In spring 2023, Professor Emeritus of Political Science James Morone gave the final lecture of his extremely popular class, POLS 0220: “City Politics.” Students, fellow professors, alums and even President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 packed the lecture hall to see Morone say goodbye to a course that he taught for over 40 years.
Five semesters since that lecture, Morone and colleagues celebrated his retirement at a Thursday event organized by the Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy. After his last “City Politics” lecture, Morone transitioned into retirement, teaching his last course in 2024 and taking a step back from advising responsibilities.
Thursday’s event honored Morone’s career through panel discussions about his scholarly work before concluding with remarks from Morone himself.
“Morone was one of Brown’s most popular professors and a distinguished scholar, so it is fitting to celebrate his illustrious career with this event,” wrote Eric Patashnik, the director of the Taubman Center and a professor of public policy and political science, in an email to The Herald.
Panelists discussed Morone’s contribution to the study of American political culture, highlighting three of Morone’s books: “Hellfire Nation,” “The Democratic Wish” and “Republic of Wrath.” To Patashnik, these books “illuminate key aspects of the current moment, including growing polarization, the resurgence of right-wing populism and ‘us versus them’ conflicts in our political culture.”
Through these and other works, Morone made a name for himself as “a luminary in the field of political science,” said Corey Brettschneider, a professor of political science who worked alongside Morone for over 20 years.
With this event, the Taubman Center brought “luminaries from around the country to comment on our own luminary,” Brettschneider added.
It was “no surprise” that every panel had a full audience, Sidney Milkis, a professor of politics at the University of Virginia, told The Herald. Milkis, who traveled from the UVA to attend the celebration, said he holds “unlimited love” for Morone, describing him as a colleague and friend of over 40 years.
Suzanne Mettler, a professor of American institutions at Cornell, said she immediately recognized Morone as “the master of ceremonies” when she met him at a meeting of the American Political Science Association over three decades ago.
He was “so vibrant, brimming over with ideas,” she noted before beginning her panel titled “‘Hellfire Nation’ and Jim’s contribution to the study of American political culture.”
Other panelists hailed from institutions such as Boston College, Johns Hopkins University and The University of Chicago. Some audience members traveled from as far as Wisconsin.
Over his 42 years at Brown, Morone estimated that he taught around 10,000 students in his “City Politics” class alone. In that time, he became known across campus as “the City Politics professor,” Morone said in an interview with The Herald.
But his impact was not limited to POLS 0220: He estimates that he taught around 150 different classes on a range of political topics during his time on College Hill.
Balancing his passion for teaching with his contributions to the broader field of American political science was “frenzied” at times, Morone said. Teaching turned out to be helpful for his research and writing. Occasionally, Morone would test out book ideas on his classes, using students’ blank looks or enthusiastic engagement as a sign of whether he should pursue a topic further.
With his many publications and fervent engagement with American politics, Morone’s name “is included among the greats” in the field, said Shankar Prasad PhD’06, one of Morone’s mentees.
The event was “exactly the way I would want to celebrate” him, Prasad added.
Morone said it was “such an honor for people who are that accomplished … to spend some time thinking about what I’ve done”
After decades at the University, Morone told The Herald he is leaving with a “web of friendships” in the Department of Political Science. But the celebration doesn’t “feel like so much of a goodbye, so much as a celebration of 42 years,” he added.
Morone spent his first year of retirement traveling around the world while continuing to expand his knowledge. After all, “if you’re going to retire,” he said, “you’d better make it worthwhile.”
Maya Kelly is a senior staff writer from Providence who covers business and development. A concentrator in urban studies and data fluency, she is passionate about intersecting storytelling with data analysis. When Maya's not at The Herald, you can find her hanging from an aerial silk, bullet journaling or in the middle of a forest.
