Dr. Michael P. Federici is Professor of Political Science at Middle Tennessee State University and chair of the Department of Political Science and International Relations. He served on the faculty at Mercyhurst University from August 1993-May 2017 (seven years as department chair). While at Mercyhurst, he was Faculty Senate President and on the University’s Board of Trustees from 2011-2013 and 2007-2009. He is in his twenty-ninth year of college teaching.   He received his Ph.D. (1990) and M.A. (1985) in Politics from The Catholic University of American in Washington, D.C., and his B.S. in Economics from Elizabethtown College (1983). Dr. Federici has published five books, The Challenge of Populism (1991), Eric Voegelin: The Restoration of Order (2002), The Political Philosophy of Alexander Hamilton published by Johns Hopkins University Press (June 2012), Rethinking the Teaching of American History, (an edited volume; Butler Books 2012), and a co-edited collection of essays entitled, The Culture of Immodesty in American Life and Politics: The Modest Republic (Palgrave Macmillan, May 2013). He has also published several articles and book reviews.   Dr. Federici’s teaching and research areas include American Politics, Constitutional Law, Political Theory, and American Political Thought. He has taught American Government for the Junior Statesmen Foundation Summer School at Yale University and Georgetown University. In 1993 he won the Joseph Friedl Award at Concord College that is given to the professor who “Exemplifies the true essence of the college professor” and he won the “Distinguished Teaching Award” at Mercyhurst University in 2004. Dr. Federici participated in a debate January 29, 2008 at Georgetown University sponsored by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute and the Tocqueville Forum on “America: Empire or Republic?” The debate is available on the web at: http://www.mmisi.org/mp3/lectures/a000211_cicero_012908.mp3. He also gave lectures at Notre Dame Law School in April 2008 and Berkeley University in June 2010. The latter lecture is available on the web at: http://www.mmisi.org/mp3/lectures/a000351_federici_050110.mp3. In September 2014, he participated in a debate at the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville: “Hamilton v. Jefferson: Who’s the MVP of the American Founding?” (available at: https://vimeo.com/108897252). He gave the 2014 Constitution Day lecture at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. Dr. Federici taught for Mercyhurst University in Dungarvan, Ireland during the spring 2010 term.   He serves on the Editorial Board of the journal Humanitas and was president of The Academy of Philosophy and Letters and the National Humanities Institute. In August 2002, he was one of a select group of American scholars invited to deliver a paper during the Chinese Comparative Literature Association’s Conference in Nanjing, China. In 1993 Dr. Federici participated in a National Endowment for the Humanities Institute on Thomas Jefferson that was held at The University of Virginia and The College of William and Mary. He was a Distinguished Speaker for the Pennsylvania Humanities Council. In 2004 he wrote a winning grant application to the U.S. Department of Education for a $984,920 three-year grant from the Teaching American History Program for the Corry Area School District. In 2005 he wrote another successful TAHG for the Erie City School District for $499,736. He served as the Project Director for both grants.   Professor Federici has been interviewed for local and national media including WJET TV, WICU TV, WSEE TV, C-SPAN, WITF PA Public Radio, WQLN Radio, WJET Radio, WNYC Radio, WBEN Radio (Buffalo), The Erie Times News, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Harrisburg’s The Patriot-News, Scranton Times-Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, The Buffalo News, Tribune de Genève, and CQ Weekly.

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WORKS IN PROGRESS “The Statesmanship of Alexander Hamilton,” (chapter in an edited volume) Bloomsbury Publishing. The book is part of Textual Moments in the History of Political Thought series edited by J.C Davis and John Morrow. “Alexander Hamilton, Prudent Statesman,” (chapter in an edited volume) Notre Dame University Press. The book is being edited by Joe Fornieri (RIT). “American Foreign Policy and Modest Republicanism: The Great Rule Reconstituted” in Localism in the Mass Age, (Front Porch Republic, July 2018). The Catholic Writings of Orestes Brownson (South Bend, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, November 2018).

