Dr John Tate

I was appointed as the foundation lecturer in Politics at the University of Newcastle in August 1997. Since that time Politics has steadily grown to the point that, by 2014, we have five full time staff members. I teach across six different Politics subjects in areas such as Australian politics, international relations, political philosophy, Australian public policy, and the politics of globalisation. My primary research interest is in the areas of political philosophy and history of political thought, but I have also published in such areas as Australian Prime Ministers, Australian sovereignty and New Zealand native title. Regarding political philosophy I am particularly interested in the philosophy and practice of toleration, not least in terms of how it is negotiated and applied within the liberal tradition. Regarding history of political thought, I am interested in the foundations and development of the liberal tradition. At present, my work in this last area concerns the political philosophy of John Locke. My publications have appeared in a number of international journals including the American Journal of Political Science, Political Theory, Political Studies, European Journal of Political Theory, Philosophy and Social Criticism, Journal of European Studies and Telos, as well as national journals such as Australian Journal of Political Science and Australian Journal of Politics and History. In conjunction with Martin Drum from the University of Notre Dame, Western Australia, I have published a textbook on Australian politics for Australian university students - Martin Drum and John William Tate, "Politics in Australia" (South Yarra: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012). More recently, I have published a book on the late seventeenth century English philosopher, John Locke, showing his importance to the foundations of liberalism - John William Tate, "Liberty, Toleration and Equality. John Locke, Jonas Proast and the Letters Concerning Toleration" (New York: Routledge, 2016).

Research Expertise
My primary research expertise is in the area of political philosophy and history of political thought. Concerning political philosophy I am interested in toleration, free speech, and the extent to which liberal democracies ought to accommodate non-liberal values and practices. This question of the extent to which liberal democracies ought to accommodate such difference is a salient one within contemporary polities, given the rise of religious fundamentalism and other movements that do not embrace liberal values. I am also interested in the relationship between toleration and free speech, not least whether a tolerant society requires an expansion of, or limits upon, free speech. I am particularly interested in this question as it relates to events such as the Rushdie or Muhammad Cartoons Affair. Concerning the history of political thought, I am interested in the foundations and the development of the liberal tradition. Currently I am working on the political philosophy of the seventeenth century English philosopher, John Locke, who is widely recognised as one of the founding fathers of the liberal tradition, at least within the English-speaking world. But I am also interested in other major figures, influential on the development of liberal ideas, such as Voltaire and other thinkers prominent within the eighteenth century Enlightenment, as well as nineteenth century figures such as John Stuart Mill. I am interested in Australian government and politics, in particular, Australian Prime Ministers. I have published journal articles on Paul Keating and John Howard. I am also co-author of a textbook for Australian university students which focuses on Australian government and politics - Martin Drum and John William Tate, "Politics in Australia" (South Yarra: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012). Finally, I am interested in comparative government and politics, particularly regarding Australia, the United States and Britain. This concerns areas of constitutional law (particularly as this relates to free speech) and also questions of comparative sovereignty.

Teaching Expertise
I have had to cover a wide range of topics within Politics in my teaching career as from 1997 to 2005 there were only two Politics staff to teach the Politics major in the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Social Science at the University of Newcastle. We therefore had to cover the entire major between us, as well as the fourth year Honours courses. The areas in which I have consistently taught courses since 1997 at the University of Newcastle are political theory, history of political thought, politics of globalisation, Australian politics, Introduction to Politics, Australian public policy and international relations. I also taught a course entitled Politics and Power in Asia for a number of years.

Administrative Expertise
Chair of the Faculty Library Committee for a number of years. Member of the Faculty Carbon Footprint Committee (chaired by Associate Professor Kala Saravanamuthu). Member of the Faculty Teaching and Learning Committee 2014-15. Head of Discipline in Politics & International Relations 2010-2012; Student Academic Conduct Officer (SACO) for the Newcastle Business School 2017- present.