UNews - John von Heyking

Von Heyking book explores friendship as a key component of the political process

trevor.kenney — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 20:44:12 +0000

The genesis of a book project can come from anywhere and in the case of Dr. John von Heyking’s latest publication, The Form of Politics, it was spawned by a simple class discussion.

“The germ of it came when I was doing a reading group with some undergraduate students,” says von Heyking, a professor in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Department of Political Science. “We were discussing Greek political thought on friendship and at one point I put down my glasses and said, ‘There’s nothing else that’s worth talking about in politics. This is where the action is, everything else leads to this’. The intervening years have filled out that insight.”

The book considers the writings of Aristotle and Plato and examines the role that friendship plays in the political arena. It’s a concept von Heyking admits gives many people pause for thought, especially in the context of today’s divisive political landscape.

“People sometimes look at me weirdly when they find out I’m writing about politics and friendship but the more I got into it, the more I came to realize how important friendship is for people who are practically engaged in politics,” he says. “It does exist today but I’ll admit, it’s pretty frayed, and there are a lot of things that inhibit it. Political friendship is predicated on the willingness of people to deliberate together, and that means face-to-face. Of course it’s going to get heated because there is a lot at stake but as long as people are arguing, that’s a sign of health. When they stop arguing is when the trouble starts.”

Von Heyking says the writings of the great Greek philosophers have been studied for centuries but he still finds relevance in their lessons.

“There’s a kind of symmetry between what the philosophers are saying and what people actually do in politics,” he says. “What the book does is lay the roadmap for what it means for friendship to be a central category of statecraft, in terms of citizenship and in terms of the effective ties that bind together a society.”

He makes reference to great statesmen of history, Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln, as examples of politicians who practiced these principles throughout their political lives. Von Heyking has also examined multiple Canadian politicians and the ties of friendship that bound them together, despite their opposing political beliefs.

“I would argue that even if one of us is liberal, the other conservative, we don’t have to be best friends, but if we don’t have an experience of deep-seated, morally-serious friendships at some point in our lives, then it is harder for us to view each other as persons with unique histories,” he says.

Pointing to the widening gulf of understanding between American politicians, von Heyking says a concerted effort has been made in recent history to limit fraternization between opposing members of Congress, which has led to a deteriorating sense of understanding.

“The congressional schedule was changed in the 1990s that obliged members to spend more time with their constituencies. While serving that purpose, it also made it far more difficult for members to socialize with one another,” he says. “The problem with that is, you tend not to see the ‘other side’ as people anymore. It’s hard to demonize somebody whose kids go to school with and play with your kids but that doesn’t happen anymore.”

While von Heyking is the first to defend political debate, he argues that it must come from a shared experience.

“Partisan differences are fine, you must have diversity of opinions and interests, but the trick is how you weave them together. Finding institutions and forums for common deliberations is important,” he says.

Now that the book is out, von Heyking is already on to his next project, which ironically came from writing the introduction to The Form of Politics. Using Churchill and Lincoln as examples to illustrate the timelessness of the writings of Aristotle and Plato, he quickly realized a paragraph or two couldn’t fully explore the significance of this connection. Therefore, Churchill is the focus of his next manuscript.

“When it comes to political philosophy and thinking about friendship, the thing I found is that you have to understand everything you can about these thinkers in order to understand what they are saying about friendship,” he says. “For them, friendship is kind of the pinnacle of one’s moral life, it is what it means to be a human being.”

The Form of Politics is available through McGill-Queen’s ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Press in cloth, paperback and eBook formats.

Alumnus Wensveen recognized by Carleton ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ for master's thesis

trevor.kenney — Tue, 05 Nov 2013 17:11:57 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge alumnus Jonathan Wensveen (BA ’11) is being honoured by Carleton ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ with a Senate Medal for Outstanding Academic Achievement after his graduate student’s thesis was deemed to be among the best submitted at the Ottawa, Ont. university this year.

