Brief Biography:

‍James Shotwell was homeschooled in Los Angeles and started attending community college at 15. During COVID, he transferred to Hillsdale College, drawn by the opportunity to return to in-person classes and community. At Hillsdale, his focus was on 19th century American authors, particularly Melville, Hawthorne, Emerson, and Thoreau. James converted to Catholicism during his undergraduate studies and spent much of the time after graduating in 2023 on pilgrimage and staying with religious communities. James was an assistant debate coach at his community college and a successful collegiate debater for over six years. He spent three months teaching in Akatsi, Ghana, and is deeply concerned with bringing elements of classical education to the Third World.

Research Interests:

‍Platonism, Mysticism, Catholic Social Teaching, Saints, Distributism, Agrarianism, and most forms of radical thought.

What brought you to Hillsdale?

‍Originally, I came to Hillsdale to escape from Californian COVID tyranny and was quickly impressed by the rigorous academics of the institution and the incredible community of people here. I returned to Hillsdale for the MACE program out of a genuine love of the institution and a desire to study education alongside people I know care as much as, and likely more, than I do about the subject.

What is distinctive about Hillsdale’s Graduate School of Classical Education?

‍In my limited experience with the program, there has been brilliant cohesion between each of our classes as we progress through a comprehensive historical and philosophical examination of the telos of education and the many debates which have emerged and remain in the modern moment.

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