CURRICULUM VITAE

Devin Stauffer

Department of Government
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX 78712
devinstauffer@mail.utexas.edu
512-374-9254

Education

Ph.D., Political Science, Boston College, 1998.

B.A., Kenyon College, Magna Cum Laude with Highest Honors in Political Science, 1992.

Professional Appointments

Assistant Professor of Government, The University of Texas at Austin, Fall 2005–present.
	(Promoted to Associate Professor, Fall 2006).

Senior Lecturer, The University of Texas at Austin, Fall 2004–Spring 2005.

Assistant Professor of Political Science, Kenyon College, 1999–2005 (on leave 2004–05).

Tutor, St. John’s College, Annapolis, MD, 1998–99.

Publications
	
Books

The Unity of Plato’s Gorgias: Rhetoric, Justice, and the Philosophic Life. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, April 2006. 191 pages. 
A panel on this book was held at the annual meeting of the American Society for the History of Rhetoric, November 2006.

Plato’s Introduction to the Question of Justice. Albany: SUNY Press, 2001. 144 pages.
Review essays on this book have appeared in Polis (2002) and Interpretation (2003) in addition to brief reviews.

Empire and the Ends of Politics: Plato’s Menexenus and Pericles’ Funeral Oration (with Susan 
Collins). Translations, with an introductory essay and notes.  Newburyport: Focus Philosophical Library, 1999. 54 pages.

Refereed Journal Articles

“Reopening the Quarrel between the Ancients and the Moderns: Leo Strauss’s Critique of 
Hobbes’s ‘New Political Science.’” Accepted for publication by the American Political Science Review. Forthcoming May 2007.  

“Socrates and Callicles: A Reading of Plato’s Gorgias.” The Review of Politics 64 (Fall 2002): 
627-57. 

“The Challenge of Plato’s Menexenus” (with Susan Collins). The Review of Politics 61 (Winter 
1999): 85-115.

Non-Refereed Publications 

Review of Plato and the Virtue of Courage, Linda R. Rabieh. Forthcoming in The Review of 
Politics. 

Review of Talking Democracy: Historical Perspectives on Rhetoric and Democracy, Benedetto 
Fontana, Cary J. Nederman, and Gary Remer, eds. Perspectives on Politics 3 (September 2005): 616-17.

Review of The Idea of Enlightenment: A Post-Mortem Study, by Robert C. Bartlett. Interpretation: 
A Journal of Political Philosophy 31 (Fall 2003): 109-13.

“Pericles’ Funeral Oration” (with Susan Collins). Translation in Liberty, Equality & Modern 
Constitutionalism, edited by George Anastaplo. Newburyport: Focus Philosophical Library, 1999.  Pages 34-38.

Work in Progress

“Hobbes’s Break with the Classical Tradition: Reconsidering the Divide between the Ancients 
and the Moderns.” Book project in progress.

“Thrasymachus’ Attachment to Justice?” Invited chapter to be published in The Book of 
Thrasymachus, edited by David Corey, Jason Maloy, and Cary Nederman.

Papers Presented and Invited Lectures

“Aristotle and Hobbes on the Precision of Political Philosophy.” Lecture delivered in the 
Concordia University Political Theory Speakers Series, Montreal. March 2007.  

“Thrasymachus’ Attachment to Justice?” Paper presented at the American Political Science 
Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia. August 2006.  

“Political Philosophy and Liberal Education.” Lecture delivered at the invitation of the Telluride 
Association Summer Program, University of Texas at Austin. July 2006. 

“Aristotle on the Precision and Method of his Political Philosophy.” Paper presented at the 
Midwest Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Chicago. April 2006.

“Martin Buber’s Response to the Death of God.” Paper presented at the Southern Political 
Science Association Annual Meeting, Atlanta. January 2006.    

“The Difference between Socrates and Xenophon in Leo Strauss’s Account of the Anabasis.” 
Paper presented at the Northeastern Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia. November 2005.  

“The Rhetoric of Hobbes and Plato: A Window into the Divide between the Ancients and the 
Moderns.” Lecture delivered in the Department of Government Political Theory Workshop Series at the University of Texas at Austin. February 2005.

“Virtue and Ambition in Xenophon’s Cyropaedia.” Roundtable paper presented at the 
Southwestern Social Science Association Annual Meeting, San Antonio. April 2004. 

“The Search for Justice in Plato’s Republic.” Lecture delivered at the invitation of the Integrated 
Program in Humane Studies, Kenyon College. October 2003. 

“The Difference between Xenophon and Socrates: Reflections on the Anabasis.” Roundtable 
paper presented at the Southwestern Social Science Association Annual Meeting, San Antonio. April 2003.

“Remarks on Lucretius and the Epicurean Alternative to Socratic Political Philosophy.” 
Roundtable paper presented at the Southwestern Social Science Association Annual Meeting, New Orleans. March 2002.

“Socrates and Callicles: An Interpretation of Plato’s Gorgias.” Lecture delivered in the Bradley 
Foundation Lecture Series at the Institute for the Study of Religion and Politics, Boston College. November 2001. 

“Socrates and Callicles.” Lecture delivered at St. John’s College, Annapolis, MD. October 2001.  
  
“An Introduction to Plato’s Gorgias.” Lecture delivered at St. John’s College, Santa Fe, NM. 
March 2001.  

“The Demand of Glaucon and Adeimantus in Plato’s Republic.” Lecture delivered at the invitation 
of the Integrated Program in Humane Studies, Kenyon College. October 2000.