PUBLICATIONS Books The Political Principles of the American Constitution (Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt, 2016). Co-edited book: The Culture of Immodesty in American Life and Politics: The Modest Republic (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, June 2013). The Political Philosophy of Alexander Hamilton (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012). Edited book: Rethinking the Teaching of American History (Louisville: Butler Books, 2012). Eric Voegelin: The Restoration of Order. (Wilmington: ISI Books, July 2002). The Challenge of Populism: The Rise of Right-Wing Democratism in Postwar America. (New York: Praeger, 1991).   Articles  “The Meaning of Conservatism,” The Political Science Reviewer, Vol. XL (2016): 57-81. “More than ‘Parchment Barriers’: The Ethical Center of American Constitutionalism.” Humanitas Vol. XXIV, Nos. 1 & 2, 2011: 28-54. “The Old and New Testaments in U.S. Foreign Policy: McDougall and American Identity.” Humanitas Vol. XXIII, Nos. 1 & 2, 2010: 21-30. “Imperialism Destroys the Constitutional Republic.” Humanitas Vol. XX, Nos. 1 & 2, 2007. The article was also published in the online journal Epistulae. “The Politics of Prescription: Kirk’s Fifth Canon of Conservative Thought,” The Political Science Reviewer, Vol. XXXV (2006): 159-178. “Babbitt and the Ethical Dimension of Politics,” Appraisal (Vol. 3 No. 1, March 2000): 3-14; ISSN 1358-3336. “Logophobia: Eric Voegelin on Scientism and the Postmodern Corruption of Politics.” The Intercollegiate Review  (Fall 1999): 14-21. Coauthored. “Proof by Contradiction and the Electoral College.”Mathematics Teacher 91 (November 1998): 655- 658. “Institutions.” In Political Concepts: An Introduction, pp. 145-158. Edited by David Freeman. Dubuque: Kendall Hunt, 1997 (Second Edition). “Voegelin’s Christian Critics.” Modern Age 36 (Summer 1994): 331-340. ­­“Education Reform Reconsidered.” Humanitas (Fall 1988): 1‑8. ­“Content and Character in Our Schools: The Potential Contribution of Irving Babbitt,” in Character Development in the Schools (Bowling Green: American Secondary Education, Summer 1987): 40‑46. Encyclopedia Entries “Alexander Hamilton,” The Encyclopedia of Political Thought (John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., 2014): 1579-1589.  “Eric Voegelin” and “Custom,” American Conservatism: An Encyclopedia, (ISI Books, 2006): 210-12; 894-896. “Executive Privilege,” Encyclopedia of the U.S. Supreme Court (Salem Press, 2000): 336-338.   Book Reviews Review of The Common Mind: Politics, Society and Christian Humanism from Thomas More to Russell Kirk, by  André Gushurst-Moore (Tacoma, WA: Angelico Press, 2013) for Liberty Fund’s Law and Liberty website. Review of A Friendship That Lasted a Lifetime: The Correspondence between Alfred Schütz and Eric Voegelin, translated by William Petropulos, edited by Gerhard Wagner and Gilbert Weiss (Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2011). Modern Age (2012), pp. 158-161. Review of The Political Thought of Frederick Douglass: In Pursuit of American Liberty, by Nicholas Buccola. Perspectives on Politics, Volume 10 / Issue 04 / December 2012, pp. 1049-1050. Review of  (4 books): Russell Kirk: A Critical Biography of a Conservative Mind, by James E. Person, Jr., Russell Kirk and the Age of Ideology, by W. Wesley McDonald. The Postmodern Imagination of Russell Kirk, by Gerald J. Russello. The Essential Russell Kirk: Selected Essays, edited by George A. Panichas. (Modern Age, vol. 50, no. 3, Summer 2008), 251-257. Review of The Origins of American Patriotism by George McKenna. First Principles, Online Journal, August 25, 2008. Review of Republicanism, Religion, and the Soul of America by Ellis Sandoz. The Review of Politics vol. 70, no. 1, 134-136. Review of Conservatism Revisited: The Revolt Against Ideology by Peter Viereck. The University Bookman, vol. 44, no. 3, Summer 2006. Review of An Imaginative Whig: Reassessing the Life and Thought of Edmund Burke by Ian Crowe. Modern Age, vol. 29, no. 1 (Winter 2007). Review of Democracy and Populism: Fear and Hatred by John Lukacs. Modern Age, (Winter 2006), 82-85. Review of Eric Voegelin’s Dialogue with the Postmoderns: Searching for Foundations by Peter A. Petrakis and Cecil L. Eubanks.  Perspectives on Politics, vol. 3, no. 4, (December 2005), 883-884. Review of Eric Voegelin and the Foundations of Modern Political Science by Barry Cooper. The University Bookman, vol 42, no. 3, November 3, 2002. Review of The Values Connection by James A Reichley.  American Political Science Review, vol. 95, no. 4, (December 2001), 983-984. Review of The Way of the (Modern) World: Or, Why It’s Tempting to Live As If God Doesn’t Exist by Craig M.    Gay. The University Bookman, vol. 38, no. 4, (Winter 1998), 13-18. Review of The Growth of the Liberal Soul by David Walsh. The University Bookman, vol. 37, no. 3, (Fall 1997), 10-14. Review of Roads to Dominion: Right-Wing Movements and Political Power in the United States by Sara Diamond. American Political Science Review, vol. 91, no. 1, (March 1997), 185-186. Review of If Men Were Angels: James Madison & the Heartless Empire of Reason by Richard K. Matthews. American Journal of Jurisprudence, vol. 40, 1995, 405-409. Review of After Ideology, by David Walsh. Texas Journal of Political Studies, vol. 13, (Spring/Summer 1991),    64-66.

