Michael Kraus, Frederick C. Dirks professor of Political Science and director of Russian and East European Studies, has a life that is, to say the least, worth writing home about. His spacious office, filled with books and journals and documents of all shapes and colors, is a testament to all that he has seen. Kraus himself recounts his multihued story with supreme ease of manner, always humble, always down-to-earth, occasionally letting loose a rich, infectious laugh.
Growing up in Prague under communist rule, Kraus had both been witness to political vicissitudes at home and lived in the free world. Having failed to return to Prague from a five-month stint in Birmingham, England in 1969 — for which he was tried in absentia and sentenced to one year in prison — he would go to study for a longer term in America following an invitation by a second cousin.
It was the vagaries of life itself, and not necessarily a plan set in stone, that led him to where he is today, teaching and researching politics at Middlebury.
“There is no straight line in life,” said Kraus. “One meanders through various junctures and experiences and decisions. There is a line running between my involvement with politics, my interest in public affairs, my background coming from a country whose life was shaped by great powers and my decision to pursue the study of politics.”
Kraus had gone to the University of Colorado at Boulder with the intention of studying biology and sciences. Yet the siren song of politics was always within earshot; rather than spend time in laboratories, Kraus found himself participating in rallies against the War in Vietnam.
Even before settling in the United States, he had been politically active and seen the crux of history turn before his very eyes. Witnessing Soviet tanks roll in his hometown’s streets on the night of Aug. 20-21 of 1968 — the Warsaw Pact invasion that crushed Czechoslovak efforts at political reform — was something of a revelation to him.
“I saw firsthand how a government, a country, could be taken over. It made a deep impression on me,” he said. “Biology didn’t last long after that. I became interested in international affairs, in what made politics tick, in how these matters might shape human lives.”
It was living during such turbulent times that fueled his interest in politics and international affairs. After completing his undergraduate work at the University of Colorado, he went on to pursue his Ph.D. in Politics at Princeton and began teaching at Middlebury in 1980.
“I have the great fortune to be teaching at a place like Middlebury,” he said. “It is an exciting opportunity to interact with so many bright young people, and I find teaching very rewarding. It’s great to be part of this collective striving towards excellence. I have so much respect for my colleagues and for their dedication to scholarship.”
Kraus also noted a positive trend in Middlebury in terms of academic quality and the diversity of the student body.
“Students have become more accomplished even by the time they get here,” he said. “They have also become more diverse, coming from different backgrounds and many more countries. We benefit greatly from the presence of international students, who have raised the caliber of conversations in the classroom,” he added.
His teaching philosophy?
“As a teacher, you are always trying to find a new and effective way to present the material,” Kraus said. “You are suddenly rewarded with new insight.
We also learn from students because they sometimes bring very insightful comments to the classroom that will shine as a moment of light.
“To be an effective teacher, you must remain a perennial student,” he continued. “Learning is a lifelong affair.”
Indeed, a field as dynamic as international politics demands an open attitude and willingness to adapt, a characteristic that Kraus incorporates into his courses.
“I have had to adapt and change the nature of my teaching, because the subject matter itself has often changed,” he said. “People engaged in research will maintain a fresh attitude towards the material and continue to learn. I have taught a dozen different courses in my career, and it has kept me on my toes.”
This past fall, Kraus taught a seminar on comparative democratization, addressing issues such as the absence of democracies in the Arab world — a discussion that has reared its head in reality, several months later, with the revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.
“The wind of change sweeping through the Middle East has been terribly exciting to watch,” said Kraus.
He currently teaches a seminar on political leadership, a course developed in recent years that has led him to explore a whole new set of questions. Having served as senior adviser to Jan Svejnar, candidate for the Czech presidency in 2007-2008, Kraus also has experience in the practical aspects of political life. When asked whether he would consider running for president himself, he jokingly responded, “Of course, if some country wanted to induct me.”
“But,” he said on a more serious note, “I prefer to study political leaders.”
Though comfortably ensconced in academia, Kraus indulged the question of alternative careers.
“Working in the public sector or government would hold some attraction for me,” he mused. “I could see working in the diplomatic service as an interesting career.”
In the end, he admits his true calling is in academia.
“The only decision I ever made was to go to school, at the age of six,” he said in a half-serious, half-joking tone.
His words of wisdom to the next generation?
He cites a line from a famous John Lennon song: “life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
“Your education is what prepares you for the unexpected,” Kraus said. “It fortifies you, as it were, to face life.”
Staff Spotlight: Michael Kraus
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