The 2024 James Madison Summer fellows attended a dinner April 22 with their faculty sponsors, the outgoing 2023 fellows, and members of the Center for Freedom and Western Civilization Forums and External Advisory Board. Photo by Andy Daddio.
On April 22, 2024, the Center celebrated the 2024 recipients of the James Madison Summer Fellowship over a lively dinner at the vlog Inn. The selected students and faculty advisers enjoyed the opportunity to learn about each project, and to meet Brian Horey ’82, the generous sponsor of the fellowships. The James Madison Summer Fellows program has expanded and grown more competitive in recent years, and is a cornerstone of the Center’s activities.
Successful recipients devote three months in the summer to intensive research on their chosen topic, meeting weekly with their faculty advisers, and producing a formal 35-page paper that demonstrates their arguments and outcomes. Topics are broad-ranging and students from all disciplines are eligible to apply, with the criterion for submission being that the topic should connect to the study of freedom and Western civilization.
2024 James Madison Summer Research Fellows
Alec Bresler, ’24
“Freedom and Safety of the Press in Reporting on Russia and Dangerous Regimes”
Faculty Sponsor: Jessica Graybill, professor of Russian & Eurasian Studies
Jane Garrity, ’25
“Debates about Economic Policies at the American Founding and Their Relevance Today”
Faculty Sponsor: Fred Chernoff, professor of political science
Michael Jones, ’26
“Great Power Conflict Between China and the US in Africa”
Faculty Sponsor: Dominika Koter, associate professor of political science
Thomas Nemec, ’26
“The Reception of Suetonius and Roman Historians in Eighteenth Century Political Thought”
Faculty Sponsor: Daniel Tober, assistant professor of the Classics
Robert (Jerry) Pfeifer, ’25
“Free Speech and Hate Speech at the European Court of Human Rights”
Faculty Sponsor: Ed Fogarty, associate professor of political science
Ciara Sanders, ’26
“The Politics of Clean Water: Policies, Institutional Structures, and Human Rights”
Faculty Sponsor: Sam Rosenfeld, associate professor of political science
Steven Torre, ’25
“Rhetorical Strategies of US Presidents in State of the Union Addresses”
Faculty Sponsor: Alexander Karn, associate professor of history
Talia Troy, ’25
“Just War Theory and Practice in Eastern Orthodox Christianity”
Faculty Sponsor: Valerie Morkevičius, associate professor of political science
Sarah van Dyke, ’25
“Developments in US National Security Policies in the South China Sea”
Faculty Sponsor: Frances Wang, assistant professor of political science
Alexa Watson, ’26
“The Challenge of AI to the US Judiciary and Legal Profession”
Faculty Sponsor: Hibi Pendleton, senior lecturer in philosophy
George Wilson, ’25
“Secularism in the French Republic”
Faculty Sponsor: Jill Harsin, professor of history
James Madison Summer Fellows pursue faculty-mentored summer research projects focused on themes related to the Western heritage of freedom and civilization, and all first-year, sophomore, junior, and senior students may apply. James Madison Fellows receive a stipend of $6,000 for the summer. More information on the James Madison Summer Fellowships and how to apply is available here.