Killeen Chair of Theology & Philosophy

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.

Fall 2026 Killeen Chair Lecture

Thursday, November 12, 2026, 7:00 p.m.

Has the Catholic Church Rejected War? How to Answer Papal Calls for Peace

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.

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More on Daniel Philpott, Ph.D.

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.

Spring 2027 Killeen Chair Lecture

Thursday, February 25, 2027, 7:00 p.m.

Representative Democracy

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. Dimitri Landa is Professor of Politics at New York University. He received his PhD from the University of Minnesota in 2002. In addition to his appointment at NYU, he has held visiting research appointments at Princeton University and Oxford University and was a National Fellow at Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He has published widely in leading journals in political science, economics, and philosophy. His recent work includes a book Representative Democracy: a Justification (Oxford University Press, 2025). He is currently at work on a book manuscript on the political economy of federalism in the United States.

Registration will open  January 4, 2027.

Upcoming Killeen Chair Events

  • Lunch & Learn - Religious Freedom in Islam: A Conversation with Dr. Daniel Philpott

    Nov 12

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  • Killeen Chair of Theology & Philosophy Lecture: "Has the Catholic Church Rejected War? How to Answer Papal Calls for Peace"

    Nov 12

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  • Killeen Chair of Theology & Philosophy Lecture by Dr. Dimitri Landa

    Feb 25

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  • Killeen Chair of Theology & Philosophy Lecture by Megan Sullivan

    Nov 17

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