His thesis, entitled Human Nature in Hobbes and Thucydides, challenges the notion argued by many political theory and international relations scholars that Hobbes’s interpretation of human nature is taken directly from Thucydides. Wensveen surmises that, although Hobbes and Thucydides share similar interpretations of human nature, there nevertheless remains a fundamental difference between how each thinker (one wholly modern and the other wholly ancient) understands the human condition – a difference that many scholars fail to recognize.

In reflecting on the award, Wensveen says he is passionate about the research topics he pursues and that being recognized in this manner is even more satisfying.

“I am honoured to have been awarded a Senate Medal for Outstanding Academic Achievement. In my view, I’ve been awarded for doing what I love to do – reading and studying the great books – and it doesn’t get much better than that.”

U of L political science professor Dr. John von Heyking says Wensveen’s work is a valuable contribution to the field of political science.

“Jonathan Wensveen's thesis is an outstanding example of how one looks to great philosophical and political thinkers, in his case Thucydides and Thomas Hobbes, to illuminate contemporary political debate and issues,” says von Heyking. “His work helps us to look further and deeper into just what a "realistic" political program looks like, which makes us better able to be more practical in our political decision-making.”

Wensveen, a native of Lethbridge, is currently applying to a number of universities to pursue his doctoral studies.

Honouring long service

trevor.kenney — Tue, 17 May 2011 21:24:26 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ held its annual Long Service Awards and Retirement Recognition Ceremony recently, honouring 116 employees who have completed 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 years of service. A total of 23 retiring employees were also honoured.

Following is a list of honoured employees.

RETIREES

Art Aitken, Dayna Daniels, Richard Epp, Rex Forsyth, Eldon Gardner, Wolfgang Holzmann, Bill Hudgins, Joan Kendall, Leslie Lavers, Lucie Linhart, Gerald McConaghy, Linda McLeod, Ken Nicol, Seamus O'Shea, Doug Parker, Ramrattie Ramtej, Donna Seyed Mahmoud, Ches Skinner, Philippe Teillet, Linda Van Esch, Wendy Vogel, Nick Wade and Ian Wells

LONG SERVICE RECIPIENTS

40 Years | Maria Draper

35 Years | Chris Charles, Bryan Kolb, Peter McCormick and Gerda VanderFluit

30 Years | Jane Allan, Cheryl Calver, Dayna Daniels, Gayle Durand, Rex Forsyth, Laurel Hamilton, Jay Johnston, Linda Kucheran, Greg Martin, David Naylor, Shari Platt and Leanne Wehlage-Ellis

25 Years | Shamsul Alam, Lana Barton, Bryson Brown, Cathy Campbell, Patricia Chuchryk, Leslie Gatner, Allan Gergel, Nancy Grigg, Tyler Hayward, Mary Anne Hellinga, Wolfgang Holzmann, Bill Hudgins, Margaret Joblonkay, Kas Mazurek, Alice Miller, Richard Mrazek, Thomas Robinson, Doug Ross, Jadranka Smiljanec, Brian Sullivan, Richard Tedesco, David Townsend, Sandy Wiest and Joan Zimmer

20 Years | Patti-Jo Aiken, Linda Anderson, Roberto Aragon-Garcia, Jochen Bocksnick, Carl Budny, James Byrne, Peter Dibble, Deborah Grant, Bill Halma, Andrew Hurly, Janet Macdonald, Karen McCallum, Louise Miller, Al Mueller, Claudia Notzke, Sergio Pellis, Dwayne Pepin, Vern Peterson, Maria Quinteros, Kathy Schrage, Colleen Sullivan, Brian Titley, Donna Townley and Mark Walton

15 Years | Doug Berry, James Dobbie, Jackie Edwards, Lance Grigg,
Michelle Hogue, Marie Matkin, Ian McAdam, Gerald McConaghy, Chris Moroz, Jeff Oliver, Derek Peddle, Michael Perry, John Poulsen, William Ramp, Keith Roscoe, Elizabeth Schultz, Ivan Townshend and Kenneth Vos

