Great Leaders & Great Biographies

“The proper method for the study of politics is biography,” wrote a distinguished academic. Yet the lives of eminent statesmen, though often the subject of great (and popular) books, are rarely the subject of college syllabi. This virtual fellowship, led by national security scholar Vance Serchuk, will use the rigorous study of great biography to investigate a wider set of questions about geopolitics, leadership, and human character.

The inaugural seminar of this fellowship series will be devoted to Charles de Gaulle, the mythic general who rallied the Free French during World War II and later founded the Fifth Republic of France. The seminar will be organized around the acclaimed one-volume biography of de Gaulle by British historian Julian Jackson. Subsequent seminars in this series will explore similar larger-than-life leaders.

Through readings and seminar discussions, fellows will explore the life, worldview, methods, and personality of Charles de Gaulle. In doing so, they will explore the world-historical events that both shaped his fate and that he himself shaped: the decline of French power amidst the rise of Germany; France’s pyrrhic victory in the First World War and its total collapse during the Second; its political and social upheavals from the 1930s to the 1960s; its wrenching extrications from Vietnam and Algeria; and its struggle to establish a new role for itself in a world dominated by a new set of great powers whose capabilities dwarfed its own.

The seminar will study de Gaulle’s triumphs and defeats—how he came to power, responded to crises, and pursued his objectives—and in doing so, examine the sources of his “greatness” and “grandeur.” Guest speakers will participate in the seminar, as well, including both scholars and national security leaders. Fellows will have the opportunity to reflect on the role of individual personality in history and what makes for great leadership—and also great biography.

Speakers to be announced.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

Vance Serchuk on Studying De Gaulle

Fellows will meet for seven evening sessions, held from 6 PM to 8 PM ET on Tuesdays via Zoom. Each fellow will be tasked with two brief reflection papers (1,000-1,500 words) during the course.

Faculty & Speakers

Faculty
Speaker

Vance Serchuk

KKR Institute

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Vance Serchuk

KKR Institute
Vance Serchuk is Executive Director of the KKR Global Institute and an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security. Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Serchuk served for six years as the senior national security advisor to Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-Connecticut).

Featured Publication

2019
Russia’s Middle East Power Play

Vance Serchuk
View More

Preview the Syllabus by Week/Session

Session I (Sept. 14): De Gaulle before ‘De Gaulle’

Readings:

Julian Jackson, De Gaulle, pp. xxix–124

Session II (Sept. 21): Exile & Resistance

Readings:

Julian Jackson, De Gaulle, pp. 125–223

Session III (Sept. 28): Liberation

Readings:

Julian Jackson, De Gaulle, pp. 224–334

Reading Break

Session IV (Oct. 12): The Desert

Readings:

Julian Jackson, De Gaulle, pp. 335–506

Session V (Oct. 19): In Power

Readings:

Julian Jackson, De Gaulle, pp. 507–645

Session VI (Oct. 26): Final Chapter

Readings:

Julian Jackson, De Gaulle, pp. 646–778

Writing Break

Session VII (Nov. 9): Reflections

Readings:

Julian Jackson, De Gaulle

Who Should Apply

This highly competitive fellowship is open to advanced college undergraduates, graduate students, and young professionals. Up to 15 fellows will be selected to participate. Fellows will meet for seven evening sessions, held from 6 PM to 8 PM ET on Tuesdays via Zoom.

The final deadline to apply is Monday, May 10, 2021.

Application Requirements

CV or résumé
Personal Statement

Why do you want to participate in this fellowship? Describe your background, your intellectual interests, and your future ambitions as they relate to the fellowship (1,000 words or less)
Two professional references

Names and contact information of two individuals who can speak to your background and interests as they relate to the program
A professional writing sample

5 pages maximum

Apply Now

Alumni Spotlight

Reagan Hedlund

Reagan Hedlund has served in multiple foreign policy positions both in the U.S. and abroad, including stints with the House of Representatives, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and various political campaigns. She participated in Hertog’s “Great Figures of the 20th Century” Weekend Seminars in Winter 2016, with sessions on Winston Churchill, David Ben-Gurion, Ronald Reagan, and Margaret Thatcher.

“Part of being effective on the Hill and on presidential campaigns is understanding past leaders and what they’ve done well. The Hertog program I did was focused on leaders and examining, with a critical eye what they’ve done well, what they did in regard to communications, building allies, working with other countries—principles that are timeless.”

Reagan Hedlund

Current Position:

Foreign Policy Analyst
Past:

U.S. Department of State; Office of Representative Mike Pompeo; Facebook
Education:

Stanford University, Peking University, London School of Economics

TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR CAREER PATH. HOW DOES HERTOG FIT IN TO YOUR PROFESSIONAL GOALS?

I do foreign policy, and I want to continue to stay involved in politics. Part of being effective on the Hill and on presidential campaigns is understanding past leaders and what they’ve done well. The Hertog program I did was focused on leaders and examining, with a critical eye but also positive themes, domestic and foreign leaders. What they’ve done well, what they did in regard to communications, building allies, working with other countries—principles that are timeless.

It was also a great way to meet other like-minded and serious people in DC and get to know some of the instructors. I feel like I’ll be friends with people from Hertog for a very long time.

WHAT STICKS OUT IN YOUR MEMORY ABOUT YOUR EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE WITH HERTOG PROGRAMS?

It’s a chance to learn in a way that is rare for professionals, but also rare in a university setting. Due to the caliber of the instructors and the intense, high level of discussion, it feels like you’re back in college. But the things you’re talking about are elevated because you’ve had additional professional experience, and you’re speaking with both theleading expert on these issues and with people who have had some sort of experience with that same topic. It’s not as though the students just did their reading for class and showed up; they’re personally invested. So it’s kind of like college on steroids.

DO YOU THINK HERTOG PROGRAMS ARE BENEFICIAL FOR YOUNG PEOPLE INTERESTED IN PUBLIC POLICY AND LEGISLATION?

There is a lack of ability and time to dig into issues, particularly those that are most important for our country. The principles that we discussed in each of the “Great Figures” seminars are still applicable today. There were many times when the discussion turned from talking about how a certain leader dealt with a particular issue—whether it was nativism or trade or a deficit—to how we’re dealing with those concerns today.

Hertog is also a way to distinguish yourself. I’m on the nerd spectrum; I loved college, and I loved grad school. There are book events and things of that nature here in DC, but there’s a lack of opportunities to really dig into these important issues in an academic setting.

WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 10 YEARS? IN A SIMILAR JOB, OR EMBARKING ON SOMETHING DIFFERENT?

Hopefully, we’ll have a Republican president then, and I’d like to be a foreign policy advisor for whoever that is!

Fellowship Components

Seminars

The fellowship will proceed by means of conversation and discussion, not by lecture. Fellows will meet for seven evening seminars, held on Tuesdays via Zoom.

Reflection Papers

Each fellow will be tasked with writing two brief reflection papers (1,000-1,500 words). For the first paper, each fellow will be assigned a discussion question from the syllabus and will help lead discussion on their assigned day. For the second paper, all fellows will submit a final reflection for our closing session.