Philosophy

http://philosophy.uoregon.edu

Scott Pratt, Department Head
239 Susan Campbell Hall
1295 University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon 97403-1295
541-346-5549
uophil@uoregon.edu

Philosophy asks fundamental questions about human identity, the nature of knowledge and reality, moral virtue and responsibility, the nature of community and political authority, aesthetic judgments and values, and other concepts central to the meaning and value of human existence. Through the study of primary texts and concrete issues, drawn from various historical periods and cultures, philosophy provides a means for reflection on actions, beliefs, and values while developing critical thinking, reading, and writing skills. Philosophy also strengthens the ability to reason, enlarges the imagination, and refines aesthetic sensitivity. A philosophical education thus offers excellent preparation for a broad range of careers that require critical intelligence and creative problem-solving as well as oral and written communication skills.

Offering both graduate (Ph.D. and M.A.) and undergraduate (B.A., B.S. and minors in Philosophy and in Ethics) degrees, the department is home to ongoing dialogues and inquiries across philosophical perspectives and academic disciplines.

Our graduate program produces first-rate scholars and teachers with a strong foundation in the history of philosophy, a well-rounded preparation in the diverse concerns of contemporary philosophy, and the skills to communicate effectively across different traditions and schools of thought.

Our thriving undergraduate program includes a major and minor in Philosophy as well as a minor in Ethics. Throughout our undergraduate curriculum, we encourage our students to become engaged, reflective citizens and lifelong learners while preparing them for careers in government, law, the non-profit sector, business, or higher education.

Faculty

Ramón Alvarado, assistant professor of philosophy (data ethics, philosophy of computation, philosophy of technology). BA, 2011, University of Texas at El Paso; MA, 2014, University of Texas at El Paso; MA, 2017, University of Kansas; PhD, 2019, University of Kansas. (2019)

Steven Brence, senior instructor (social and political philosophy, philosophy of film, ethics). BS, 1989, MA, 1993, PhD, 2001, Oregon. (2001)

Miguel Gualdrón Ramírez, assistant professor (decolonial philosophy, gender-race constructions, resistance). BA, 2005, MA, 2009, Universidad Nacional de Colombia; PhD, 2019, DePaul. (2023)

Colin Koopman, professor (political philosophy, data politics, pragmatism, genealogy). BA, 1997, Evergreen State College; MA, 1999, Leeds; PhD, 2006, McMaster. (2010)

Bonnie Mann, professor (feminist, Continental). BA, 1983, Portland State; PhD, 2002, State University of New York, Stony Brook. (2003)

Cintia Martinez Velasco, assistant professor (Feminist philosophy, Gender theory, Decolonial philosophy, Latinx philosophy, Critical theory in Latin America). BA, 2010, MA, 2013, PhD, 2019, University of Mexico. (2022)

Erin McKenna, professor (feminist theory, American pragmatism). BA, 1987, Claremont McKenna College; MA, 1990, PhD, 1992, Purdue. (2016)

Nicolae Morar, associate professor (bioethics, philosophy of biology, ecology). BA, 2004, MA, 2005, Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3; PhD, 2011, Purdue. (2015)

Barbara Muraca, associate professor (environmental and social philosophy, process philosophy, feminist philosophy). MA, 1998, Turin; PhD, 2008, Greifswald. (2019)

Jacob P. Neal, assistant professor (epistemological, methodological, historical issues in the molecular life sciences). BA, BS, ????, University of Richmond; MA, MS ????, Maryland, Baltimore County; PhD, 2021, Pittsburgh. (2023)

Scott L. Pratt, professor of philosophy (American philosophy, history of philosophy, education). BA, 1981, Beloit; PhD, 1995, Minnesota. (1995)

Camisha Russell, associate professor (critical philosophy of race, bioethics, African American philosophy). BA, 2000, American; MA, 2008, Memphis; PhD, 2013, Penn State. (2017)

Beata Stawarska, professor (phenomenology, Continental, philosophical psychology). BA, 1992, MA, 1994, PhD, 2000, Louvain. (2003)

Alejandro Vallega, professor (Latin American philosophy, Continental philosophy, aesthetics). BA, 1993, Saint John's College; MA, 1996, Boston; PhD, 1999, Vienna. (2010)

Daniela Vallega-Neu, professor (19th- and 20th-century European philosophy, history of philosophy, phenomenology). BA, 1984, European School, Varese; MA, 1992, PhD, 1995, Universitat Freiburg. (2010)

Peter Warnek, associate professor (ancient philosophy, 19th- and 20th-century Continental philosophy, Kant). BA, 1986, Seattle; MA, 1990, Villanova; PhD, 1998, Vanderbilt. (1999)

Emeriti

William E. Davie, associate professor emeritus. BA, 1964, Washington (Seattle); PhD, 1969, California, Irvine. (1968)

Mark Johnson, professor emeritus (cognitive science, metaphor theory, pragmatism). BA, 1971, Kansas; MA, 1972, PhD, 1977, Chicago. (1994)

Naomi Zack, professor (race, feminism, disaster). BA, 1966, New York University; PhD, 1970, Columbia. (2001)

The date in parentheses at the end of each entry is the first year on the University of Oregon faculty.

Participating

Kristen Bell, Knight Law School

Joyce Cheng, history of art and architecture

Jeffrey S. Librett, German and Scandinavian

Lisa Mazzei, education studies

Jerry L. Rosiek, education studies

Steven Shankman, English

Michael Stern, German and Scandinavian

Mark T. Unno, religious studies

Malcolm Wilson, classics

Undergraduate Programs

Major - Bachelor's Degree

Minors

Graduate Programs

Major - Master's Degree

Major - Doctoral Degree