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Summer Research Fellows

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The Kraynak Institute for the Study of Freedom and Western Traditions will sponsor up to 13 students for Summer Fellowships to pursue faculty-mentored summer research projects focused on themes related to the Institutes priorities (see the Institutes website). We offer two sorts of fellowships. 

James Madison Fellowships

Applications open: Closed for 2026. Applications open in February 2027.
Application deadline: April 2027

The James Madison Summer Fellowships are for students pursuing projects on or off campus under the guidance of 窪蹋勛圖 professors. Fellows receive a $6,000 stipend for the summer; current first-year, sophomore, junior, and senior students may apply. 

How to Apply

Application materials for the James Madison fellowships should include: 

  1. A cover letter, 350 words: Explaining the research question, its significance, and the method of inquiry
  2. An unofficial transcript
  3. Brief one-paragraph email from a sponsoring faculty member confirming their sponsorship. This email should be sent to the Kraynak Institute directors. (Faculty sponsors of institute fellowships receive a $1,500 honorarium.) 

International Security and Intelligence Program (ISI)

Emmanuel College, Cambridge University
We will also sponsor up to two students who have applied directly to the summer program and who are accepted. Students sponsored by the Kraynak Institute to attend receive full program fees and airfare. This program is best suited to current juniors and seniors. To be considered for sponsorship, students must present official acceptance into the ISI program.

Questions and submissions should be sent to Robert Kraynak at rkraynak@colgate.edu, Carolyn C. Guile at cguile@colgate.edu, and David Dudrick at ddudrick@colgate.edu.

2026 Summer Fellows and Faculty Sponsors

James Madison Fellows

Boen Beavers 26

How the Development of State Cybersecurity Apparatuses in Member States of the European Union Has Been Shaped by Broader Trends of Securitization Within State-building

Faculty Sponsor: Juan Fernando Ibarra Del Cueto, assistant professor of political science

Ella Benitez 28

The Dangers of Dissidence: Comparative Case Studies of Political Repression in Russia

Masha Hedberg, assistant professor of political science

Tyler Couture 27

Historical Revisionism: Two Tales of Teutoburg

Irina Kogan, assistant professor of German

Jeremy Cunliffe Saballos 27

Alternative Facts: The Rhetoric of Science-Skepticism and the Clash Between Free Speech, Reason, and Proper Governance

Fred Chernoff, Harvey Picker Professor of International Relations

Claire Escher 28

Dreams, Deception, and the Politics of Truth in Vergils Aeneid

Geoffrey Benson, associate professor of the Classics; Chair, department of the Classics

Jack Gross 27

The July 8, 1779, British Raid on Fairfield and Norwalk, Connecticut

Graham Hodges, George Dorland Langdon, Jr. Professor of History

Emma Lepkowicz 28

Why are the Picker Gallerys Late-antique Egyptian Relief Sculptures Beginning to Deteriorate and What Can Be Done to Prevent Further Damage?

Elizabeth Marlowe, professor of art; director, museum studies program

Xianyu (Rebecca) Li 28

17th-Century Chinese Reinterpretations of the Jesuit Engravings Series, Evangelicae Historiae Imagines (1593)

Carolyn Guile, associate professor of art; co-director, Kraynak Institute for the Study of Freedom and Western Traditions

Luke Lostumbo 28

Efficiency and The Panopticon: Living Well in a Culture of Death

David Dudrick, George Carleton Jr. Professor of Philosophy; co-director, Kraynak Institute for the Study of Freedom and Western Traditions

Amy Meng 26

Study of the impacts of socio-political ideology informing psychiatric and psychological services on patients' well-being

Rebecca Shiner, Charles A. Dana Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences; chair, department of psychological and brain sciences

Bennett Rowe 26

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in the Period 1920-1932 Asking the Question, How did Americans Mourn in the Wake of Unimaginable Tragedy?'"

Carolyn Guile, associate professor of art; co-director, Kraynak Institute for the Study of Freedom and Western Traditions

Hannah Zubatyy 28

A Thomist Critique of Sartre's Moral Relativism

David Dudrick, George Carleton Jr. Professor of Philosophy; co-director, Kraynak Institute for the Study of Freedom and Western Traditions

International Security & Intelligence (ISI) Summer Program Recipients 

Abby Call 26
Lauren Levin 26
Gillian Lustenberger 27

2025 Summer Fellows and Faculty Sponsors

CFWC 2025 Fellows dinner group shot
2025 Summer Fellows Presentations and Luncheon

The 2025 Summer Fellows presented their research during a luncheon with their faculty sponsors and members of the External Advisory Board Nov. 1 at the 窪蹋勛圖 Inn during Family Weekend.

