Next Up on 13: The Center for Freedom and Western Civilization

Back to All Stories

In this episode of 13, join the codirectors of the Center for Freedom and Western Civilization — Professor of Political Science Robert Kraynak and Associate Professor of Art and Art History and Russian and Eurasian Studies Carolyn Guile, director of the Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program — as they discuss the genesis of the group, its mission, and past speakers that they have brought to campus.

The Center for Freedom and Western Civilization is a forum for civic debate and scholarly research that encourages intellectual discourse among students and faculty by promoting a set of ideals that have origins in Western civilization.

Professor Kraynak, who has previously been a guest on 13, specializes in classical and medieval political philosophy, modern political philosophy, and American political theory. His published books include History and Modernity in the Thought of Thomas Hobbes, published by Cornell Press; Christian Faith and Modern Democracy, published by Notre Dame Press; In Defense of Human Dignity, edited with Glenn Tinder (Notre Dame Press, 2003); and Reason, Faith, and Politics, edited with Arthur M. Melzer (Lexington, 2008). In 2006, he received the Colgate Alumni Corporation Distinguished Teaching Award. Professor Kraynak earned his bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and his PhD from Harvard University. 

Professor Guile teaches early modern European art and architecture in the Department of Art and Art History and is the codirector for the Center for Freedom and Western Civilization. Professor Guile is the author of Remarks on Architecture: The Vitruvian Tradition in Enlightenment Poland, published by Pennsylvania State University Press. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of California–Berkeley and her master’s and PhD from Princeton University.

Each episode of 13, Colgate’s biweekly podcast, digs into the work of a University community member by asking 13 questions. Episodes highlight the wide array of academic disciplines at Colgate, with interviews featuring faculty from political science, sociology and anthropology, physics and astronomy, women’s studies, English, Africana and Latin American studies, and many more.

Previous episodes of 13 have featured: Nancy Ries, Joanna Holvey-Bowles, Martin Wong, Pamela Gramlich, Dorsey Spencer Jr., Danielle Nied, Hanna Rodriguez-Farrar, F. Scott Kraly, Kerra Hunter, Joe Levy, Nicki Moore, Ken Valente, Sarah Keen, Daniel Benton ’80, Laura H. Jack, Carrie Keating, Robert Kraynak, Dan Gough, Jennifer Tomlinson, Ana Jimenez, Alicia Simmons, Juan Fernando Ibarra Del Cuentro, Karen Harpp, Kwazi Konadu, Paul McLoughlin II, Anthony Aveni, Robert Garland, Ryan Hall, Craig Hatkoff ’76, Susan Thomson, Nick Kokonas ’91, Jessica Graybill, Brian W. Casey, Jeff Bary, Jennifer Brice, Ellen Percy Kraly, Danielle Lupton, Ynesse Abdul-Malak, Nimanthi Rajasingham, and John Pumilio.

Find 13 on your favorite podcast platform, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.