John Paul II Institute 2023 Summer Fellowship: “Gender, Technology, and Culture”

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From May 30 to June 3, the John Paul II Institute hosted its first Summer Fellowship on “Gender, Technology, and Culture.” Twenty undergraduate and graduate students, as well as recent graduates, from across the U.S. and Canada enjoyed this unique opportunity where academics and cultural activities helped them deepen their understanding of these questions that go to the heart of our current cultural and ecclesial experience. 

Closing seminar summer fellowship

During the morning, Institute faculty members taught seminars on topics including “What is Gender?,” “Sexual Revolutions,” and “The Meaning of Fruitfulness.” Through the Institute’s interdisciplinary approach to education, students were able to think about the themes of the Fellowship from perspectives including theology, law, psychology, philosophy, bioethics, etc.  

Students at the National Gallery of Art
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Afternoons and evenings were devoted to cultural activities in the Washington, DC area, to allow encounters with beauty, art, and nature to contribute to the students’ reflections on our themes. In addition to a concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and a hike in Rock Creek Park, the Summer Fellows enjoyed a guided visit to the National Gallery of Art to reflect on the nature of the artistic endeavor and what it reveals about the culture in which it arises. Can we ultimately separate art and culture from ourselves and what we value or consider most important? 

One of the participants highlighted the fruitful relationship
between thought and action: “The fellowship included high academic discussion
and dialogue with professors, and our conversations included an embodiment.
There were trips to the gallery, the symphony… these things weren’t just words,
but living them out in a very creative way.” (Joseph Hempfling)

The topic and dates for the 2024 Summer Fellowship will be announced in the fall semester.

Group of participants