Society of Fellows
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Communal Inquiry into All Things Constitutional Democracy
The first ever undergraduate program at the Kinder Institute, the Society of Fellows brings together 20 students from across the university to spend a spirited year reading, thinking, talking, and writing about the complex, sometimes seemingly contradictory, history of constitutional democracy around the globe.
Program Components
Fellows Summer Conference
Every year in August, a week before the fall semester starts, members of the Society of Fellows descend on the Tiger Hotel in downtown Columbia for an all-expenses-paid, two-day residential conference featuring faculty-led seminars that cover topics ranging from the music of the Civil Rights music, to public finance in Stuart England, to the politics of walking in urban centers.
Fall and Spring Events
Throughout the academic year, the Kinder Institute hosts a wide range of academic and cultural events exclusive to members of the Fellows program. These might include lunches with visiting speakers, excursions out on the town to attend films, plays, or concerts, meetings of the Dead Poets Society of Fellows poetry and politics book group, or the annual fall dinner where Kinder faculty toast moments from the past that can help us better understand the present.
Journal on Constitutional Democracy
Though not a requirement of the program, all Fellows are eligible to enroll in the yearlong Journal on Constitutional Democracy writing seminar (CNST_DEM 4975 or 4975H), through which they spend two semesters patiently conceptualizing, researching, writing, editing, and eventually publishing an academic article on any topic they choose.
Applying to the Society of Fellows
Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors of any major are eligible to apply for the Society of Fellows, provided that they will be on campus/in-residence in Columbia for the entirety of the year they are admitted to the program, including being available for the summer conference. Applications typically open at the beginning of each spring semester, with a deadline right after Spring Break. Contact Kinder Institute Director of Undergraduate Studies and Fellows Program Coordinator Dr. Thomas Kane, KaneTC@missouri.edu, with any questions.
Society of Fellows applications are closed for the 2026-27 school year and will reopen in January 2027