Samford University Political Science Department chair Lee Trepanier has received a grant from the university’s William E. and Wyodine H. Hull Fund for Christian Scholarship to support development of a new course on the Christian statesperson and politics. “The hope is that students will understand that the necessary skills to manage public affairs requires classical virtues (e.g., prudence, justice, courage, moderation) and Christian principles (e.g., faith, hope, and charity,)” Trepanier wrote in his proposal for the course.

The course will be organized with the theoretical perspectives of Aristotle and the New Testament and then proceed with a series of case studies that examine the writings and lives of subjects including Christine de Pizan, Thomas More, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Roger Williams, Absalom Jones, William Jennings Bryan, Dorothy Day, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Luther King, Jr., Oscar Romero and others. The course will conclude with students designing proposals that envision them in leadership roles in political society while simultaneously being committed to Christian principles and values. Political science majors will be encouraged to pursue their proposals as part of the internship course required for their degree. Trepanier hopes to debut the course in spring 2022.