Knighted professor finds IH to be noblest of classes

Craig J. N. de Paulo, visiting assistant professor of humanities, displays the insignia of a Knight of Merit of the Order of St. George, one of two knighthoods he received last year. Paulo, who is very active in community service, also is a knight in the Order of Malta, the only chivalric order to date back to before the Crusades.

Standing at the front of his intellectual heritage class, he doesn’t look that different from his students. Clad in jeans and a baggy sweater, he greets each of them by name as they approach. Even when they’re late. How chivalrous, you might think?

Absolutely. Although he’s not in shining armor, visiting assistant professor Craig J. N. de Paulo is every inch a knight. Twice over, in fact.

Last April, he received the Knighthood of Merit in the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George from His Royal Highness, Prince Don Carlos di Borbone delle Due Sicilie. And if that wasn’t enough of a mouthful, six months later the Knighthood of Magisterial Grace in the Sovereign Military Hospitaler Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta was conferred upon him.

“The Order of St. George and the Knights of Malta are both Catholic orders. You have to receive these knighthoods either from the Pope, who is the highest of sovereigns, or the king of a sovereign state,” explained Paulo.

Knighthoods are awarded based on merit and service. The Order of Malta, which is the oldest chivalric order, dating back to before the Crusades, is particularly service-oriented.

One of Paulo’s service projects involves working with the Hispanic community in Camden. He also is president of the St. Peter’s Institute, a center that promotes the role of religion and philosophy in classical education.

His office is lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves filled with volumes of history, philosophy and literature. On the wall and in display cases are medals and insignia of his offices. There are several pictures of him with the Pope. He even has his very own coat of arms.

Paulo maintains a Web site that provides more information about his titles and his work at www.cjndepaulo.com. He also has many links to intellectual heritage resources.

But the real fun takes place in the classroom, where Paulo’s passion for learning comes alive.

“I spent the better part of a decade in Europe, and studied in Switzerland, Belgium and Rome,” said Paulo, a dual citizen of the United States and Italy. “Learning has to be fun. I think of myself more as an entertainer than anything else.”

And entertain he does. He fires up lectures with spirited versions of his own exploits abroad, extolling the virtues of living amid history in a sonorous voice that would wake the sleepiest of students.

Students warm to his easy-going approach; he engages them by playing connect-the-dots with history, philosophy, religion, pop culture, political science and education with nothing more than a stick of chalk—no notes, just an extemporaneous stream of fascinating stuff.

“Ah, the excitement of drinking at a bar across from the Colosseum!” he bellowed, to much laughter from his class. “Just think—you’re at a McDonald’s with an ancient temple on one side and a historic church on the other, and you can dip your nuggets in barbecue sauce—right there!”

That might seem an unusual connection to make, but Paulo loves finding new ways into students’ minds. Each class is a fresh challenge; he goes in knowing the destination, but he carves new paths to get there based on the distinct personalities of each section.

“I have to give the students content, but what’s more important than content is giving them a love [of learning],” Paulo said. “I’m excited by the texts and by the classes themselves. I like reaching the students.”

All in all, he thinks he is well suited to Temple. A native of Philadelphia, he loves the city and he loves teaching.

“I think the intellectual heritage program is the heartbeat of a liberal arts education,” he said. “I’d like the students to discover western culture. For many of them, it’s for the first time, in spite of the fact that they live here.”

Want proof? One more question.

“Does anyone know where the first university was founded in Europe?” he asked the class.

“Temple Rome?” someone answered.

Paulo laughed. That’s a class with personality, all right.—Helen H. Thompson