Provost conducts discussion

From veterinary medicine to the future of education in the electronic age, Provost Stanley Chodorow has spoken on a variety of topics this year to numerous groups within the University community. And Tuesday night, Chodorow continued that trend with a discussion on Judaism and law entitled "The French King's Jews: Jews and Christian Authorities in the Central Middle Ages." More than 50 people packed a Van Pelt Library seminar room to listen to the provost as he explained how most current legal concepts, including separation of powers, are derived from medieval laws concerning Jews. Although very few undergraduates attended the event, graduate students and faculty alike seemed to enjoy the provost's lecture. "It's impressive to see the provost engaging in scholarship and teaching," said Moshe Simon, a first-year Jewish Studies graduate student. "He had a good command of [the subject] and was very interesting." Chodorow will be addressing the topic of legal history on a regular basis this semester, as he is currently teaching "Origins of Constitutionalism," a History course focusing on medieval law. "I'm having a wonderful time [teaching] Penn students," Chodorow said about his class. "Our discussions have been lively and productive." Students in his class said they have learned much from the provost. "[Chodorow] is a dedicated professor with an amazing depth of knowledge," said College junior Joseph Cox. "He is really interested in [the] subject." Chodorow said he became involved with constitutionalism when he took a law school class in Medieval Political Theory and "fell in love." "When you look at ideas from their beginning, it becomes obvious why they take the form they do," he said. According to Chodorow, provosts at other schools rarely teach classes. And when they do, the courses are usually on the graduate level. In addition to teaching, Chodorow has recently written books on medieval law and European history. He has also given several recent lectures on topics including the electronic revolution's effect on scholarship and the relationship between human infectious diseases and the domestication of animals. "I'm just doing my best to contribute a little to the scholarly enterprise of the University," he said. Tuesday night's lecture was part of the Kutchin Seminar Series in the Jewish Studies Department.

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