Dr. Casey Wheatland
Assistant Professor of Political Science
Assistant Professor of Political Science
Dr. Casey J. Wheatland was born and raised on a farm outside of Ottawa, Illinois–which is best known as the home of the first Lincoln-Douglas debate. He did his undergraduate studies in history and political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from the Van Andel Graduate School of Statesmanship at Hillsdale College.
Dr. Wheatland frequently teaches courses in American politics and political theory. His research and teaching interests include classical and early modern political thought, American political thought and institutions, the American Founding and its reception, national security, and the relationship between war and politics. He has published on topics ranging from Thucydides to modern American national identity. In addition to his work at New College of Florida, Dr. Wheatland is also an affiliated faculty member with the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, for whom he has given talks and led seminars on topics such as Xenophon, Machiavelli, George Washinton, and the French and American Revolutions. He is currently working on projects related to national security and American constitutionalism, the role of lawgiving in Niccolo Machiavelli’s political thought, and nationhood and national identity in the political theory of the American Founding.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT?
This is a place for serious inquiry. If you want to think and to know and are willing to work for it, this is the college for you.
WHAT MAKES NEW COLLEGE OF
FLORIDA SO UNIQUE?
Students at New College of Florida have the opportunity to pursue their own lines of inquiry through tutorials and senior theses. Students here have tremendous freedom of thought and have the opportunity to work closely with their professors. The independence of thought coupled with individual attention from faculty members is the best recipe I’ve ever seen for cultivating a student’s intellect.
IF YOUR STUDENTS COULD READ ONE BOOK TO PREPARE FOR YOUR CLASS, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
It’s impossible to choose just one, so I’ll choose two: Aristotle’s Ethics and Politics. Together these two books are the best introduction to the study of politics and human nature.