James Madison Fellows

Jeremiah Bauer 26     

Russia's Patronage of Global Authoritarianism
Faculty Sponsor: Jessica Graybill, professor of Russian & Eurasian Studies

James Conrad 25

The Education of Alexander the Great
Faculty Sponsor: Daniel Tober, assistant professor of the Classics

Alexander Di Napoli 26 

Deterrence and Diplomacy: South Koreas Response to a Nuclear North and a Divided Indo-Pacific
Valerie Morkeviius, associate professor of political science

Benjamin Haber  25

Assessing the Military-Industrial Complex: Do Defense Contracts in Wartime Serve National Security or Business Interests?
Faculty Sponsor: Ed Fogarty, associate professor of political science

Emma Hanlon  27

Rhetoric and Power: Exploring the Expansion of Executive Authority in the Bush and Trump Administrations
Faculty Sponsor: Annie Benn, assistant professor of political science

MG King 27

The Role of Umbrae (ghosts/shades) in Lucans Poem on Civil War, Pharsalia
Faculty Sponsor: Geoffrey Benson, associate professor of the Classics

Jordan Maxham 26 

Media Ecosystems and the Asymmetric Rise of the Populist Right in Europe
Faculty Sponsor: Dominika Koter, associate professor of political science

Amy Meng  26 

A Comparative Study of Reformed, Pentecostal, and Catholic Theologies
Faculty Sponsor: David Dudrick, George Carleton Jr. Professor of Philosophy

Olivia Pascione  26

Freedom vs. Security: Reconciling Civil Liberties and Nuclear Strategies
Faculty Sponsor: Fred Chernoff, Harvey Picker Chair of International Relations

London Pettibone  27

Affective Polarization, Partisanship, and Democracy: The Rising Threat of Lone-Wolf Terrorism
Faculty Sponsor: Danielle Lupton, associate professor of political science

Peyton Taylor  27

Reviving Trust in American Journalism through the Proper Use of Polling
Faculty Sponsor: Matt Luttig, associate professor of political science

Callen Tortolani  26

Environmentalism in the US and Australia: The Role of Constitutional Foundations, Free Enterprise, and Individual Freedom in Shaping and Implementing Environmental Policies
Faculty Sponsor: Priscilla Van Wynsberghe, associate professor of biology

Alice Walton 26

Economic Freedom and Labor Dynamics in Great Britain's Industrial Revolution
Faculty Sponsor: Chad Sparber, W. Bradford Wiley Chair in International Economics

 

International Security & Intelligence (ISI) Summer Program Recipients 

Sawyer Brown 25
William Keiser 27
 
2025 Summer Fellows Dinner

The Center for Freedom and Western Civilization hosted a dinner for the 2025 Summer Fellows, their sponsors, and members of the External Advisory Board May 6 at the 窪蹋勛圖 Inn.


 

Past Fellows

2024 James Madison Fellows

2024 JM Summer Fellows Dinner group photo
Alec Bresler, 24

Freedom and Safety of the Press in Reporting on Russia and Dangerous Regimes
Faculty Sponsor: Jessica Graybill, professor of Russian & Eurasian Studies

Jane Garrity, 25

Debates about Economic Policies at the American Founding and Their Relevance Today
Faculty Sponsor: Fred Chernoff, professor of political science

Michael Jones, 26

Great Power Conflict Between China and the US in Africa
Faculty Sponsor:  Dominika Koter, associate professor of political science

Thomas Nemec, 26 

The Reception of Suetonius and Roman Historians in Eighteenth Century Political Thought
Faculty Sponsor: Daniel Tober, assistant professor of the Classics

Robert (Jerry) Pfeifer, 25        

Free Speech and Hate Speech at the European Court of Human Rights    
Faculty Sponsor: Ed Fogarty, associate professor of political science

Ciara Sanders, 26

The Politics of Clean Water:  Policies, Institutional Structures, and Human Rights           
Faculty Sponsor: Sam Rosenfeld, associate professor of political science

Steven Torre, 25 

Rhetorical Strategies of US Presidents in State of the Union Addresses    
Faculty Sponsor: Alexander Karn, associate professor of history

Talia Troy, 25  

Faculty Sponsor: Just War Theory and Practice in Eastern Orthodox Christianity  
Valerie Morkeviius, associate professor of political science

Sarah van Dyke, 25  

Developments in US National Security Policies in the South China Sea     
Faculty Sponsor: Frances Wang, assistant professor of political science

Alexa Watson, 26       

The Challenge of AI to the US Judiciary and Legal Profession
Faculty Sponsor: Hibi Pendleton, senior lecturer in philosophy

George Wilson, 25

Secularism in the French Republic  
Faculty Sponsor: Jill Harsin, professor of history

