Department of Philosophy and Humanities

The University of Texas at Arlington

Programs, Faculty, and Students

The Department of Philosophy and Humanities offers a B.A. major in philosophy and B.A. minors in classical studies, humanities, and philosophy, as well as language instruction in Greek and Latin. At the graduate level, the department participates in the cooperative philosophy Ph.D. program with the University of North Texas and in the Graduate Humanities M.A. Program at UTA.

The department consists of seven philosophers, two classicists, and two specialists in humanities. Senior members of the department include scholars of national and international reputation. Areas of specialization range across philosophy and classics, and represent a variety of methodological approaches.

The department is large enough to offer a full range of courses and small enough that every major can receive individual attention. The approach of the department is interdisciplinary in important ways. It emphasizes history as well as contemporary issues, and the faculty participate in a number of interdisciplinary programs including the Honors College and the Graduate Humanities Program.

Students in the department are diverse in their ages and interests. There are a number of older students who have returned to school, as well as recent high school graduates. Philosophy students tend to congregate in the department and to develop camaraderie over the years. Informal arguments and discussions are vigorous without being rancorous.

The Faculty

Philosophy Faculty:

• Denny Bradshaw, Associate Professor and Chair, Ph.D. University of Iowa (1988).
  Currently Teaching: Philosophy of mind, Philosophy of language, Metaphysics, Logic
  Research Interests: Philosophy of language and mind, Metaphysics, 20th Century analytic philosophy.
  
• Keith Burgess-Jackson, Associate Professor and Pre-law Philosophy Advisor, Ph.D. University of Arizona (1989).
  Currently Teaching: Philosophy of law, Philosophy of religion, Ethics, Social and political philosophy
  Research Interests: Ethics, Philosophy of law, Social and political philosophy, and Philosophy of religion.
  
• Miriam Byrd, Assistant Professor and Undergraduate Advisor, Ph.D. University of Georgia (2001).
  Currently Teaching: Ancient philosophy, Medieval philosophy, Ethics, Bio-medical ethics
  Research Interests: Ancient philosophy, Plato.
  
• Charles Hermes, Visiting Assistant Professor, Ph.D. Florida State University (2006).
  Currently Teaching: Philosophy of Science, Intermediate Logic
  Research Interests: Philosophy of science, Metaphysics, Philosophy of mind and action.
  
• Mike McDowell, Adjunct Lecturer, Ph.D. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (2007).
  Currently Teaching: Business ethics, Understanding The Bible, Introduction to philosophy
  
• Charles Nussbaum, Associate Professor, Ph.D. Emory University (1988).
  Currently Teaching: Kant, Nineteenth-century philosophy, Aesthetics, Epistemology, Philosophy and literature
  Research Interests: Philosophy of mind, Philosophical psychology, Musical aesthetics.
  
• Glen Rainwater, Graduate Teaching Fellow, M.A. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (1991), J.D. Southern Methodist University (1998).
  Currently Teaching: Contemporary Moral Problems, Business ethics, Introduction to philosophy
  
• Harry P. Reeder, Associate Professor, Ph.D. University of Waterloo (1977).
  Professor Reeder is on leave for 2007-2008.
  Currently Teaching: Phenomenology, Hermeneutics, Philosophy of science, Critical thinking, Early modern philosophy
  Research Interests: Husserl, Phenomenology, Hermeneutics, Philosophy of science, Critical thinking.

Classics Faculty:

• Charles Chiasson, Associate Professor and Director of the Classical Studies Program, Ph.D. Yale University (1974).
  Currently Teaching: Latin, Greek, Classical civilization, Etymology, Mythology
  Research Interests: Archaic and classical Greek literature, poetry, and prose.
  
• Jonathan Davis-Secord, Adjunct Lecturer, M.M.S. University of Notre Dame (2003).
  Currently Teaching: Latin.
  

Humanities Faculty

• Lewis Baker, Associate Professor, Ph.D. Louisiana State University (1981).
  Currently Teaching: Humanities, American studies
  Research Interests: American intellectual thought, Kenneth Burke, Structuralism in the mid-twentieth century.
  
• Susan Hekman, Adjunct Professor of Humanities, Professor of Political Science, and Director of the Graduate Humanities Program, Ph.D. University of Washington (1976).
  Currently Teaching: Humanities, Political theory, Feminism
  Research Interests: Political theory, Feminism.

You can send an e-mail message to the Department.

This page was last updated on 31 August 2007.