10 Years | Louise Arsenault, Stella Baah, Brenda Bell, Donald Birchfield, Ryan Buckman, Jill Cassidy, Lorena deLange, Christopher Epplett, Margaret Forgie, Don Gill, Bill Glaister, Val Hill, Patricia Horrocks, Nancy Hosgood, Frank Huss, Deborah Jarvie, Helen Kelley, Carol Knibbs, Keith Knowles, Josh Korthuis, Christopher Kukucha, Greg Lacey, Corie Lazenby, Wayne Lippa, Karen Mahar, Jeremiah Merkl, Josephine Mills, Joy Morris, Chris Nicol, Chris Picken, Jeremy Pierson, Mike Pinder, Catharine Reader, Michael Robinson, Victor Rodych, Tammy Rogness, Mark Sabo, Robin Schafthuizen, Shelley Scott, Behnam Seyed Mahmoud, Gerry Ste. Marie, Robert Sutherland, William Tietz, Raquel Trillia, John von Heyking, Kevin Ward, Katherine Wasiak, Robert Williams, Barbara Williams, Jim Wishloff, Robert Wood and Jing Zhu

To view the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

An opportunity to honour faculty achievement

trevor.kenney — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 20:52:13 +0000

Following is a list of those receiving awards, and the books they authored.

2011 Book Award Recipients
Pamela Adams, The Essential Equation
Yale D. Belanger, ed. Aboriginal Self-Government in Canada
Yale D. Belanger, Ways of Knowing
Reginald W. Bibby, The Emerging Millennials
Glenda Tibe Bonifacio, ed. Gender, Religion, and Migration
Bryson Brown, ed. On Preserving
Michael Campbell, Field Recordings of Icebergs Melting
Cynthia M. Chambers, Life Writing and Literary Métissage as an Ethos for Our Times
Andrea M. Cuéllar, The Quijos Chiefdoms
Dayna B. Daniels, Polygendered and Ponytailed
Alexander Darku, Empirical Essays in Open Economy Macroeconomics
Richard G. Delisle, Les Philosophies du Néo-Darwinisme
Elizabeth A. Galway, From Nursery Rhymes to Nationhood
Trudy Govier, A Practical Study of Argument
Geoffrey Hale, ed. Borders and Bridges
John S. Harding, Introduction to the Study of Religion
John S. Harding, Mahāyāna Phoenix
John S. Harding, ed. Wild Geese
Trevor W. Harrison, 21st Century Japan
Erika Hasebe-Ludt, Life Writing and Literary Métissage as an Ethos for Our Times
David J. Hay, The Military Leadership of Matilda of Canossa, 1046-1115
M. Gordon Hunter, ed. Handbook of Research on Information Management and the Global Landscape
M. Gordon Hunter, Little Empires
M. Gordon Hunter, ed. Selected Readings on Strategic Information Systems
M. Gordon Hunter, ed. Strategic Information Systems
M. Gordon Hunter, ed. Technological Advancement in Developed and Developing Countries
Dan Johnson, Grasshopper Identification & Control Methods
Edward Jurkowski, ed. Eduard Tubin
