Christopher M. Whidden
Lecturer in Politics and Philosophy

Phone  847-735-5128
E-Mail  cwhidden@lakeforest.edu

Educational Background
Ph.D. (political science), Northern Illinois University (2009).
Dissertation title: “The Possibility and Desirability of Political Science in Xenophon’s Cyropaedia”
    Defended: August 28, 2008.
M.A. (philosophy), Northern Illinois University (2006).
M.A. (political science), Northern Illinois University (2003).
    M.A. thesis title: “Karl Popper, Plato, and ‘Totalitarianism’”
B.A. with honors in philosophy, Wake Forest University (1998). 

Teaching and Research Interests
American government
American political thought
Constitutional law
History of political philosophy
Politics and literature

Teaching Experience
Spring 2009 
  Instructor, American Government
  Instructor, Philosophy of Education
Fall 2008  
  Instructor, Democracy in America
  Instructor, Business and Professional Ethics (2 sections)
Spring 2008 
  Instructor, American Government
  Instructor, American Political Thought
Fall 2007 
  Instructor, Democracy in America
Spring 2007 
  Instructor, American Political Thought
  Instructor, Philosophy of Education
Fall 2006 
  Instructor, Democracy in America
Summer 2006 
  Instructor, American Foreign Policy
Spring 2006    
  Instructor, American Foreign Policy (2 sections)
Fall 2005        
  Instructor, American Foreign Policy
Spring 2005 
  Instructor, Liberalism and its Critics
Fall 2004 
  Instructor, Democracy in America
Spring 2004 
  Instructor, Introduction to Political Philosophy
Fall 2003 
  Instructor, Introduction to Political Philosophy 
Spring 2003 
  Instructor, Introduction to Political Philosophy
Fall 2002        
  Instructor, Introduction to Political Philosophy
Fall 2001       
  Instructor, Democracy in America
Spring 2001 
  Instructor, Democracy in America
  Teaching Assistant, Introduction to American Government

Publications (all refereed and peer-reviewed)
Christopher Whidden.  “Hares, Hounds, Herds, and Hives in Xenophon’s Cyropaedia,” Interpretation 35.3 (2008): 229-240. 

Christopher Whidden.  “Cyrus’s Imperial Household: An Aristotelian Reading of Xenophon’s Cyropaedia,” Polis 25.1 (2008): 31-62.

Christopher Whidden.  “The Persian Regime and Cyrus’s Persian Education in Xenophon’s Cyropaedia,” Review of Politics 69.4 (2007): 539-567.

Christopher Whidden.  “Deception in Xenophon’s Cyropaedia,” Interpretation 34.2 (2007): 129-156.

Christopher Whidden.  “True Statesmanship as True Rhetoric in Plato’s Gorgias,” Polis 22.2 (2005): 206-229.

Honors and Awards
Jack Miller Center Fellow (2009)

Earhart Foundation Fellowship (2007-2008)

Northern Illinois University Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award (2005).

Lawrence S. Finkelstein Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Education (2005).

Best Graduate Student Paper Award nominee, Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Political Science Association (2004).

Earhart Foundation Fellowship (2002-2003).

Earhart Foundation Fellowship (2001-2002).

Conference Papers
“Cyrus’ Imperial Household and the Abolition of Politics as the Solution to the Problem of Political Rule: An Aristotelian Reading of Xenophon’s Cyropaedia,” presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, IL, April 20, 2006.

“Xenophon and Undergraduate Education,” presented at the Annual Meeting of The Association for Core Texts and Courses, Chicago, IL, April 7, 2006.

“The Persian Regime and Cyrus’ Persian Education in Xenophon’s Cyropaedia,” presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Washington, D.C., September 4, 2005.

“True Statesmanship as True Rhetoric in Plato’s Gorgias,” presented at the Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Political Science Association, Boston, November 12, 2004.

“The Closing of The Open Society,” presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago 2004.

