The Killeen Chair of Theology & Philosophy is a resource that underscores the importance of theology and philosophy in a Catholic liberal arts education and highlights the commitment of St. Norbert College to provide an education that is personally, intellectually, and spiritually challenging.
Thursday, November 12, 2026, 7:00 p.m.
Daniel Philpott, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science, University of Notre Dame
7:00 p.m. Ft. Howard Theater, F. K. Bemis International Center, St. Norbert College
Pope Leo XIV's and Pope Francis's statements against war are only the latest in a series of vociferous condemnations of war dating back to Pope Benedict XV at the time of World War One. Has the magisterium rejected the Church's traditional just war ethic? Daniel Philpott argues that we can answer the popes' summonses by expanding the Church's traditional notion of justice and thus the meaning of a just peace. In practice this means taking up and developing new practices of non-violence, peacebuilding, and reconciliation that have arisen around the globe in recent years. Among others, U.S. policymakers can profit from these practices in light of its fraught efforts to end wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places.
Dr. Philpott is Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame. He earned his Ph.D. from Harvard University and specializes in religion and global politics, focusing on religious freedom, reconciliation, the political behavior of religious actors, and Christian political theology. His books include Just and Unjust Peace: An Ethic of Political Reconciliation (Oxford, 2012), Religious Freedom in Islam: The Fate of a Universal Human Right in the Muslim World (Oxford, 2019), and several others. He is currently writing a book that sets forth a political theology based on a Christian concept of justice. Dr. Philpott is a Lay Dominican.
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Thursday, February 25, 2027, 7:00 p.m.
Dimitri Landa, Ph.D., Professor of Politics, New York University
7:00 p.m. Ft. Howard Theater, F. K. Bemis International Center, St. Norbert College
Dr. Landa's research focuses on issues related to democratic theory, political economy, American politics, philosophy, and Law. Ongoing research projects include the political economy of federalism, accountability in representative institutions, deliberation and debate, and social identity and discrimination. His work includes the book Representative Democracy: a Justification (Oxford University Press, 2025).
Registration will open in early January 2027.
Nov 12
Nov 12
