American Historical Association

“War Powers and the Constitution”

Summer Seminar Organized by the Institute for Constitutional Studies
June 12–23, 2006

Application deadline May 12, 2006

The Institute for Constitutional Studies at George Washington University, in cooperation with the American Historical Association, the American Political Science Association, the Association of American Law Schools, and the Organization of American Historians, is organizing its seventh annual summer seminar for college teachers and advanced graduate students. The topic for discussion this year is “War Powers and the Constitution.” Interested participants are invited to send applications by May 12, 2006.

Richard H. Kohn, professor of history and chair of the Curriculum in Peace, War, and Defense at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Martin Lederman, visiting professor at the Georgetown University Law Center, will lead the seminar.

Professor Kohn is a scholar of American military history and civil/military relations. His books include: Eagle and Sword: The Federalists and the Creation of the Military Establishment in America, 1783–1802 and The United States Military under the Constitution of the United States, 1789–1989 (editor). A past president of the Society for Military History and former Chief of Air Force History for the USAF, his current work focuses on civilian control of the military and presidential war leadership in American history.

Professor Lederman teaches constitutional law at Georgetown. From 1994 to 2002 he was an attorney adviser in the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice. He contributes regularly to the weblogs SCOTUSblog and Balkinization, especially on matters relating to war powers, detention, interrogation and torture. He is currently writing about the powers of the commander in chief.

Program Content

War powers are among the most significant and controversial provisions of the American Constitution, and they have shaped the political and military history of the United States. This seminar will explore the war powers in the Constitution: what the framers had in mind when they wrote these provisions into the document; how they have been used, interpreted, and adjudicated through more than two centuries of American history; and their relevance today. The Institute for Constitutional Studies invites applications from graduate students and junior scholars working in these areas.

Seminar leaders will guide discussions to include the participants’ particular interests, share their own research, and organize activities that will take advantage of the unique opportunities in the Washington area for research on these subjects.

The purpose of the seminar is to give graduate students and younger scholars a chance to meet with senior scholars and do two things: (1) discuss issues within the general topic of the seminar and (2) present their early research for comment and refinement. Participants will be required to identify their topics or research interests in advance and provide a short bibliography of materials for seminar members to read. Each regular meeting will concentrate on these research topics. Time outside the scheduled meetings will be reserved for special events and individual consultation with the seminar leaders.

Logistics

The seminar will meet June 12–23, 2006, in Washington, D.C. Thanks to a generous grant, the Institute for Constitutional Studies will be able to reimburse participants for their travel expenses (up to $350), provide shared accommodation in convenient residence halls at the George Washington University (single accommodation can be obtained for a supplement of $35 per night), and offer a modest per diem to cover food and additional expenses. Enrollment will be limited to 15 participants.

Application Process

Applicants for the seminar should send (by e-mail only) a copy of their curriculum vitae, a brief description (three to five pages) of the research project to be pursued during the seminar, and a short statement on how this seminar will be useful to them in their research, teaching, and/or professional development. Materials will be accepted until May 12, 2006, and only by email at icsgw@law.gwu.edu. Successful applicants will be notified soon thereafter.

Further Information

For further information, contact Maeva Marcus at (202) 502-1040 or (202) 994-6562 or by e-mail addressed to icsgw@law.gwu.edu. A PDF version of this announcement (formatted for easy printing and distribution) is available at http://docs.law.gwu.edu/ics/2006%20seminar.pdf.

The Institute for Constitutional Studies is supported, in part, by a “We the People” challenge grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Tax-deductible contribution can be matched by funds from the NEH. For more details, visit the ICS website at http://www.law.gwu.edu/ics.

—Adapted from an ICS announcement

 

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Last Updated: February 26, 2008 10:50 AM