faculty from other universities in the region to participate. This year, however, in order to take precautions against the spread of COVID-19, only Lee University students, faculty, and guests will participate.
Dr. Muñoz currently serves as a Tocqueville associate professor of political science and concurrent associate professor of law at the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of various books and articles and teaches across the fields of constitutional law, American politics, and political philosophy with a focus on religious liberty and the American founding. He has spoken at over 70 colleges and universities in the past several years.
Dr. Muñoz has been awarded the National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship to support his current project, a scholarly monograph on the natural right of religious liberty and the original meaning of the First Amendment’s Religion Clauses. He received a Doctor of Philosophy at Claremont Graduate School, a Master of Arts at Boston College, and a Bachelor of Arts at Claremont McKenna College.
The symposium and the keynote lecture are free, but RSVPs are required in advance to ensure safe room capacities are followed. The event will be held in the School of Nursing building and the Friday evening keynote lecture will take place in the SON lecture hall.
For more information about this event or to RSVP, please contact Ms. Haley at ahaley@leeuniversity.edu.