Rebecca Susan LeMoine

I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. I received my Ph.D. and M.A. in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and my B.A. in Politics from Washington and Lee University.

I specialize in Political Theory, particularly questions of cultural diversity and global justice in ancient Greek political thought. My work has been published in numerous academic journals including the American Political Science Review, History of Political Thought, Polis: The Journal for Ancient Greek and Roman Political Thought, and Political Theory. 

My book, Plato’s Caves: The Liberating Sting of Cultural Diversity (Oxford University Press, 2020) defends the bold thesis that Plato was a friend of cultural diversity, contrary to many contemporary perceptions. It shows that, across Plato’s dialogues, foreigners play a role similar to that of Socrates: liberating citizens from intellectual bondage. 

I am currently working on my second book project, tentatively titled Singing a Different Tune: Music, Civic Identity, and Foreign Influence in Plato’s Political Thought. This book argues that we cannot fully understand or appreciate the significant role of music in Plato’s political thought without addressing the embeddedness of music in Greek discourses about foreignness and civic identity. By recovering this essential context, it seeks to show how Plato’s meditations on music can speak to contemporary concerns regarding foreign influence in democracies.

In 2025, I was awarded a prestigious, $60,000 National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant in support of my research. Unfortunately, my award was suddenly terminated–along with approximately 1,200 other NEH grants–on the grounds that the agency is “repurposing its funding allocations in a new direction in furtherance of President Trump’s agenda.” I am appealing the decision and various lawsuits are currently underway.

Though my research focuses on ancient political thought, I enjoy teaching a wide range of political theory courses, from ancient to modern to American political thought. Of the many courses I have created and added to the course catalogue at FAU, I am most proud of “The Politics of Music” and “Global Political Theory,” a general education course that introduces students to political theories from around the globe using the methods of comparative political theory. I currently serve as Director of the Undergraduate Program in Political Science and as Director of the Ethics, Law, and Society Certificate.