This summer, Christian Maloney '21 and John DiGravio '21 attended the Reagan-Thatcher Lecture Series at the University of Oxford. Their participation was sponsored by the George Edward Durell Scholarship, a special grant from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute.
The Reagan-Thatcher Lecture Series, hosted by the Oxford Study Abroad Programme, is a four week summer course on the Anglo-American tradition of conservative thought. The course consists of lectures, trips, and tutorial meetings.
This week, Christian and John arrived at Oxford and were introduced to their tutors. Christian is studying "The U.S. Presidency: Powers, Limitations, Rivals" under Dr. Mark Almond. Dr. Almond is a former lecturer at Oriel College, Oxford. John is studying "The Philosophy and Writings of Edmund Burke" under Dr. Tudor Jones. Dr. Jones is an Oxford lecturer and former candidate for Parliament.
To aid their tutorial research, Christian and John were inducted into the Bodleian, the main library of Oxford and one of the oldest libraries in Europe. The Bodleian retains rights to all books and printed items published in Britain. As a part of the induction, Christian and John were required to swear an English translation of the Latin reader's oath, an ancient Oxford tradition:
I hereby undertake not to remove from the Library, nor to mark, deface, or injure in any way, any volume, document or other object belonging to it or in its custody; not to bring into the Library, or kindle therein, any fire or flame, and not to smoke in the Library; and I promise to obey all rules of the Library.
In addition to tutorial and research preparation, Christian and John attended the following lectures
"The American Founding: Intellectual and Moral Roots of Modern American Conservatism"
"The Modern American Conservative Movement"
"American Progressivism and the Beginnings of American Conservatism"
"'Trumpism' and Conservatism"
"The Political Thought of Winston Churchill"
Beyond the classroom, Christian and John enjoyed a walking tour of Oxford, a day trip to London, and an afternoon in Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. In Stratford, Christian and John viewed a performance of Measure for Measure at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.
Christian and John are deeply grateful for the support of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute and the George Edward Durell Scholarship. They look forward to sharing more updates from their studies abroad in the coming weeks.
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