To support its mission, the Lincoln Forum at Carthage pursues three interlocking goals:
- Support intellectual freedom in the liberal arts
- Recruit and mentor promising students
- Engage the broader community
These goals are at the center of a number of programs sponsored by the Abraham Lincoln Forum.
Hannibal Lecture Series
The Hannibal Lecture Series provides opportunities for the Carthage and local communities to engage in seminars and lectures focused on classic texts and the liberal arts.

Undergraduate Research
Through the Abraham Lincoln Forum, undergraduate students will have the opportunity to engage in research on foundational texts through two programs:
- The Summer Foundational Texts Fellowships will provide opportunities for mentoring promising students in the study of foundational texts.
Apply now - The Classical Languages Experiential Learning Fellowships will provide opportunities for promising students to engage in advanced study of languages in order to conduct in-depth research on classic texts.
Seminars on Foundational Texts
Offered several times each semester, these small-group seminars for undergraduates and high school teachers provide opportunities for mentorship and intergenerational learning. Building upon Carthage’s strong tradition of education in foundational texts, these seminars allow for considered discussions of a single foundational text or author.

The Lincoln Intellectual Freedom Prize
The Lincoln Intellectual Freedom Prize honors a thinker who exemplifies the ideal of the liberal arts: emancipated thinking. In conjunction with the prize, the Lincoln Forum will hold a conference to consider the questions, rewards, and dangers that attend genuine intellectual freedom.
Contact Us
Corinne Ness
Dean for the Division of Arts and Humanities
Associate Professor of Music
cness@carthage.edu
262-551-5733
Read more about Prof. Ness
The Abraham Lincoln Forum for the Liberal Arts at Carthage is a Jack Miller Center JMC Partner Program. Carthage thankfully acknowledges the generous support of the Jack Miller Center and the Ed Uihlein Family Foundation.