The Constitution: Great Books and Self Government

The University of North Texas will host a Constitution Day event featuring a podcast-style conversation between JMC Scholar Shilo Brooks and Rafael Major on September 17.

What type of education is necessary in a country that prides itself in self-government? The usual answer is “civic education,” but Dr. Brooks focuses on something deeper in his own life – the role of “Great Books” and their potentially extraordinary influence on us as individuals, citizens, and leaders.  

Shilo Brooks is president and CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center and Professor of Practice in the Department of Political Science at SMU. He was previously executive director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University, where he taught in the Department of Politics. Brooks is host of The Free Press’ Old School podcast and author of a forthcoming book from Penguin Random House. He has also published scholarly work in political theory and the humanities. Born and raised in West Texas, Brooks received his Ph.D. in political science from Boston College and his B.A. in liberal arts from the Great Books Program at St. John’s College.