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Department of Philosophy College of Liberal Arts

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Dr. Gregory Gilson
Professor, Chair of Philosophy
Department of Philosophy
ELABS 342
Email: gregory.gilson@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 665-3562

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Faculty

Dra. Mariana Alessandri

Associate Professor
Phone: (956) 665-3024
Email: mariana.alessandri@utrgv.edu
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Dra. Mariana Alessandri

I read, study and love to teach the existentialist thinkers, who express their ideas through philosophy, literature, and poetry. In terms of dead white male philosophers, I am hopelessly in love with Søren Kierkegaard and Miguel de Unamuno. As for fictional characters, Don Quixote de la Mancha is the way, the truth, and the life. Gloria Anzaldúa and Glennon Doyle changed the way I read the world. Personally, Fred Rogers is who helps me parent my pato y ganzo.

I am drawn to ideas that teach me how to live authentically, with kindness and compassion. This almost always means talking about feelings of failure, disappointment, shame, anger, hatred, sorrow, sadness, vulnerability, and unworthiness. The philosophers I love have in common a willingness to talk about the painful parts of life. It’s my belief (and Unamuno’s) that acknowledging negativity can draw us close to other human beings. I’ve written a book called Night Vision: Seeing Ourselves Through Dark Moods, which comes out in May 2023. You can find some of my work on my website.

My community suffers from multi-generational linguistic trauma, and I use Anzaldúa to talk about those wounds in public spaces. My spouse and I founded a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization called RGVPUEDE, which promotes Dual Language Education in the public schools. We also chose to raise our kids bilingually, which is great for me because after twelve years of living on the Mexico-US border, I now think best in Spanglish.

Research

"It's a Terrible Day in the Neighborhood, and That's O.K.," New York Times (The Stone). January 14, 2019.

“‘Leave out Kierquegard’: Reading Gloria Anzaldúa Reading Kierkegaard” in El Mundo Zurdo 7, Eds. Sara A. Ramirez, Larissa M. Mercado-López, & Sonia Saldívar Hull, San Francisco: Aunt Lute Books, 2019.

“Trying to Escape the Sea,” New Philosopher (Issue 25, Winter 2019).

“Spitting in Death’s Eye,” New Philosopher (Issue 25, Fall 2019).

“The Redemption of Negative Feeling: Miguel de Unamuno” in The Religious Existentialists and the Redemption of Feeling, Eds. Anthony Malagon and Abi Doukhan, Lanham, MD, Lexington Books 2019.

"Against Cheerfulness," Aeon (May 2019). Named one of 12 “Reader’s Favourites” for 2019.

“Can Love Work? A Review of Daniel Campos’ Loving Immigrants in America,” in Inter-American Journal of Philosophy (Volume 10, Issue 1).

“There are No Mothers,” New Philosopher (Issue 24, Spring 2019).

“A Popular Blogger’s Theology of Failure: Glennon Doyle on the Redemptive Act of Showing Up” in Theologies of Failure, Eds. Roberto Sirvent and Duncan Reyburn, Eugene, Oregon, Wipf and Stock Publishers, April 2019.

“The Gender Politics of Fasting,” New York Times (The Stone). January 14, 2019.

“The Art of Time Management,” New Philosopher (Issue 22, Winter 2018)

“Interpreting Unamuno’s Quixotism as a Religion,” Philosophy Today (62:3).

“Uncontrollable Feelings” New Philosopher (Issue 21, Fall 2018).

“Be a Winner, Not a Whiner” New Philosopher (Issue 20, Summer 2018).

“On Whose Authority? Søren Kierkegaard and Ada María Isasi-Díaz on Christian Truth-Witnessing” in Kierkegaard and Political Theology, Eds. Roberto Sirvent and Silas Morgan, Eugene, Oregon, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2018. “Wages for Academic Whiteness: Hispanics and Professionalization,” The Pluralist (Vol 13; 2018).

“Précis to Kate Norlock’s “Can’t Complain”: Complain We Must!” Pea Soup: Philosophy, Ethics, Academia, March 2018.

“Giving Birth to Difference,” New Philosopher (Issue 19, Spring 2018).

“Laughing in Spanish,” New Philosopher (Issue 17, Summer 2017).

“In Praise of Lost Causes,” New York Times (The Stone). May 29, 2017; translated into Spanish and reprinted in El Faro (El Salvador’s major newspaper),

“The Little Engine that Couldn’t.” Philosophy Bakes Bread Radio Podcast episode 22. Society of Philosophers in America, WRFL Lexington, KY, May 2017. Will be available as a podcast in June 2017.

