Fellows Headline Strengthening the Family Symposium
Religion and family are getting a second look in the social science field, and John Jay Fellowship alumni are on the bus.
Recently, more and more "mainstream" authors have published books arguing that human beings flourish best in a healthy network of relationships. From Harvard professor Robert Putnam to London economist John Kay to New York Times writer David Brooks*, respected writers have increasingly embraced ideas that a decade ago would have been ridiculed as "old fashioned." And at a recent academic conference in Provo, Utah, two John Jay Fellows presented their recent research on the family.
David Eastman ’10 gave a talk entitled “Christian Modesty,” a research presentation that won second place for graduate papers. Eastman is a Lincoln Fellow at the Claremont Institute.
Melissa (Beckett) Crimmins ’10’s presentation, “Defining Family,” documented the forgotten importance of religion and family in classical civilization. Crimmins explained, “I took a back-door approach to proving the critical role of religion and family in the political sphere today by opening up classical Athens, showing that people nearly 2500 years ago had something figured out that we've forgotten. We haven't advanced beyond their perspective in this matter; we've simply become convinced by an illusion of self-sufficiency and total independence.”
The symposium was hosted by Students for the Family, and co-sponsored by the Love and Fidelity Network and the Ruth Institute (a project of the National Organization for Marriage). The purpose of the symposium was to grant students and young professionals a platform for academic discussion focused on the institution of the family as well as its morals and values. The keynote speaker for the symposium was Dr. Lloyd Newell, professor of religion and family at Brigham Young University. Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, President of the Ruth Institute and Senior Research Fellow in Economics at the Acton Institute, also moderated one of the sessions.
“There are few academic platforms for the advancement of conservative family values,” Crimmins noted. “I relished the opportunity to make new friends and allies in that effort; it was a sharpening and very encouraging experience.”
*Social science reading on civil society:
- David Brooks, "The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement" (2011)
- John Kay, "Obliquity: Why Our Goals are Best Achieved Indirectly" (2010)
- Robert Putnam, "Better Together: Restoring the American Community" (2003)