“Callicles and the Lessons of Plato’s Gorgias.” Paper presented at the American Political Science
Association Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C. September 2000.

“The Question of Justice in the Opening Sections of Plato’s Republic.” Lecture delivered in the 
1999-2000 John M. Olin Lecture Series on “The Lessons of Classical Political Thought for the 21st Century,” The University of Chicago. October 1999.  

“Thrasymachus and the Power of Justice.” Paper presented at the American Political Science 
Association Annual Meeting, Boston. September 1998.

“Justice as a Virtue: A Reflection on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics V.1-2.” Paper presented at 
the Northeast Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia. November 1997.  

“From ‘Owed’ to ‘Fitting’: Socrates’ Examination of Justice at the Beginning of Plato’s 
Republic.” Paper presented at the Southwestern Political Science Association Annual Meeting, New Orleans. March 1997.

“Classical Perspectives on Empire and the Ends of Politics: Plato’s Menexenus and Periclean 
Athens” (with Susan Collins). Paper presented at the American Political Science Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco. August 1996.

Other Professional Activities

Discussant on the panel, “Theory and Practice in Aristotle.” Southern Political Science 
Association Annual Meeting, New Orleans. January 2007.

Respondent on the panel, “Translating Plato Across Languages, Histories, and Disciplines: 
Rhetorical Reflections on The Unity of Plato’s Gorgias by Devin Stauffer.” Panel held at the annual meeting of the American Society for the History of Rhetoric, San Antonio, TX. November, 2006.  

Participant in the conference “Leo Strauss and Politics.” Hosted by the Henry Salvatori Center, 
Claremont, CA. October, 2006.  

Participant in the Program on Politics and Economics. Hosted by the George Mason Law & 
Economics Center, Arlington, VA. June 2006.

Discussant on the panel “Justice, Nature, and Reason from Homer to Aristotle.” Southwestern 
Social Science Association Annual Meeting, San Antonio. April 2006.

Chair of the panel “Religion and Politics: Competing Perspectives.” Southwestern Social Science 
Association Annual Meeting, San Antonio. April 2006.

Discussant on the panel “Ancient and Modern Approaches to Imperialism.” American Political 
Science Association Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C. September 2005. 

Participant in the conference “Law, Virtue, Knowledge, and Liberty in Plato.” Hosted by the 
Liberty Fund, Toronto. August 2005.

Participant in the Lehrman Summer Institute on American Ideals and Institutions. Hosted by 
Princeton University’s James Madison Program, Princeton, NJ. June 2005.

Participant in the symposium “Living Issues in the Thought of Leo Strauss.” Hosted by the Carl 
Friedrich von Siemens Foundation, Munich. June 2002.

Participant in the conference “The Origins of Historicism.” Hosted by the Morton Foundation, 
Boston. January 2001. 

Participant in the conference “Aristophanes and the Civic Role of the Poet in Democracy.” Hosted 
by the Morton Foundation, Toronto. June 2000.

Participant in the conference “Piety and Liberty in Plato’s Political Philosophy.” Hosted by the 
Liberty Fund, Aspen. August 1999.

Participant in the conference “Tyranny and Liberty in Classical Thought.” Hosted by the Liberty 
Fund, New Orleans. February 1999.

Administrative and Professional Service

Member of Graduate Admissions Committee, Department of Government, University of Texas at 
Austin. 2006–present.

Member of Financial Aid Committee, Department of Government, University of Texas at Austin.  
2005-06.

Advisor of graduate students, Department of Government, University of Texas at Austin. 
2005–present.

Member of the Kenyon College Campus Senate. 2000-04.

Advisor in Kenyon Academic Program (KAP), linking Kenyon College with secondary 
school programs throughout Ohio. 2004.

Peer reviewer of teaching, Kenyon College. 2000-2003.

Peer reviewer for American Political Science Review, Ancient Philosophy, The Review of 
Politics, and Interpretation.

Member of the Editorial Board of Interpretation: A Journal of Political Philosophy.

Member of American Political Science Association, Midwest Political Science 
Association, and Southern Political Science Association.

Honors, Awards, and Grants

Award in recognition of excellence of scholarship ($10,000), George Mason Law & Economics 
Center, 2006.
Nominated for the Raymond Dickson Substantial Writing Component Teaching Award, University 
	of Texas at Austin, 2006.
Artinian Award, Southern Political Science Association, 2006.
Nominated for the Friar Centennial Teaching Fellowship, University of Texas at Austin, 2005.
Whiting Foundation Summer Stipend, 2003 (awarded on the basis of teaching excellence).
Whiting Foundation Research Grant, 2001-02 (awarded on the basis of teaching excellence).
Bradley Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellowship, 2000-01.
Nominated by Boston College for the APSA award for the best dissertation in political theory, 
1999.
Bradley Foundation Doctoral Fellowship, Bradley Foundation. 1993-97.
Earhart Foundation Doctoral Fellowship. 1993-94. 
Phi Beta Kappa.

Selected Courses Taught

The Quest for Justice 
The Classical Quest for Justice 
The Modern Quest for Justice
The Problem of Socrates  
Thucydides: War and Philosophy
Politics and Literature 
The Theoretical Foundations of Modern Politics 
Liberalism and Its Critics
Socratic Political Philosophy
Hobbes and the Origins of Modern Natural Right

Research Interests

Classical political thought
The origins of modern liberalism
Religion and politics in early modern thought