Dan Kazakoff, Little Empires
Abdie Kazemipur, Social Capital and Diversity
Abdie Kazemipur, The Generation X
Lynn Kennedy, Born Southern
Bryan Kolb, Introduction to Brain & Behavior
Igor Kovalchuk, ed. Genome Instability and Transgenerational Effects
Igor Kovalchuk, ed. Plant Epigenetics
Olga Kovalchuk, ed. Genome Instability and Transgenerational Effects
Christopher J. Kukucha, The Provinces and Canadian Foreign Trade Policy
James R. Linville, Amos and the Cosmic Imagination
Claudia Malacrida, ed. Sociology of the Body
Jennifer Mather, Octopus
Ian McAdam, Magic and Masculinity in Early Modern English Drama
Susan A. McDaniel, ed. Ageing: Key Issues for the Twenty-First Century
Susan A. McDaniel, Close Relations
Kevin M. McGeough, ed. American Schools of Oriental Research Archaeological Reports
Kevin M. McGeough, The Romans: An Introduction
Sheila McManus, ed. One Step Over the Line
Craig Monk, Writing the Lost Generation
Dave Witte Morris, Ergodic Theory, Groups, and Geometry
Richard E. Mueller, ed. Pursuing Higher Education in Canada
Richard E. Mueller, ed. Who Goes? Who Stays? What Matters?
Maria N. Ng, Pilgrimages
Janay Nugent, ed. Finding the Family in Medieval and Early Modern Scotland
Kent A. Peacock, The Quantum Revolution
Sergio Pellis, The Playful Brain
Sergio Pellis, Sex Differences
Adriana Predoi-Cross, ed. Infrared Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Accelerator Based Sources
Janice Rahn, ed. Viewfinding
Thomas A. Robinson, Ignatius of Antioch and the Parting of the Ways
Hillary Rodrigues, Introduction to the Study of Religion
Deborah Saucier, Psychology
Shelley Scott, Nightwood Theatre
Jonathan P. Seldin, Lambda-Calculus and Combinators
Gongbing Shan, Arts Biomechanics
Amy J. Shaw, Crisis of Conscience
Alan Siaroff, Comparing Political Regimes
Michael Stingl, ed. The Price of Compassion
James Thomas, Production of High Quality Fenugreek
Brian Titley, The Indian Commissioners
David Townsend, The Essential Equation
Peter Visentin, Arts Biomechanics
Amy von Heyking, Teaching with Dear Canada
John von Heyking, ed. Civil Religion in Political Thought
John von Heyking, ed. Friendship & Politics
Judith Whitehead, Development and Dispossession in the Narmada Valley
Ian Q. Whishaw, Introduction to Brain & Behavior
Patrick C. Wilson, ed. Editing Eden
Pamela J.T. Winsor, The Language Experience Approach to Literacy for Children Learning English
Margret A. Winzer, Children with Exceptionalities in Canadian Classrooms
Margret A. Winzer, From Integration to Inclusion
Walter Wymer, ed. The Routledge Companion to Nonprofit Marketing

