Zachary German

Zachary German is an Assistant Professor in the Institute of American Civics, part of the Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His research focuses on questions of statesmanship, political culture and civic character, civic education, politics and religion, and constitutional design as they relate to American political and constitutional thought, as well as early modern thought. His published and ongoing research includes work on Montesquieu, Adam Smith, James Madison, the American Founding more generally, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, C.S. Lewis, Hamilton: An American Musical, humility as a constitutional virtue for judges, and localism.

German teaches courses on political thought, leadership, and constitutionalism, largely but not exclusively in the American context. He has also contributed to a number of K-12 education initiatives, including teacher workshops and high-school summer programs centered around civic education. 

Prior to his position at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, German served as an Assistant Professor at Arizona State University’s School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Lee University, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science, with subfields in Constitutional Studies and Political Theory, from the University of Notre Dame. 

Research Interest:

American Political and Constitutional Thought
Civic Education
Political Culture and Civic Character
Politics and Religion
Constitutional Design
Early Modern Political Thought
Statesmanship