“Living Philosophy” Philosopher Profile. New Philosopher (Issue 12, Spring 2017).

“Educated but not Educado.” Public Lecture, University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, May 2017

“The Freedom to Fail.” Womankind Magazine (Issue 11, Winter 2017).

“Taco Tech.” Public Lecture, University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, Nov 2016

“Can philosophy survive in an academy driven by impact and employability?” (co-written with John Kaag) Times Higher Education, December 10, 2015.

“What can Philosophy of Religion Offer to the Modern University?” Nov. 17, 2015.

“Forging El Mundo Zurdo: Sexual and Linguistic Atravesados in Gloria Anzaldúa's Rio Grande Valley" in APA Newsletter on Hispanic/Latino Issues in Philosophy (Spring 2015; Vol. 14, No. 2: 2-11).

“Quidam: Earnest for Ten Minutes a Week” in Kierkegaard Research: Sources, Reception and Resources, Volume 17: Kierkegaard's Pseudonyms. Eds. Jon Stewart & Katalin Nun, Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Ashgate Publishing, 2015.

“William Afham: The Line by which an Ape may become an Apostle” in Kierkegaard Research: Sources, Reception and Resources, Volume 17: Kierkegaard's Pseudonyms. Eds. Jon Stewart & Katalin Nun, Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Ashgate Publishing, 2015.

“Why Are We Always Trying to Be Positive Around Kids?” Yahoo Parenting, April 15, 2015

“Poke, Prod, and Rile: Secrets of Good Teaching” in Chronicle of Higher Education, January 27, 2015

“Companions in Misery” in New York Times “The Stone” November 22, 2014

What is Philosophy of Religion? November 12, 2014

“Miguel de Unamuno and William James, el gran pensador yanqui” in Inter-American Journal of Philosophy (October 2014, Vol. 5, Issue 2).

“The Strenuous and Sufficient Task of Kierkegaard’s Religiousness A” in Philosophy Today (Winter 2012, Vol. 56, No. 4: pp. 434-448).

“John Alexander Mackay: The Road Approach to Truth” in Kierkegaard Research: Sources, Reception and Resources, Volume 10: Kierkegaard's Influence on Theology. Tome II, Anglophone and Scandinavian Protestant Theology. Ed. Jon Stewart, Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Ashgate Publishing, 2012.

“Phil 2380: Introduction to Latin American Philosophy (An Annotated Syllabus)” in APA Newsletter on Hispanic/Latino Issues in Philosophy (Fall 2011; Vol. 11, No. 1: 15-17).

Teaching Interests

19th and 20th Century Continental philosophy (especially Existentialism and Phenomenology)
Mexican/Mexican-American Philosophy
Don Quixote
Philosophy of Religion (Theodicy, Jewish Philosophy, Mysticism, Latinx, Christianity)
Philosophy and Literature
Critical Philosophy of Race
Feminism (including Chicanx, Latinx, and Religious Feminism)
Ancient Philosophy

Associate Professor
Email: mariana.alessandri@utrgv.edu
ELABS 302
Phone: (956) 665-3024

Dr. Anthony J. DeSantis

Lecturer II
Phone: (956) 665-3890
Email: anthony.desantis@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Anthony J. DeSantis

Ph.D. University of South Florida, 2011 and M.A. in Humanities at Rollins College, 2003.

Lecturer: History of Early Modern Philosophy; Philosophy of Religion; Spinoza; Historiography of philosophy, especially in the Enlightenment

He graduated summa cum laude with honors in Philosophy and honors in the History of Religion from Hunter College of the City University of New York. Dr. DeSantis joined the Philosophy Department at the University of Texas Pan American as Lecturer in August of 2014, after having taught at the University of South Florida as Postdoctoral Instructor since 2011, and before that at Valencia Community College and Pasco-Hernando Community College -- and, before that, as a high school English and World Literature teacher.

His central research interests are in the history of early modern philosophy and philosophy of religion, especially with respect to Spinoza and the Enlightenment. He has written book reviews and several encyclopedia articles. He is currently working on Spinoza's psychology and on the Radical Enlightenment regarding the extent to which theology, church history and biblical criticism are central to an accurate interpretation of the canonical philosophical and scientific works of the early modern period. He has taught a variety of courses including Honors classes, Philosophy Capstone Seminar, Modern Political Philosophy, Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy, Critical Thinking, Introduction to Philosophy, Ethics, Bioethics, Humanities, and Comparative Religion. He has served on the Women’s Status Committee, a Presidential Advisory Committee, at the University of South Florida. He also oversees the UTRGV Edinburg Philosophy Club. If you're interested in attending a meeting or getting on the Club's email mailing list, or being a part of Philosophy Club, you can email him at anthony.desantis@utrgv.edu.