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PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS, PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS   University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, September 2016 Participated in a debate at the University of Louisville’s McConnell Center Sept. 16 (“Hamilton v. John Adams: Who’s the MVP of the American Founding?”) and taught three seminars on Hamilton Sept. 17. Patrick Henry College— Purcellville, Virginia, April 2015 “Ordered Liberty and a Free Society: Why the Liberal Arts Matter.” University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, Chattanooga, TN, September 2014 Constitution Day Speaker “American Constitutional Politics in Perspective: Why Parchment Barriers are Insufficient” University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, September 2014 Participated in a debate at the University of Louisville’s McConnell Center Sept. 12 (“Hamilton v. Jefferson: Who’s the MVP of the American Founding?”) and taught three seminars on Hamilton Sept. 13. The debate is available on the web at: Https://vimeo.com/108897252 Hope College, Holland, MI, April 2014 Gave a presentation April 17 on “Religious Freedom and Obamacare’s ‘Contraceptive Mandate.’” The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., April 2013  Gave the Pi Sigma Alpha Induction Address: “Alexander Hamilton and American Constitutionalism.” New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, June 2009 and June 2010 Gave two presentations at New Mexico State University to a Teaching American History Grant conference. Hope College, Holland, MI, April 2009 Gave the Pi Sigma Alpha Induction Address: “Is America Founded?” University of Notre Dame Law School, April 2008 Gave a presentation, “The Theoretical Foundations of the Constitutional and the Federalist Papers” at Notre Dame Law School. Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., January 2008 Participated in a debate January 29, 2008 at Georgetown University sponsored by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute and the Tocqueville Forum on “America: Empire or Republic?” The debate is available on the web at: http://isi.org/lectures/lectures.aspx University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, April 2005 Gave four presentations at the University of Louisville on April 6-7 including the political theory of Eric Voegelin, the Federalist Papers, the moral foundations of politics, and ideology and economic theories. New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, March 2003 Gave two presentations March 13, 2003 at New Mexico State University.  One presentation was on technology in the classroom to faculty and one on constitutional personality which was a campus-wide lecture. Palm Beach Atlantic College, West Palm Beach, Florida, April 2002 Gave three presentations: “The Supreme Court and American Democracy” (given to an American Government class), “Machiavelli and Moral Duty” (to an honors class), and a campus-wide presentation on “Eric Voegelin and the Western Crisis.” WNYC, (public radio station in New York City), March 2001 Was interviewed on Tuesday, March 13, by Dean Olsher for the program “The Next Best Thing.”  The program is broadcast by WNYC.  The topic of the interview was the 250-year anniversary of James Madison's birth.  The program aired on Sunday, March 18. League of Women Voters Debate (Erie, PA), February 19, 2001 Participated in a debate on the Electoral College that was sponsored by the Erie chapter of the League of Women Voters. Mercy Center on Aging (Mercy Hilltop Center) (Erie, PA) Have made several presentations to elderly citizens in Erie area on topics including the Electoral College, Election 2000, War in Iraq, the Gore campaign, the Bush campaign, Clinton impeachment, September 11, and moderated debates between candidates for mayor and city council. The Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, August 3, 2000 & August 2, 2001 Gave two presentations on “The Political Theory of the American Constitution” at the Intermediate Unit (Edinboro, PA and Pittsburgh, PA) for the Center for Civic Education which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education. League of Women Voters-Hershey Area, September 1997 Gave a presentation sponsored by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council entitled, “The Recent Rise of Populism in American Politics.” National Humanities Institute, October 1996 to Present. Co-Director of the Center for Constitutional Studies. Serve as the Director for the Center on Constitutional Studies based in Washington, D.C.  We are currently writing a history of the American Constitution and I am the co-editor of the project. The Junior Statesmen Foundation--Yale University (1994) --Georgetown University (1995/96) Was a faculty member for JSF at the Yale and Georgetown Summer Schools. Taught American Government and was a judge for the Congressional Workshop Program. Penn State-Behrend, January 25, 1996, Participated in a debate, “Religion and the State,” sponsored by the Penn State-Behrend Religious Affairs Council. Pennsylvania Humanities Council, Distinguished Speaker for the 1996-1997 Series. Delivered a presentation in January 1996 entitled, “Is the Constitution Democratic,” to the Hampton Township School District in Allison Park, PA. Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, Inc., Erie Satellite, Founding president of the Greater Pittsburgh Chapter’s Erie Satellite. Member of the Greater Pittsburgh Chapter’s Board of Trustees. International Association of Lions Clubs, Athens, WV Chapter, 1991-1993.

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