This summer, four doctoral students affiliated with the Center for Citizenship & Constitutional Government studied language, culture, and political thought abroad in France. First-field constitutional studies students Luke Thompson, Kody Richards, and Zachary Coddington, as well as political science student Matthew Arildsen all received grants from the CCCG to make their summer programs possible.
Thompson, Arildsen, and Richards attended Academia Tocqueville, a twelve-day intensive seminar in Paris examining the French political tradition. Founded in 2023 with the help of Luke Foster, a former CCCG postdoctoral fellow and current assistant professor of government at Hillsdale College, Academia Tocqueville teaches students “to understand the answers French thinkers have offered to the most difficult questions of the modern era.” Outside the classroom, students explore Paris and experience French culture through art, local cuisine, and even wine tasting.
For Thompson, Academia Tocqueville naturally filled a gap in his previous studies in political theory. In the United States, political theory traditionally concentrates on American and English thinkers. Thompson, however, was drawn in by Foster’s vision of an “immersive educational experience that seeks to remedy the unfortunate neglect of parts of the French intellectual tradition in American colleges.”
By the end of the program, Academia Tocqueville exceeded Thompson’s expectations. “The two weeks we spent intensively surveying some of the highlights of French political thought since the Revolution were some of the most formative intellectual experiences of my life,” he commented, “and will surely serve as the basis for future study and conversations back here at Notre Dame.”
Studying the French political tradition offered Richards, whose research concentrates on American constitutionalism, a deeper understanding of its overlap with our own tradition. For her, “one of the most impactful practices was studying French works that have been adopted into the American tradition of political thought, such as Montesquieu and Tocqueville, from the French perspective.”
Richards felt Academia Tocqueville was time well spent: “I walked away from the program with a better grasp, not only of French political thought but also with new questions about how we think about French works in the American tradition.”
Though Arildsen came into the program with a basic understanding of the French political tradition, “Academia Tocqueville rapidly deepened and expanded that understanding.” Looking back on the summer, Arildsen recalled learning a new, uniquely French way of thinking. “The lectures were riveting, in part because they were a fresh—and distinctively French—perspective on familiar political themes, like immigration, religion, class, and republicanism.”
Beyond the classroom, Arildsen reflected on the relationships he formed while abroad. “The peers in the cohort were also engaging, intellectually curious, and from a wide variety of backgrounds. I look forward to crossing paths with them in the future.”
Coddington, who had previously attended Academia Tocqueville in 2024, participated in an intensive French language course through the Institut de Touraine. Founded in 1912, the Institut offers immersive language programs teaching what Coddington described as “the king’s French.” Given his dissertation research comparing constitutional theory between the United States and France, studying the language was a natural choice.
Beyond mastering the language, Coddington reflected on his experience with the local culture. “I have met many friends through the local parish here who have been very kind and helpful as I practice my French. I have also had the opportunity to explore many of the local historical sites and chateaux, as the region is known for some of the best [wine] in France.”
As they return to Notre Dame, Thompson, Arildsen, Richards, and Coddington look forward to drawing on their experience in France as they complete their doctoral studies and dissertations in political theory and constitutional studies.