The Civitas Dei Summer Fellowship

The Future of Personhood and the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence

Dominican House of Studies & The Catholic University of America | Washington, D.C.

June 8-13, 2025

The Civitas Dei Summer Fellowship is a project sponsored by the Institute for Human Ecology at The Catholic University of America and the Thomistic Institute at the Dominican House of Studies that offers competitive fellowships for graduate students (and a few talented, upper-level undergraduates), drawing from across fields in the sciences, humanities, and law.

Fellowship recipients attend a one-week program in Washington, D.C., that offers courses and seminars given by distinguished scholars focusing on an aspect of Catholic thought in relation to culture and public life.

This year’s Civitas Dei fellowship examines “The Future of Personhood and the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence”, drawing on patristic, scholastic, and contemporary perspectives to engage critical questions of personhood in light of AI. By participating in this fellowship, accepted students will be introduced to a wealth of scholarly resources on the nature of personhood, preparing them for robust and ongoing engagement in conversations on AI technology and its implications for philosophical anthropology and ethics.

2025 Featured Speakers:

Fr. James Brent, O.P. (Dominican House of Studies)

Prof. Jordan Wales (Hillsdale College)

Fr. Anselm Ramelow, O.P. (Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology)

Open to graduate students and advanced undergraduates in all disciplines. Acceptance to the fellowship includes housing and meals for the duration of the program. Accepted students may also apply for travel funding.

Applications will open in January. Sign up below to receive an email when applications open.

This event is in-person only. If you cannot make it to the fellowship, be sure to listen to the lecture recordings after they are published on the Thomistic Institute podcast.