For a look at the March issue of the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ celebrates faculty authors

trevor.kenney — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 16:33:47 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is celebrating the achievements of faculty members who authored books in the past two years with the 2011 Book Awards.

A public reception will be held in the Markin Hall Atrium on Wednesday, Mar. 16, beginning at 3 p.m.

Following is a list of those receiving awards, and the books they authored.

2011 Book Award Recipients

Pamela Adams, The Essential Equation
Yale D. Belanger, ed. Aboriginal Self-Government in Canada
Yale D. Belanger, Ways of Knowing
Reginald W. Bibby, The Emerging Millennials
Glenda Tibe Bonifacio, ed. Gender, Religion, and Migration
Bryson Brown, ed. On Preserving
Michael Campbell, Field Recordings of Icebergs Melting
Cynthia M. Chambers, Life Writing and Literary Métissage as an Ethos for Our Times
Andrea M. Cuéllar, The Quijos Chiefdoms
Dayna B. Daniels, Polygendered and Ponytailed
Alexander Darku, Empirical Essays in Open Economy Macroeconomics
Richard G. Delisle, Les Philosophies du Néo-Darwinisme
Elizabeth A. Galway, From Nursery Rhymes to Nationhood
Trudy Govier, A Practical Study of Argument
Geoffrey Hale, ed. Borders and Bridges
John S. Harding, Introduction to the Study of Religion
John S. Harding, Mahāyāna Phoenix
John S. Harding, ed. Wild Geese
Trevor W. Harrison, 21st Century Japan
Erika Hasebe-Ludt, Life Writing and Literary Métissage as an Ethos for Our Times
David J. Hay, The Military Leadership of Matilda of Canossa, 1046-1115
M. Gordon Hunter, ed. Handbook of Research on Information Management and the Global Landscape
M. Gordon Hunter, Little Empires
M. Gordon Hunter, ed. Selected Readings on Strategic Information Systems
M. Gordon Hunter, ed. Strategic Information Systems
M. Gordon Hunter, ed. Technological Advancement in Developed and Developing Countries
Dan Johnson, Grasshopper Identification & Control Methods
Edward Jurkowski, ed. Eduard Tubin
Dan Kazakoff, Little Empires
Abdie Kazemipur, Social Capital and Diversity
Abdie Kazemipur, The Generation X
Lynn Kennedy, Born Southern
Bryan Kolb, Introduction to Brain & Behavior
Igor Kovalchuk, ed. Genome Instability and Transgenerational Effects
Igor Kovalchuk, ed. Plant Epigenetics
Olga Kovalchuk, ed. Genome Instability and Transgenerational Effects
Christopher J. Kukucha, The Provinces and Canadian Foreign Trade Policy
James R. Linville, Amos and the Cosmic Imagination
Claudia Malacrida, ed. Sociology of the Body
Jennifer Mather, Octopus
Ian McAdam, Magic and Masculinity in Early Modern English Drama
Susan A. McDaniel, ed. Ageing: Key Issues for the Twenty-First Century
Susan A. McDaniel, Close Relations
Kevin M. McGeough, ed. American Schools of Oriental Research Archaeological Reports
Kevin M. McGeough, The Romans: An Introduction
Sheila McManus, ed. One Step Over the Line
Craig Monk, Writing the Lost Generation
Dave Witte Morris, Ergodic Theory, Groups, and Geometry
Richard E. Mueller, ed. Pursuing Higher Education in Canada
Richard E. Mueller, ed. Who Goes? Who Stays? What Matters?
Maria N. Ng, Pilgrimages
Janay Nugent, ed. Finding the Family in Medieval and Early Modern Scotland
Kent A. Peacock, The Quantum Revolution
Sergio Pellis, The Playful Brain
Sergio Pellis, Sex Differences
Adriana Predoi-Cross, ed. Infrared Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Accelerator Based Sources
Janice Rahn, ed. Viewfinding
Thomas A. Robinson, Ignatius of Antioch and the Parting of the Ways
Hillary Rodrigues, Introduction to the Study of Religion
Deborah Saucier, Psychology
Shelley Scott, Nightwood Theatre
Jonathan P. Seldin, Lambda-Calculus and Combinators
Gongbing Shan, Arts Biomechanics
Amy J. Shaw, Crisis of Conscience
Alan Siaroff, Comparing Political Regimes
Michael Stingl, ed. The Price of Compassion
James Thomas, Production of High Quality Fenugreek
Brian Titley, The Indian Commissioners
David Townsend, The Essential Equation
Peter Visentin, Arts Biomechanics
Amy von Heyking, Teaching with Dear Canada
John von Heyking, ed. Civil Religion in Political Thought
John von Heyking, ed. Friendship & Politics
Judith Whitehead, Development and Dispossession in the Narmada Valley
Ian Q. Whishaw, Introduction to Brain & Behavior
Patrick C. Wilson, ed. Editing Eden
Pamela J.T. Winsor, The Language Experience Approach to Literacy for Children Learning English
Margret A. Winzer, Children with Exceptionalities in Canadian Classrooms
Margret A. Winzer, From Integration to Inclusion
Walter Wymer, ed. The Routledge Companion to Nonprofit Marketing

UNews - John von Heyking

Von Heyking book explores friendship as a key component of the political process

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Alumnus Wensveen recognized by Carleton ��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ for master's thesis

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Honouring long service

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Alumnus Wensveen recognized by Carleton ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ for master's thesis

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ celebrates faculty authors