A Blog on McConnell Center Life

Aaron Vance By Aaron Vance , Class of 2017 Following my final lecture and seminar over Democracy in America at the McConnell Center ,  I was compelled to consider the application of Tocquevillian theory in the 21st century. As Tocqueville considered democracy of the 19th century in America, it’s of interest to correctly apply his observations to modern-day issues. To argue that we have transcended the principles of 19th century democracy must be considered carefully as we condemn the functions, or lack thereof, in the world in which we live now.  To say that the world of Tocqueville is different than that of the one in which we live now is correct, but the application of those ideals as a litmus test to success is where we become flawed in our understanding. To truly understand Tocqueville is to know the purpose of the writing as a tool of propaganda to bring an effective democracy to France, as Dr. James Schleifer mentioned in our opening seminar on Tocquev...

Aaron Vance By Aaron Vance , Class of 2017 After reading Fahrenheit 451 this past semester, and rekindling an old flame with the works of Ray Bradbury, was I able to truly understand more in-depth the encouragement of disciplining ourselves against our appetites as Plato writes in his Republic . Having read that the semester prior to this one, I now understand more the implications of the actions that our appetite compels us to seek to do in contradiction to that of our logic and emotions.  In Fahrenheit 451 , a dystopian society has formed on the grounds of equality. Firemen exist in the book in the endeavor to destroy all books by burning so that ideas would be not only censored, but also eradicated so as to contain duress and ideological difference. The burning of books forms a homogeneous society that is seemingly devoid of ideological volition and caught in the prescribed school of thought that the government has outlined to keep ideas from conflicting and the ha...

Connor Tracy By  Connor Tracy , Class of 2016 Who am I? There comes a time in every person’s life when they face this daunting question. Whether it occurs while looking in the mirror after a long day at a dead-end job, or while facing your reflection after being elected as the president of the United States, it is the one question that no matter what a person does, he still must ask himself. A lot of times, in order to answer this question, people find themselves listing their titles, such as president of this organization, manager, Christian, son, brother, and so on. But are they really?  Although each person has either been given or has acquired his/her own public and private labels, this does not mean that they are actually carrying out the duties and obligations to fulfill each role. It is easy to fall into the trap of believing that you have achieved your goal when you obtain your title. On the contrary, that is only the beginning. In order to truly be someth...

Natalie Smith By Natalie Smith , Class of 2016 In Dr. John Wood ’s thought-provoking seminar on Flannery O’Connor and her short story, The River, McConnell Scholars discussed how the human creature is, by nature, maladjusted to the animal world. As a Christian writer, O’Connor believed that humans are meant to be eccentric, and she was not afraid of going against the grain of culture if it meant going with the grain of the universe.  Shortly after the seminar, I came across a letter written by Flannery O’Connor in response to a college student who had written her for advice because he felt he had lost his faith in God. In the letter, O’Connor encourages the student, reassuring him that is feelings are far from atypical. This unbelief of his, she claims, is in fact foundational in any Christian’s experience in the 20th century. With novel information thrown at students in their first year of college, she acknowledges that reconciling new world-views and approaches with ...

Mary Elizabeth Young By Mary Elizabeth Young , Class of 2016 “‘Man is conceived in sin and born in corruption and he passeth from the stink of the didie to the stench of the shroud.  There is always something”’ (286).  From early in the novel, this seems to be Willie Stark’s guiding political principle and in chapter five, it becomes the battle cry for Jack Burden as he sets out on his second job of historical research, the ‘“Case of the Upright Judge’” (286).  Burden decides to start his pursuit by visiting his father, the Scholarly Attorney.  His father refuses to divulge any information, which only leads Burden to deduce that there is indeed something for worth searching.  However, aside from concluding that he is on the right path, Jack Burden gains something else from his visit with his father.  The Attorney has a sort of father-son relationship with an “unfortunate” named George that juxtaposes his relationship with Jack, his own son.  A...

Travis Wilson By Travis Wilson , Class of 2016 This year, fellow McConnell Scholar Connor Tracy and I have had the opportunity to serve as research assistants to Dr. Gary L. Gregg, Director of the McConnell Center. In addition to his work directing the McConnell Center, Dr. Gregg is also a prolific writer whose interests range from historical fiction (see  The Sporran ) to scholarly works on important historical figures. Generally, Dr. Gregg is able to research and reflect on the life of George Washington and is often asked to conduct inquiries on the qualities and experiences that play into the creation of, arguably, the greatest leader the United States has ever seen.   Connor and I were asked to scour documents and biographies for information regarding Washington’s magnanimity, farsightedness, humility, and other important leadership qualities.  This has been a great exercise of our research and organizational skills as we have a large volume of in...

Janna Imel By Janna Imel , Class of 2014 This semester I have been doing a service internship at Hotel Louisville.  Owned and operated by Wayside Christian Mission, Hotel Louisville offers many programs to help families experiencing homelessness.  In fact, four floors of the functioning hotel are used for transitional housing.  In just six weeks, I have helped teach mediation skills to a variety of people (lawyers, administrators, managers, caseworkers, social workers, students, etc.).  Most of my students are employees at Hotel Louisville and interact with tense situations each day.  The course was designed to teach conflict resolution skills for the workplace and daily life. Mediation skills can transform lifestyles, as students learn to effectively dissolve conflict and express feelings and ideas without aggression. Our students gained valuable listening and communication skills, awareness of conflict sources, mediation practice, and skills to serve ...

Katie Cambron By Katie Cambron , Class of 2016 This semester as part of my honors seminar course “How to be a CEO,” I was required to read Good to Great by Jim Collins .  The book is the result of a five-year research project which explored if and how good companies become great companies. What I assumed would be another required class reading that I would never think about after the semester turned out to be a book that I know I will keep on my bookshelf to reference for years to come. One particular chapter discussed the necessity of businesses to possess strong discipline.  I found this section to be one of the more interesting and potentially most applicable to my life as a student and future careers in the business world.  To some degree, I think we all possess an innate yearning to be the best at something, or at least the absolute best that we can be.  As seen with the Good to Great companies, we can’t be the best student or the best busines...

Kevin Grout By Kevin Grout , Class of 2016 This semester, the McConnell Scholars have focused diligently on Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America .  After a year-long survey of American social and political structures, Tocqueville wrote a 1,500-page description of the Jacksonian United States for a French audience. Every time we discuss a section of the work, one question always comes forward: “Is this still relevant? Do we still live in Tocqueville’s America?” After reflection, I believe we still live in the America as seen through the eyes of Alexis de Tocqueville.  Here are five essential American characteristics identifiable – then and now. 1. American Parties, the Press, and Associations From the American Founding, parties, the press, and associations have built upon the freedoms of assembly, speech, and the press. Parties formed to speak up against majorities, and today the two party system is extremely strong, well-funded, and a defining fa...

Victoria Allen By Victoria Allen , Class of 2016 It is a rare occasion that academics and Hollywood movie critics are discussing the same topics, but the film, 12 Years a Slave , has everyone from Ph.D.s to the Oscars buzzing. I am currently in a graduate course on Antebellum America, and the film, along with the memoir it is based on, has been a prominent topic of conversation. While I am not qualified to discuss its cinematic attributes, from a historical perspective, the film is the most accurate representation of slavery available today.  Solomon Northup’s account of his abduction and subsequent auction into slavery is one of the most complete insights into life in the antebellum South. Northup’s story is remarkable by any standard, and he was one of the lucky few to receive vindication after being kidnapped. His story is one that is incredibly important to hear, and its transference to film has allowed Northup’s to reach a new generation and audience.   T...