About Us

The mission of the Political Theory Project is to invigorate the study of institutions and ideas that make societies free, prosperous, and fair. Distinctively, the Project brings to this study not only the normative concerns characteristic of the humanities, nor only the empirical and institutional methods of the social sciences, but a synthesis of humanistic and social scientific tools. In this way, the Political Theory Project aims to encourage discussions that are more than merely "academic," or intellectually "fashionable."

The Project drives beneath the familiar and easy ideological labels, focusing on questions about what actually works in the world. The Project creates new spaces at Brown where students of good faith, and diverse viewpoints, can come together to debate one another other, freely and passionately, about the most pressing political problems of our day.

The Political Theory Project currently is organized around three main themes:

The Project sponsors a variety of activities: new courses for undergraduates, a University-wide lecture series, weekly Open Seminar Luncheons for undergraduates, academic conferences, research fellowships for graduate students, support for faculty research, and a postdoctoral fellowship program.