Joel Alden Schlosser

My review of David Branscome's Textual Rivals has now appeared in Polis: The Journal for Ancient Greek Political Thought. You can find a copy of my review here . Consider this another small step in my ongoing project on Herodotus as a political thinker!

I've nearly reached the midpoint of the winter/spring semester at Bryn Mawr and it's been a full and rewarding past two months. Students in both of my courses are bringing terrific energy and curiosity; it's also been a pleasure to get to know them through reading their writing, listening to their contributions, and meeting with them one-on-one.  In the "Power and Resistance" course -- updated syllabus here -- we have analyzed power and violence through the lenses of Fanon and Arendt; examined the recent events in Ferguson, Missouri in light of these theories; and more recently considered power and exploitation in Appalachian mining communities as well as Foucault's theory of disciplinary power when applied (via Iris Marion Young) to pregnant mothers suffering from addiction. I've been deeply impressed by my students' maturity and insight when discussing (and disagreeing) about these heavy topics. In the "On  The Human Condition " c...

Teaching at Bryn Mawr College has finally given me a chance to experiment and reflect as a teacher across a relatively stable stretch of time. As a visiting professor at Carleton College, I never taught for more than two consecutive terms and at Deep Springs two factors conspired against more systematic improvement: I rarely had the chance to teach the same course again and the extremely small class size – I averaged around eight students per course – made it difficult to distinguish the effectiveness of my pedagogy from the changed dynamics or abilities of the students enrolled. At Bryn Mawr, however, I have the chance to teach courses repeatedly as well as larger and thus more consistent classes. This gives me a terrific opportunity to fine-tune my teaching in ways not previously possible. After one semester at Bryn Mawr and seventeen students officially “taught,” it’s a little early to draw any strong conclusions about what I should change and why. But my participation this fal...

It does not feel like spring on this gelid afternoon at Bryn Mawr , but I've just completed drafts of syllabi for the new courses I'm teaching this spring semester: Power and Resistance , which looks at \ theories and practices of power in contemporary political life; and On The Human Condition , a seminar examining Hannah Arendt and political thinking. "New" is not completely right: both courses update courses I taught at Deep Springs College , although each has some substantial changes; I think I've improved these courses dramatically, but I'll have to wait and see how well they work. I welcome your thoughts and suggestions in the coming weeks. (I will post final versions of these syllabi under "Teaching" once I start the semester in a few weeks.)

I've been meaning to write a recap of my activities this fall, but the suddenness of the fall semester's completion as well as the totality of holiday diversions subsequent have conspired to delay me. For now, a few words will have to suffice; put directly, the fall was wonderful: I found working with new students and colleagues at Bryn Mawr and Haverford (and beyond) delightful; now I look forward to many years of continuing work and collaboration with confidence and excitement. Teaching " Modern Political Philosophy " this fall proved even more of a pleasure than I anticipated. I had taught versions of this course at both Carleton and Deep Springs and I was eager to see how students on the Mainline would respond to my narrative of "freedom and the state." I could not have anticipated, however, the richness of reflections and the earnestness of engagement I would find in the Bryn Mawr and Haverford students I was fortunate enough to have in the course. Th...

I'm pleased to announce that there will be a roundtable discussion of What Would Socrates Do at this year's Western Political Science Association Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada in April 2015. For this event, Cambridge University Press is offering a discount coupon for the book. Click here to view the flier and coupon code.

Yesterday marked the beginning of my teaching career at Bryn Mawr. I was immediately impressed with my well-prepared and thoughtful students as we discussed the first chapter of Sheldon Wolin's "Politics and Vision," a prelude to our study of modern political philosophy over the course of the semester. I have posted the syllabus under "Teaching" above and you can also find it here .