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Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America with author and historian Giacomo Calabria
The University Club of Albany Foundation is pleased to present a five-part series of talks on Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America with author and historian Giacomo Calabria beginning Wednesday, November 7. The talks will take place at the National Register-listed University Club of Albany, 141 Washington Avenue at Dove Street, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. on consecutive Wednesdays, with a cash bar and light fare available at 5:30 p.m. The series is co-sponsored by Humanities New York.
The series will invite participants
to examine, discuss, and enjoy the history of the United States through the writings of one of its greatest European visitors: Alexis de Tocqueville. Participants will read and discuss both volumes of Tocqueville’s Democracy in America, learn background history, compare his theories to the modern era, and ultimately use his writing to better appreciate and understand the world we live in today.
The program is designed to be interactive and engage individuals of all backgrounds.
The program will run as follows:
- November 7: Introduction: Alexis de Tocqueville & Democracy in America (Volume I)
- November 14: Influence of Democracy on the Action of Intellect in the U.S. (Volume II, Section 1)
- Thanksgiving Week: No Session
- November 28: Influence of Democracy on the Feelings of Americans (Volume II, Section 2)
- December 5: Influence of Democracy on Manners Properly so Called (Volume II, Section 3)
- December 12: Influence of Democratic Ideas & Feelings on Political Society (Volume II, Section 4)
SELECT TEXT: (for in-class readings)
Democracy in America, by Alexis de Tocqueville,
RECOMMENDED: (for supplemental/further research)
Tocqueville in America, by George Wilson Pierson (Johns Hopkins, 1996)
“Democratic Statecraft: Tocqueville’s Democracy in America,” from Introduction to Political Philosophy with Steven B. Smith (Yale),
About the Presenter:
For a dozen years, Calabria has taught
aspects history, literature, and the arts. He has lectured on Machiavellian political psychology at New York University, on William Shakespeare at the Mark Twain House & Museum, on Abraham Lincoln at the New York State Museum, and on narrative medicine at Albany Medical College. He is leading several reading and discussion programs in and around the Capital Region as a scholar for Humanities New York.
Among Calabria’s published works (under the pen-name Jacopo della Quercia) are two novels:
- License to Quill (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2015).
- The Great Abraham Lincoln Pocket Watch Conspiracy (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2014)
Other published writings include:
- "A Machiavellian Discourse on Game of Thrones,” in Game of Thrones vs. History (Wiley, 2017).
- “6 Myths About The US Constitution Too Many People Believe” (Cracked, 2016).
- “Abraham Lincoln’s Steampunk Presidency” (Slate Magazine, 2014).
Calabria’s writings, which he says are aimed at making scholarly research accessible and enjoyable for all audiences, have appeared in publications ranging from Readers Digest to The New York Observer to the Sociedad Tolkien Española Noticias (Spanish Tolkien Society News).
Cost for participation in this series is $12 per session, or $50 for all five. The series is presented by the University Club of Albany Foundation, Inc. and one need not be a member of the University Club to attend. Call the University Club at 518-463-1151 or click below to reserve your seat.
