Professor Donald Kagan is the Sterling Professor of Classics and History at Yale University and was formerly Dean of Yale College (1989-1992). His four-volume history of the Peloponnesian War is widely recognized as the definitive work on the subject. Other works of his – notably, On the Origins of War and the Preservation of Peace, While America Sleeps, Thucydides: The Reinvention of History – have been acclaimed in academic and popular circles. Professor Kagan is a leading and original academic, a true public intellectual, and a teacher who has inspired generations of Yale students. His lecture classes on “The Origins of War” and “Ancient Greek History” were two of Yale’s most popular courses for decades. In 2002, Professor Kagan was awarded America’s highest academic honor in the humanities, the National Humanities medal, which was presented to him by President George W. Bush. Professor Kagan’s two sons, Robert and Fred Kagan, have established themselves as academics, public intellectuals, and influencers of American foreign policy.

Outside of his academic career, Professor Kagan is a great proponent of the importance of sports in the University and in society at large. He was Acting Director of Athletics at Yale from 1987-1988, and he is a self-professed lover of football.

Interview of Professor Kagan by Henry Hancock.