In part of the weeklong festivities for homecoming, the Honors College and Phronesis: A Program in Politics and Ethics are kicking off their 2010 Academic Tailgate today.
The tailgate team will provide barbecue, apple cobbler and drinks before the kickoff talk with guest speaker James Ceaser, Harry F. Byrd Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia. He will speak at this year’s academic tailgate on “The Meaning of the Midterm Elections.”
“The elections are an important part of public life, and Ceaser is an expert on American politics,” said political science and Honors College professor Jeremy Bailey. “He will be able to contribute to the intellectual life of the University.”
Ceaser has been a visiting professor at universities worldwide including the University of Florence, Oxford University and the University of Bordeaux.
He has published several books on American politics and political thought, including “Reconstructing America,” “Presidential Selection,” “Liberal Democracy and Political Science” and “Nature and History in American Political Development.”
Ceaser frequently comments on American politics for the Voice of America and various media outlets.
“Every four years, he writes a book on the presidential elections for quite some time now,” Bailey said.
Ceaser has co-authored with Andrew E. Busch since 1992 to write a book for every presidential election since then, including his most recent work, titled “Epic Journey: The 2008 Elections and American Politics.”
The event, co-sponsored by Phronesis, offers the Politics and Ethics program as a minor for students interested in the subjects.
The event will begin at 5 p.m. in the Honors College Commons with a lecture to follow at 7 p.m.
“It is a program shared between philosophy and political science classes,” Bailey said. “The program is only a couple of years old, but we have brought respected scholars and teachers to talk about questions related to politics and ethics.”
