Katherine Robiadek taught in the Core Curriculum in AY20190-20. A political theorist who loves to discuss the role human imagination plays in justice and the good life, she has broad interests in the history of ancient through contemporary political thought. At the time of her involvement in Core, her research focused on Renaissance, or early modern, political theory. Specifically, she was studying the ways European writers from the period—like Machiavelli, Hobbes, Cervantes, and Spinoza—value human creativity as a basis for political equality. In her scholarly work, she argues that this praise for the worth of human creativity then affected the theoretical development of more democratic forms of European and American republicanism.
Her work on creativity and democracy also infuses her approach to teaching, which emphasizes practicing both critical and creative thinking skills as especially useful for civic life. Moreover, she has made an effort to hone such skills herself through the art of dance and choreography, with recent forays into improvisational theatre and a renewed interest in experimenting with different forms of written poetry.