THE SALVATORI CENTER
Founded in 1969, the Henry Salvatori Center for the Study of Individual Freedom in the Modern World is CMC’s oldest research institute and the first of its kind in the world. The Center’s mission is to develop close relationships between students and scholars and to engage in the study of political philosophy and freedom as it relates to American Constitutionalism and the American Founding. It seeks to understand, and, if possible, to hearten the moral, political, and intellectual underpinnings of democracy in America.
Speakers
We routinely co-sponsor guest speakers at the CMC Athenaeum, the most popular and reliable venue on campus, to reach a wide student audience and enhance the intellectual life of the College.
In addition to having a single speaker give a talk, we regularly organize panels that invite speakers to engage in a discussion.
Indeed, we believe that giving students direct access to leading public and scholarly minds enhances the advantages of a small liberal arts college.
Research
We sponsor a wide array of research projects for faculty and students alike. Our faculty advise students on their research while students assist them in return, granting them one-on-one access to our scholars and our institution's resources.
Our Salvatori research fellows are known for spearheading new projects and collaborative events centered around guest speakers, and for conceptualizing workshops, lunch talks, and more.
Student Seminars
Friday lunch seminars offer students a chance to
engage important questions, fostering both intellectual exchange outside the classroom and a sense of community within the College and the Center.
We have also established Saturday salons, which the director and other Salvatori faculty organize in coordination with the Salvatori fellows. Almost always framed as a question or controversy, the seminars reinforce the College’s commitment to open inquiry and civil exchange across differences.
Faculty in the Media
RSVP ClosedWed, Feb 28Marian Miner Cook AthenaeumFeb 28, 2024, 5:30 PM – 8:00 PMMarian Miner Cook Athenaeum, 385 E 8th St, Claremont, CA 91711, USAMatthew Lassiter, professor of history at the University of Michigan will provide an overview of American drug control politics and policy from the 1950s to the 1980s, with particular focus on Southern California.
RSVP ClosedWed, Feb 21Marian Miner Cook AthenaeumFeb 21, 2024, 5:30 PM – 8:00 PMMarian Miner Cook Athenaeum, 385 E 8th St, Claremont, CA 91711, USAJoin leading GOP political consultant Mike Murphy for a moderated conversation with CMC's own John J. Pitney, Jr., the Roy P. Crocker Professor of Politics.
RSVP ClosedTue, Feb 20Marian Miner Cook AthenaeumFeb 20, 2024, 5:30 PM – 8:00 PMMarian Miner Cook Athenaeum, 385 E 8th St, Claremont, CA 91711, USAPulitzer Prize-winning novelist, screenwriter, and essayist Michael Chabon will join Wohlford Professor of American Political Institutions George Thomas for a brief reading followed by a wide-ranging discussion about literature and society.
RSVP ClosedMon, Feb 12Marian Miner Cook AthenaeumFeb 12, 2024, 5:30 PM – 8:00 PMMarian Miner Cook Athenaeum, 385 E 8th St, Claremont, CA 91711, USAJames Oakes, Professor Emeritus of History from the City University of New York visits to discuss Lincoln and the Antislavery Constitution, a central study of his latest book, "The Crooked Path to Abolition."
RSVP ClosedWed, Feb 07Marian Miner Cook AthenaeumFeb 07, 2024, 5:30 PM – 8:00 PMMarian Miner Cook Athenaeum, 385 E 8th St, Claremont, CA 91711, USADoes the First Amendment guarantee us the right to be free from religion in the public square? Does it guarantee religious individuals and institutions the right to be exempt from otherwise valid laws that burden their religious beliefs and practices?
