The DIRECTOR and STAFF

Throughout the Institute, I shall be actively involved in conducting the sessions and facilitating interactions between speakers and participants. In consultation with the guest faculty, I shall also provide an extensive bibliography of relevant writings for participants of the Institute to complement the presentations of the speakers and the “perspective” of the week. As the Institute’s director, I shall be readily available to consult with participants about how to integrate the work of the Institute with their ongoing or emerging projects of teaching, research, and writing–whether that involves constructing courses, papers, articles, or books. My professional training lies in political theory–particularly, though not exclusively, in the Western tradition, and in both its historical and contemporary dimensions. I have published in contemporary political theory, ancient Greek political theory, and, most recently, the political theory of human rights. I also have worked in the philosophy of the social sciences. My approach to human rights is historically informed, theoretical, and interpretive. It might be called humanistic, but it spans the disciplines of the humanities and social sciences. I believe that academics in liberal, democratic societies have public responsibilities, and these belong particularly to academic discourse about human rights.

I am being assisted by advanced graduate students in the Ph.D. programs of Political Science and Anthropology at the GC . All of us at the GC are dedicated to making your work at the Institute and your stay in New York City productive and enjoyable. We intend to foster good conversation among the participants and between the participants and speakers wherever and whenever possible. We shall encourage contacts among participants both during the Institute and after it formally ends.

We have established a website to provide information about the Institute. It will be an open site prior to April 1, providing relevant information about developing plans for the Institute, and a password-protected site for participants after April 1. During the Institute, we plan to use it to provide information about the Institute, bibliographical links, textual materials, New York City, and opportunities for exchanges between and among the participants, staff, and director. After the Institute, it will continue to serve as a vehicle for fostering communication between participants and among participants, the director, and his staff.