Fred E. Baumann came to Kenyon as director of the Public Affairs Conference Center and part-time teacher of political science in 1980, entering the department full-time in 1986. He teaches courses in the history of political philosophy, politics and literature, diplomatic history and statesmanship as well as PSCI 101-102. The author of "Fraternity and Politics: Choosing One's Brothers," Baumann is now working on a book on the status of political humanism. He is an associate editor of the journal Interpretation and has served as chair of the Faculty Affairs Committee.
Baumann received the Senior Faculty Trustee Teaching Award and was invited to give the Founders' Day talk. He is currently working on a book on the subject of democratic reciprocity.
Education
1973 — Doctor of Philosophy from Harvard University
1966 — Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University
Courses Recently Taught
PSCI 101Y
Quest for Justice
PSCI 101Y
This course explores the relationship between the individual and society as exemplified in the writings of political philosophers, statesmen, novelists and contemporary political writers. Questions about law, political obligation, freedom, equality and justice and human nature are examined and illustrated. The course looks at different kinds of societies such as the ancient city, modern democracy and totalitarianism, and confronts contemporary issues such as race, culture and gender. The readings present diverse viewpoints and the sessions are conducted by discussion. The course is designed primarily for first-year students. Students enrolled in this course will be automatically added to PSCI 102Y for the spring semester. Offered every fall.
PSCI 102Y
Quest for Justice
PSCI 102Y
This course explores the relationship between the individual and society as exemplified in the writings of political philosophers, statesmen, novelists and contemporary political writers. Questions about law, political obligation, freedom, equality and justice and human nature are examined and illustrated. The course looks at different kinds of societies such as the ancient city, modern democracy and totalitarianism, and confronts contemporary issues such as race, culture and gender. The readings present diverse viewpoints and the sessions are conducted by discussion. The course is designed primarily for first-year students. Offered every spring.
PSCI 221
Modern Quest for Justice
PSCI 221
This course examines and evaluates the world revolutionary challenge to classical political philosophy posed by such writers as Machiavelli in his "Prince," Hobbes in the "Leviathan," and political writings of Locke, Rousseau and Nietzsche. We will consider these authors' differing views on how best to construct healthy and successful political societies; the role of ethics in domestic and foreign policy; the proper relations between politics and religion, and between the individual and the community; the nature of our rights and the origin of our duties; and the meaning of human freedom and the nature of human equality. This course is required for the major. Prerequisite: sophomore standing or first-year students enrolled in PSCI 102Y. Offered every spring.
PSCI 323
Politics and Literature
PSCI 323
This course explores perennial issues of politics broadly understood, as they are treated in literature. Topics vary from year to year. Most recently the course has focused on the question of freedom and tyranny by reading works that span periods, such as Xenophon's "Hiero," Shakespeare's "Julius Ceasar," Büchner's "Danton's Death," Dostoevsky's " Demons" and Platenov's "The Foundation Pit." Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Offered every two years.
PSCI 391
PSCI 422
Thucydides: War and Philosophy
PSCI 422
This course is devoted to a careful reading of Thucydides’ "History of the Peloponnesian War." Course themes will be Thucydides’ account of international relations, the connections between foreign and domestic politics, and his account of human nature and of political morality. This counts toward the seminar requirement for the major. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Offered every three years.
PSCI 427
The Political Philosophy of Montaigne
PSCI 427
Montaigne's "Essays," one of the acknowledged classics of modern thought, contains a breathtaking, wide-ranging and dialectically complex account of the human soul in its confrontation with others, with the world, and with itself. Apparently artless and off-the-cuff, the essays require the most careful reading. The course will consist of close reading of many of these essays in order to understand the position Montaigne ultimately takes on human nature and on the political implications of that position. This counts toward the seminar requirement for the major. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Offered every three years.
PSCI 493
Individual Study
PSCI 493
Individual study in political science is available to students who want to pursue a course of reading or complete a focused research project on a topic not regularly offered in the department's curriculum. To enroll, a student must prepare a proposal in consultation with a member of the political science faculty who has suitable expertise and is willing to work with the student over the course of a semester. The proposal should include a statement of the questions the student plans to explore, a preliminary bibliography, a schedule of assignments, a schedule of meetings with the faculty member and a description of the elements that will be factored into the course grade. The student also should briefly describe any prior coursework that particularly qualifies him or her to pursue the project independently. The department chair must approve the proposal. The department expects the student to meet regularly with the instructor for at least the equivalent of one hour per week. Reading assignments will vary depending on the topic but should approximate a regular departmental course in that field. Students should expect to write at least 30 pages over the course of the semester for an individual study bearing 0.50 units of credit. The chair must receive proposals by the third day of classes. Because students must enroll for individual studies by the end of the seventh class day of each semester, they should begin discussion of the proposed individual study preferably the semester before, so that there is time to devise the proposal and seek departmental approval before the established deadline.
Academic & Scholarly Achievements
1998
Fraternity and Politics: Choosing One's Brothers (Praeger, 1998).
2013
"Aesthetic Education in The Magic Flute ," chapter Secularism and the Enlightenment , ed. Christopher Nadon, Lexington Books, 2013, pp. 325-337.
2012
"The Dawn of Political History," a course of eight recorded lectures on Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War, Recorded Books, 2012.
2010
"Humanism and Transhumanism," The New Atlantis, 29, Fall, 2010, pp. 68-84
2010
"Humanism's Four Stages," The American Interest, September-October 2010, pp. 83-93.
2010
"Schiller on Aesthetic Education: Radicalization by Return," in Recovering Reason: Essays in Honor of Thomas L. Pangle, Lexington Books, 2010, pp. 325-343.
2008
"Visions of Utopia: Philosophy and the Perfect Society," a course of fourteen recorded lectures, Recorded Books, 2008.
2007
"Raymond Aron and Jean-Paul Sartre," in The Enduring Influence and Relevance of Raymond Aron's Political Reasoning, Daniel Mahoney and Brian-Paul Frost, Transaction Publishers, 2007.