Marketing Senior Digs Into U.S. Constitution in England

Marketing Senior Digs Into U.S. Constitution in England

Where is the best place to study the establishment of the United States?

For The University of Toledo's Jaden Smith, the answer lies not in historic quarters of Boston or Philadelphia or even Washington, D.C. It's across the pond in Oxford, England.

"It was cool to be in another country studying my own country," said Smith, a marketing senior who recently participated in a constitutional studies symposium at the University of Oxford through UToledo's Institute of American Constitutional Thought and Leadership. "I was looking at it from a distance, so it was a different perspective."

Smith was one of 11 in the second cohort of Rockets to study abroad at Oxford, one of the world's oldest and most highly regarded universities, through a collaboration that the Institute and Oxford formalized in 2025. This collaboration opens unique research and study abroad opportunities to students, including the chance to collaborate on research into the give-and-take negotiations that go into the drafting of constitutions, legislation and treaties through the Quill Project at Oxford's Pembroke College.

"The Institute of American Constitutional Thought and Leadership's collaboration with the University of Oxford creates invaluable opportunities for our students, who work directly with Oxford's prestigious scholars and researchers both during their weeks abroad and back in Toledo," said Dr. Jonathan Culp, director of the Institute of American Constitutional Thought and Leadership. "We were excited to offer this study abroad experience for a second year and look forward to continued collaboration that supports our students' development as thoughtful citizens and scholars."

Smith, a transfer student from Ottawa Lake, Michigan, who arrived on campus with an associate of applied science degree in graphic design from Monroe County Community College, connected with the Institute during his first semester at UToledo.

As one of five schools of civic thought established at public universities as spaces for diverse voices to discuss and debate key questions about society, history and politics by the Ohio Legislature in 2023, the Institute offers a variety of programming for campus and the broader community, including courses, public lectures and professional development programs geared toward civics teachers in primary and secondary schools.

Smith found himself drawn to an evening colloquia series, in which students wrangle with faculty and guest lecturers on topics that have ranged from civic life in ancient Sparta to the famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

"I kind of fell in love with the discussions and the debates on these really meaningful topics," he said. "It's really been a highlight of the last few years."

Smith went on to deepen his involvement with the Institute, where he credits faculty mentors with challenging him as a scholar and contributing to his improvement as a writer. He began attending its public programs, joined its affiliated student organization and enrolled in courses that support the minor he declared in constitutional studies.

Smith also began working as a student communication assistant at the Institute, building up his resume for the nonprofit marketing career that he hopes to pursue after his anticipated graduation in the spring.

And after the Institute announced its inaugural study abroad trip to Oxford in 2025, Smith set his sights on his first-ever trip outside the familiarity of the United States.

The Institute fully covers travel, lodging and other program-related expenses for students who participate in the two-week constitutional studies symposium at Oxford. In line with this year's theme, Constitutional Foundations, UToledo students joined students from other U.S. universities for lectures, seminars and tutorials digging into foundational texts like the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers that argue for and against the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.

Those were in addition to the requisite sightseeing at Oxford and London.

Dr. Nicholas Cole, a senior research fellow in history at Oxford and director of the Quill Project, also personally introduced UToledo students to Quill Project resources designed to help teachers, lawyers and researchers interpret and teach key historical texts.

The Institute supports UToledo students to collaborate on the Quill Project while back in the States. Up to four students at any given time have been hard at work since last summer compiling documents related to Ohio's fourth and so-far final constitutional convention in 1912, and the Institute is in the process of bringing two more into the collaboration.

For Smith, a highlight of his time in Oxford was an exercise in which he and his fellow students participated in a mock debate over the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, stepping into the shoes of the Founding Fathers and leaning on the arguments behind their Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers.

"Should we ratify it? Should we ratify it with a Bill of Rights?" Smith said, recalling the two-hour debate that he said left many participants frustrated. "It showed how hard it is to compromise, and it really got the point across that it's important to study the historical context behind what a document actually says."

Organizers presented Smith with an excellence award at the close of the symposium, recognizing his contributions to the debate as well as class discussions.

"There were over 50 students participating in this rigorous program at Oxford, and Jaden was one of a select few who received an excellence award," said Dr. Deborah O'Malley, an assistant professor at the Institute who joined the students in Oxford. "Faculty selected him for his diligence, preparedness and insightful comments throughout the two-week program."

Reflecting on the experience shortly after his return to the United States, Smith said the trip lived up to his high expectations.

"It was amazing," he said. "I got to experience another country, and I got to also dive into the topics I really enjoy and wanted to study."