Our goal this summer was to develop the argument and outline of Professor Muñiz-Fraticelli’s book on religious authority. After studying Joseph Raz’s service conception of authority, we researched authority in Judaism and Christianity to identify domains of religious authority and to investigate the compatibility of Raz’s justification of authority with religious authority. We then worked on formulating the professor’s argument and planned how his book would address the different domains of religious authority as well as the differences of religious authority from secular authority and the limits of a Razian justification of religious authority. We concluded the summer by putting together a tentative plan for the book and identifying sources that the professor will incorporate in his analysis.
I set out to do an ARIA project because I both wanted to explore research in political theory and to gain familiarity with the study of religion in political science. Professor Muñiz-Fraticelli’s project offered the opportunity to explore how academic political theory can engage with religious traditions. More specifically, I hoped our research together would allow me to engage with theoretical literature on religion in secular society and the nature of authority in religious communities.
In addition to these academic aims, I also sought to hone valuable research skills. First, I hoped to improve my ability to summarize and analyze arguments and create bibliographies. I also hoped to learn to organize a research project in its early stages and to shape a large and extended argument of book-length. Finally, I hoped to learn how to conduct academic analysis of religious texts.
I am grateful for the numerous intellectual highlights of my summer. First, there were the frequent discussions with the professor throughout which I could see our ideas taking shape. This experience was immensely rewarding, especially because of the solicitude professor Muñiz-Fraticelli extended towards my questions and suggestions. Additionally, I immensely enjoyed becoming acquainted with Catholic religious thought and comparing it to the Jewish religious thought with which I am more familiar.
Nonetheless, I did experience a few challenges this summer. First, since I worked remotely, I was quite isolated. To combat this problem, I socialized with some of my peers conducting their own research and sought out more public settings for work when possible. Discussing my work with friends and family members also helped me feel that my research experience was more interwoven with my everyday life. Secondly, as time went on, Professor Muñiz-Fraticelli extended me greater freedom in directing my research, and while the open-ended assignment was perplexing at first, I became adept at breaking down larger questions into smaller chunks and identifying what steps I had to take to address each part efficiently. I appreciate this skill and am thankful for the independence that the professor provided me which allowed me to learn it.
Looking back at my experience, I am thankful for the opportunity to better discern what I desire from future employment. After a summer engrossed in intensive political theory research, I have realized that I am not as keen on a life of academic research as I had initially thought. Most immediately, I have decided that I will likely take some time to work outside academia before deciding whether to pursue further graduate education or professional school. Concurrently, I have realized that I nonetheless greatly enjoy finding new information and then synthesizing and analyzing it, especially when my research bears on significant questions in both my personal life (in this instance, as a religious Jew) and in social life (such as the nature of authority and justifications for it). Additionally, my first encounter with legal theory during this project has awakened a new interest in the law, and while I do not yet know how this will affect my future career plans, I am grateful nonetheless for this new appreciation.
Finally, I would like to thank Mr. Harry Samuel for his generous financial assistance that made this experience possible and Professor Jacob Levy and the Research Group on Constitutional Studies both for their assistance in connecting me with Professor Muñiz-Fraticelli and their financial assistance this summer. Additionally, I would like to thank Professor Muñiz-Fraticelli for his generous guidance, for his endless patience in long discussions, and for his readiness to empower me by centering my educational experience throughout the summer.
