Byham, Jack
Jack Byham began his Ph.D. at Michigan State in the fall of 2008. Originally from Meadville, Pennsylvania, he graduated from Hiram College with a B.A. in political science. In the spring of 2003 Jack interned at the U.S. Department of Labor, where he acted as a liaison between Congressional offices and the Labor department. During the summer of 2006 he traveled to Bolivia, South America. This trip widened his perspective of and deepened his appreciation for other cultures, and increased his gratitude for the stability of American government. Jack enjoys and is interested in many things. Among them are music, golf, basketball, and philosophy, especially political philosophy. In the years between Hiram and Michigan State (3 years) Jack worked with children and teens whose aversive behavior put them at risk for requiring more restrictive environments. He also worked as a support staff with the Arc of the Central Chesapeake Region in Maryland. At Michigan State his major field is political theory and his minor field is comparative politics. Jack was first drawn to the study of political philosophy by reading Nietzsche at Hiram. Among the questions in which he is personally interested are: What is the value of classical political philosophy for us today in the 21st century? Is American religious life growing or diminishing in strength, and what will the political effect of that be? Also, how should America’s foreign policy be shaped in the light of an increasingly hostile international climate?
Political theory
Expected Completion: 2013
209 S. Kedzie
Committee: Arthur Melzer, Jerry Weinberger, Steve Kautz, Ani Sarkissian
