Petrakis gives a public lecture at Utah Valley University.
Courtesy | John Petrakis

Born and raised Canadian, John Petrakis may now be found in Kendall Hall, lecturing passionately on the Federalist Papers or the Supreme Court’s exercise of judicial review.

“Who wouldn’t be intrigued by the prospect of taking an American Constitutional Law course with a French-Canadian professor?” asked Olivia Eames, a junior in his Constitutional Law class.

In the words of Petrakis, though, people might be surprised that there is precedent for being Canadian and teaching American constitutional law.

“There are more Canadians than you might think who are in this field of political science — constitutional law — who are usually of a more conservative bend,” Petrakis said. “A professor called Rick Avramenko, who’s Canadian, once joked that they should make a conference about conservative Canadian exiles in the American Academy in political science and law, and there’d probably be 50 of us.”

Petrakis taught at Utah Valley University before the politics department hired him in the spring. Associate Professor of Politics Joseph Postell said the department knew Petrakis would complement the strengths of other professors and bring a fresh take on American politics.

“One of the things we really appreciated about him in the interview, which wasn’t clear to us until he came here, is that he has this comparative perspective,” Postell said. “His dissertation was on euthanasia laws in different countries, and our department in politics tends to focus on political philosophy and American politics, but we don’t do a lot of comparative politics. And John has that perspective.”

Petrakis was born and raised in Montreal, Canada, where he received a legal education at McGill University and then clerked for the Federal Court of Canada in Ottawa. Postell said this legal experience is something the department does not have, so having a professor with practical experience studying the law and clerking would be useful for students.

“We also highly valued his experience,” Postell said. “So many of our students want to go to law school. So many of our students are interested in the life of a lawyer. So it’s really great to have somebody who’s got that experience. Yes, it is in Canada, but obviously, to some extent, it’s practiced the same way in both countries.”

After getting two law degrees at McGill and clerking, Petrakis decided to pursue graduate school in the United States.

“I had long considered grad school in an academic career, and in Quebec, you do not have crippling student debt after law school because it’s taxpayer subsidized,” Petrakis said. “So, you know, the province is going bankrupt, but I don’t have heavy student debt. So it was feasible for me to go to grad school.”

Petrakis said he always wanted to go to grad school in the United States, though — for the adventure and prestige, but also because Canada closely follows American law and court decisions.

“When I was at law school at McGill, every time the Supreme Court here in the states would do something important, everyone just couldn’t stop talking about it,” Petrakis said. “When Dobbs came out, I was in Montreal. I think Dobbs dropped the same day as Quebec’s national holiday, and the English language media, at least, were talking about the Dobbs case before telling you where you could go to celebrate Quebec’s national holiday, which just shows you the kind of fixation that some Canadians have with U.S. culture.”

Petrakis earned his doctorate at the University of Notre Dame, then took on a post-doctoral fellowship in Austin, Texas and at Utah Valley University.

“And then the politics department here had a temporary lapse in sanity and hired me on the tenure track, so I couldn’t be happier,” Petrakis said.

Petrakis said he is not interested in returning to Canada.

“I’m very happy here and have no plans to leave, so please don’t terminate me,” Petrakis said. “This is directed to Dr. Arnn and all my colleagues.”

So far, Petrakis said he has had good reception with the students, who keep him on his toes and in turn challenge him to be a better professor.

“I look forward to teaching more Hillsdale students,” Petrakis said. “Because I really do think it’s the most important thing of the college. I think the students are what makes the college in the first place. And the reason the college is so successful is largely because the students are so serious and committed.”

Eames said Petrakis is the kind of faculty member the department should be enthusiastic about — he is witty, animated, and passionate about his subject.

“He never misses an opportunity to throw California under the bus or iterate the thing that might have gotten him excommunicated in Canada,” Eames said.

When asked if Canada should become the 51st state, Petrakis said giving Canada just one state would be a disservice.

“I think we deserve at least three states. One state is kind of selling us short,” Petrakis said. “We deserve more senators than Rhode Island, I will say that, and Wyoming.”

While he jests in class and office hours, Eames said he is serious about the mission of the college and politics department.

“All jokes aside, Dr. Petrakis shares a deep sentiment for American conservativism, which is at the heart of the college’s values, and he is endlessly knowledgeable about American politics and our rights as citizens,” Eames said.

Postell said Petrakis is a joy to work with and always has a smile on his face.

“He brings a lot of levity, not just to the classroom, but he just brings a lot of levity to the department,” Postell said. “His joy at being here is kind of just a constant theme whenever we talk. So he’s been wonderful to have as a colleague, really and I’m hopeful that this is where he’s going to land and stay for a long time.”

Petrakis also said he can see himself staying at Hillsdale for a very long time and is excited to see what the future holds.

“I think after hopefully 10 years teaching here, I will be a much better professor than I would have been in an alternative reality where I spend 10 years teaching at a different institution,” Petrakis said.