Statesmanship and Its Practitioners
Steven B. Smith, Yale University
Daniel Schillinger, Yale University
EverScholar in New York
April 20-23, 2023
The University Club, New York City
$1995 per person
Who exactly is the so-called statesman? What does he or she do? And is there not something antiquated or even anti-democratic about the language and practice of statesmanship? Herbert Storing, a great historian of the American founding, noted that the word “statesmanship” sounds almost “un-American.” Harry Truman joked that a statesman is just a politician who has been dead for ten or fifteen years. Yet the contemporary global resurgence of authoritarians and demagogues—including Putin, Xi, Modi, Bolsonaro, and Trump—justifies a return to this fundamental political problem. Against the dim background of political leadership at its worst, we may hope to illuminate its opposite—the statesmen, or the worthy political leader acting on a grand scale.
Our Lead Faculty:
Alfred Cowles Professor of Government & Philosophy
Yale University
Steven B. Smith has taught at Yale since 1984. He has served as Director of Graduate Studies in Political Science, Director of the Special Program in the Humanities, and Acting Chair of Judaic Studies and from 1996-2011 served as the Master of Branford College. His research has focused on the history of political philosophy with special attention to the problem of the ancients and moderns, the relation of religion and politics, and theories of representative government. He received the Lex Hixon ’63 Prize for Teaching Excellence in the Social Sciences in 2009; he has taught in courses under the EverScholar model as lead and guest professor several times over the past 9 years.
Lecturer in Humanities
Yale University
Daniel Schillinger is a Lecturer in Humanities at Yale, where he teaches Directed Studies and seminars in Greek political thought. His book manuscript, Luckless: Luck as Illusion in Greek Political Thought, is under contract with Oxford University Press. He has also published essays in Political Research Quarterly, History of Political Thought, Political Theory, Polis, The Review of Metaphysics, Public Seminar, and The Washington Post.
Readings
All EverScholar courses actually start months before our meeting. After registration, you will receive all books and scholarly articles for the course, and will immerse yourself in great works curated by our faculty. “Statesmanship and Its Practitioners” is no exception, with works ranging from contemporaneous writings to great books written by your own EverScholar professors. Primary sources will mix with authoritative texts to produce night after night of joy as you prepare for your return to the life of the mind.
Special Events
One of EverScholar’s unique and most beloved features are our Special Events; sessions at a number of well-known (such as a museum or Art Gallery) or less-known centers of collection and learning. “Statesmanship and Its Practitioners” continues this tradition.
Details on Special Events for this course will be posted soon; well in advance of the course.
Beyond the Classroom
Everything that happens during an EverScholar program is enhanced by the fact that it takes place in a learning-promoting environment.
This program takes place at the University Club of New York City, 1 West 54th Street, in the cultural center of Manhattan. Discounted housing is available at the University Club.
Learn more about the experience!
The course begins with a reception and dinner on Thursday…. and ends in late afternoon Sunday. The program cost is $1,995 per person. Deposit is $500 per person. Balance is due on March 15, 2023. Cancellation refund and COVID-19 refund policies are detailed on the registration page – so you can register without worries.
All EverScholar program attendees are required to be fully “up-to-date” on covid vaccination; we also require rapid testing on the day the course begins.
Looking forward to seeing you there!