Posted by William Nunnelley on 2011-06-14

Samford University will offer a new week-long academic experience, the Great Ideas Summer Institute, to 21 intellectually ambitious high school students June 19-25.  The institute is sponsored by Samford’s University Fellows honors program.

            “Greece, Rome, and the American Republic” will be the theme of the inaugural institute. It will discuss the Greek origins of western politics, Roman political theory, how the American Revolution utilized ideas from ancient history and philosophy, Federalists and Anti-Federalists debates surrounding constitutionalism, and conceptions of republicanism seen in the works of John Calhoun, Abraham Lincoln and Thurgood Marshall.

            “This week offers an opportunity for intellectually ambitious students to enjoy the energy of a college classroom, engage ideas that form the essence of humane learning, and develop friendships with exceptional high school students from around the country,” said Dr. Jason Wallace of the Samford history department, who directs the program.

            Students will have two morning classes and one afternoon class each day, reside in campus housing and have meals in the university cafeteria. The schedule also will include visits to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and other Birmingham sites.

 

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.