“The Influence of the Political Theory of the Declaration of Independence on the Founding,” presented at the Annual Meeting of the Illinois Political Science Association, Elgin, October 25, 2003. 

“Platonic Prudence in Rousseau’s Emile” presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Philadelphia, August 29, 2003.

“The Twofold Limitation of Geometric Reasoning in Hobbes’ Leviathan,” presented at the annual meeting of The Society for Philosophy in the Contemporary World, St. Johns College, Santa Fe 2003.

“Why Noble Politicians Have No Choice but to Deceive: An Introduction to the Mytilenian Debate in Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War,” presented at the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago 2003.

“Why Congress Has Lost Its Authority To the President and What Can Be Done To Get It Back,” presented at the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago 2003.

“A Critique of Darwinian Natural Right,” presented at the annual meeting of the Northwest Philosophy Conference, Lewis and Clark University 2002.

“Chance, Fortune, and Luck in Plato’s Laws,” presented before the Society for Greek Political Thought at annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, Boston 2002.

“The Possibility and Problematic of Building Universal Altruism From Kin Selection,” presented at Reason and Nature: An International Graduate Philosophy Conference at the University of Toronto, 2001.

“Socrates’ Quest for the Noble Rhetoric in Plato’s Gorgias,” presented before American Society for the History of Rhetoric at annual meeting of the National Communication Convention, Seattle 2000. Revised for presentation before the Northern Illinois Political Philosophy Society, Dekalb, Illinois, March 15, 2001.
Book Reviews
“Nietzsche’s Eternal Recurrence: Redemption Through Style” Philomathesian, Vol. IV, spring 1998.  Online at http://www.students.wfu.edu/philo/journal/spring98/nietzsche.html 

Invited Lectures
“Greek Politics,” Lake Forest College, February 10, 2009.

“Hares, Hounds, Herds, and Hives in Xenophon’s Cyropaedia,” presented before the Political Philosophy Society at Northern Illinois University, October 12, 2008.

“Is the U.S. Constitution Worth Defending?” Lake Forest College, October 18, 2007.

“Cyrus’s Imperial Household: An Aristotelian Reading of Xenophon’s Cyropaedia,” presented before the Political Philosophy Society at Northern Illinois University, October 14, 2006.

Panel Chair/Discussant/Commentator/Moderator
“College Republicans and College Democrats Semi-Annual Debate,” Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, IL.  October 23, 2008.  Moderator.

“College Republicans and College Democrats Semi-Annual Debate,” Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, IL.  April 17, 2008.  Moderator.

“The 2008 Primaries,” Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, IL.  January 20, 2008.  Panelist and discussant.

“College Republicans and College Democrats Semi-Annual Debate,” Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, IL.  November 15, 2007.  Moderator.

“College Republicans and College Democrats Semi-Annual Debate,” Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, IL 2007.  April, 2007.  Moderator.

“The Political Theory of Plato’s Dialogues,” Annual Meeting of the Southern Political Science Association, New Orleans 2004.  Discussant.

“Technology and Terrorism,” Annual Meeting of the Illinois Political Science Association, Elgin 2003.  Chair and Discussant.

“Moral Corruption and Moral Education,” Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Philadelphia 2003.  Discussant.

“Hobbes, Nietzsche, and Modernity,” Annual Meeting of the Society for Philosophy in the Contemporary World, Santa Fe 2003.  Discussant.

“From Aesthetic Value to Natural Preservation,” Annual Meeting of the Northwest Philosophy Conference, Portland 2002.  Chair and Discussant.

Service
Referee for the American Political Science Review (1 article).

Referee for The Review of Politics (2 articles).

Referee for Polis (1 article).

First Year Studies Academic Advisor, Lake Forest College, 2008-2009.

Women in Politics, Faculty Advisor, Lake Forest College, 2008.

First Year Studies Academic Advisor, Lake Forest College, 2007-2008.

First Year Studies Academic Advisor, Lake Forest College, 2006-2007.

Conference Selection Committee, Annual Meeting of the Society for Philosophy in the Contemporary World, 2004.