Good leadership is essential for a just political order. But we are often not able to characterize such leadership with precision. And even though nobody doubts leadership’s importance, we are unsure about how to cultivate or teach it. Great works of literature are enduring sources of wisdom to address both the shape and proper cultivation of good leadership. The Center for Civics, Culture, and Society and the Humanities Center at Miami University are proud to host a three-day symposium on Literature and Leadership. Renowned scholars and teachers will come together from November 18-20, 2025 at Miami to conduct public lectures and conversations and lead seminars for students. Authors discussed and taught will include Plutarch, Shakespeare, Benjamin Franklin, and Mark Twain. 

Eliot A. Cohen is the Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and professor emeritus at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), where he has taught since 1990. His books include, most recently, The Hollow Crown: Shakespeare on How Leaders Rise, Rule, and Fall (Basic Books, 2023), as well as The Big Stick: The Limits of Soft Power and the Necessity of Military Force (Basic Books, 2017). He was a director in the Defense Department’s policy planning staff and from 2007 to 2009 he was counselor of the Department of State, serving as Secretary Condoleezza Rice’s senior adviser, focusing chiefly on issues of war and peace, including Iraq and Afghanistan. He is a contributing writer at The Atlantic, and his commentary has also appeared in the Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and on major television networks.