James Madison Fellows

Jamie Anderson 24

Julius Caesar and the Western Military Tradition
Faculty Sponsor: Daniel Tober, assistant professor of the Classics

Andrew Audas 25

Intellectual Property Rights in the Global Economy
Faculty Sponsor: Ed Fogarty, associate professor of political science

Matt Calenzo 24

The Moral and Political Philosophy of Cicero
Faculty Sponsor: Robert Kraynak, professor of political science

Michael Hanratty 24

The Development of the Supreme Courts Power of Judicial Review
Faculty Sponsor: Stanley Brubaker, professor of political science

Mostafa Mohamed 23

Metaphysical Realism in Medieval Philosophy: A Comparison of Western and Islamic Traditions
Faculty Sponsor: Joseph Stenberg, assistant professor of philosophy

Fabrizio Montisci 24

U.S. Foreign Policy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa: The Challenge of Authoritarian Actors for Democracy
Faculty Sponsor: Dominika Koter, associate professor of political science

Kevin Nguyen 24

The Ethics of Human Desire: A Study of Levinas, Gerard, and Lacan
Faculty Sponsor: David Dudrick, George Carleton Jr. Professor of philosophy

Claire Prall-Freedman 23

The Spatial Imprint of Fascism in Vichy France
Faculty Sponsor: Carolyn Guile, associate professor of art and art history

Louis Rosuck 24

The Life of Virtue in Maimonides and Aristotle
Faculty Sponsor: Benjamin Stahlberg, senior lecturer in religion

Andy Weinstein 24

Technology and State Propaganda in Russia
Faculty Sponsor: Masha Hedberg, assistant professor of political science

Margo Williams 23

Content Moderation by Big Tech: Internet Policy Formation in the United States
Faculty Sponsor: Valerie Morkeviius, associate professor of political science

James Madison Fellows

Joel Alfaro MAT

US Military Intervention in Latin America: A Reflection of American Ideals?

Changwen Fang 25

Eros and Philosophy: A Comparison of Plato, Freud, & Marcuse

Jordan Hurt 24

Analyzing Cultural Heritage Policy through the Example of Ukraine

Eli Gould 23

Polarization and Democratic Consensus in America

Dean Kardas 24

The Origins of Christianity: A Historiographical and Philosophical Investigation of the Resurrection Narratives of the Gospels

Ridley Lindstrom 24

Democracy Building in Nigeria

Ilyas Talwar 24

The Visigoths and the End of the Western Roman Empire

Tate Wright 23

Ancient Roman Poetry: Bucolic Love Themes

James Madison Fellows

Blythe Berk 23

The Saudi Path to Modernization

Carson Durdel 22

Cicero and the Fall of the Roman Republic

Jackson Gillum 21

Just War Theory and Practice

Madeline Graham 22

Architectural Patronage and Civic Virtue in Renaissance Florence

Jillian Holliday 23

The Transformation of Religious Freedom

Peter LeRoux 21

How to Define the Presence of Absence: A Study of the Memorialization of 9/11

Kevin Reim 22

Alexander Solzhenitsyn and the Gulag Experience of Good and Evil

Fiona Saunders 22

Academic Freedom in the American University

Matthew Silver 22

Aristotle, Nietzsche, and the Nature of Truth

Ian Swain 22

Translations of Greek & Roman Poetry

Duncan Wieland 22

The Critique of Identity Politics

Jieyi (Jenny) Wu 23

Reception and Sources of Dante's Divine Comedy

James Madison Fellows

Anjali Barrett 22

Immigration and American Citizenship - The Founders View and Beyond

Nicholas Blake 21

Albert Camus' Plague and the Existential and Religious Responses to Natural Disasters and Suffering

Michael Caron 21

Are There Two Edmund Burkes?

Isabelle Dunning 21

Interpreting Thucydides  Peloponnesian Wars: A Critical Assessment of International Relations Scholarship

Yireh (Raina) Jung 23

Architecture and Culture during the Venetian Plagues of 1576 and 1630

Will Nagle 20

Weber and Tocqueville on American Political Culture: The Protestant Ethic and Democratic Morality

Connor Scannell 21

Democratic Development: DeTocqueville v. Acemoglu and Robinson

Samuel Stuttard 20

Gothicists: Ruskin, Pugin, and Gothic Architecture in Upstate NY

Ted Totojani 23

Dostoevsky as a Religious and Political Thinker

Han (Sherlock) Shi 21

The Origin of Historiography: Herodotus and Sima Qian

Ryan Zoellner 20

Survey of Western Christian Just War Theory Compared to Islamic Notions of JWT & Governance

Yang Zhang 21

Political Systems and Pandemic Responses: A Comparative Study