This is an abridged, 15-minute excerpt of my conversation with Boston College professor of political science Shep Melnick posted for paid subscribers only. Become a paid subscriber to hear the rest of this episode, read the transcript, and maintain access to a growing archive of independent study sessions.

This is the fourth episode in the Syllabus series, wherein I do a deep dive into a subject with an academic expert.

R. Shep Melnick, Thomas P. O’Neill, Jr. Professor of American Politics at Boston College and co-chair of the Harvard Program on Constitutional Government, has put together a syllabus of readings that we will be working through on the subscriber-only Syllabus podcast series. Every few weeks we’ll do another reading together.

This week, we’re discussing Samuel Huntington, American Politics: The Promise of Disharmony (Harvard University Press, 1983), chs. 1-3.

Next episode we will be reading: Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America, trans. and ed, Delba Winthrop and Harvey C. Mansfield (University of Chicago Press, 2000), Vol. II, Part I, chs. 1-2; Part II, chs. 1-8; Part IV, ch. 6.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wesleyyang.substack.com/subscribe