Encyclopedia Articles

Anthony J. DeSantis, "Francis Bacon," The Encyclopedia of Political Thought, Editor M. Gibbons (Wiley-Blackwell), September 15, 2014. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781118474396.wbept0069/full

Anthony J. DeSantis and Johannes Hirschberger, "Monad," New Catholic Encyclopedia Supplement 2012-13: Ethics and Philosophy, Ed. Robert L. Fastiggi. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 2013, pp. 1010-1011.

Anthony J. DeSantis and William Augustine Wallace, "Monism," New Catholic Encyclopedia Supplement 2012-13: Ethics and Philosophy, Ed. Robert L. Fastiggi. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 2013, pp. 1011-1013.

Anthony J. DeSantis, "Design, Arguments for the Existence of God," New Catholic Encyclopedia Supplement 2012-13: Ethics and Philosophy, Ed. Robert L. Fastiggi. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2013, pp. 372-373.

Anthony J. DeSantis and Lous-Bertrand Geiger, "Christian Philosophy," New Catholic Encyclopedia Supplement 2012-13: Ethics and Philosophy, Ed. Robert L. Fastiggi. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2013, pp. 263-270.

Anthony J. DeSantis and Maurice Redmond Holloway, "Occasionalism," New Catholic Encyclopedia Supplement 2012-13: Ethics and Philosophy, Ed. Robert L. Fastiggi. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 2013, pp. 1096-1098.

Anthony J. DeSantis and John Edwin Gurr, "Rationalism," New Catholic Encyclopedia Supplement 2012-13: Ethics and Philosophy, Ed. Robert L. Fastiggi. Vol. 4. Detroit: Gale, 2013, pp. 1301-1306.

Recent Book Review

Review of Christoph Luthy’s David Gorlaeus (1591-1612): An Enigmatic Figure in the History of Philosophy and Science (University of Chicago Press: HOPOS: The Journal of the International Society for the History of Philosophy of Science, Spring 2014).

Recent Conference Presentations

"Connecting Disciplines: The Importance of Understanding the Counter-Enlightenment" for The British Society for the History of Philosophy Annual Conference in York (United Kingdom) 9-11 April 2015. "The Counter-Enlightenment: The Big Picture and Its Details," delivered at "The International Conference on The Radical Enlightenment: The Big Picture and its Details," May 16-17, 2013, Free University of Brussels, Belgium.

"Why Early Modern and Enlightenment Scholars Need to Know the Bible and Theology Better," presented to the Princeton University Master Class in the History of Philosophy sponsored by The Journal of the History of Philosophy, August 2, 2013, at Princeton University, New Jersey.

"Early Modern Philosophy in the Context of Theology," to the 2013 Eastern Regional Conference of the Society of Christian Philosophers on "Theistic Metaphysics and Naturalism," October 24-26th, sponsored by the Department of Philosophy, the Department of Religious Studies, and the Catholic Studies Endowment at the University of South Florida, Tampa.

"The Full Context of the Canonical Early Modern Philosophical Texts," Oxford Symposium on Religious Studies, December 2-4, 2013, Oxford, England.

Recent Award

Awarded Fellowship to Princeton University Master Class in the History of Philosophy Sponsored by The Journal of the History of Philosophy to study Hobbes and Spinoza with Princeton Philosophy Department Stuart Professor of Philosophy, Daniel Garber, July 2013.

Lecturer II
Email: anthony.desantis@utrgv.edu
ELABS 346C
Phone: (956) 665-3890

Dr. Gregory Gilson

Professor, Chair of the Philosophy Department
Phone: (956) 665-3562
Email: gregory.gilson@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Gregory Gilson

Ph.D., Philosophy, University of Wisconsin Madison.

Professor: History and Philosophy of Science, the Philosophy of Mind, and Practical Reason.

Dr. Greg Gilson is Associate Professor and Chair of the Philosophy Department. He also serves as an instructor for the UTRGV UTeach Natural Sciences.

Dr. Gilson co-edited the anthology “Latin American and Logical Positivism” in Latin American Positivism: New Historical and Philosophic Essays, Lexington Books, 2013, ISBN-10: 0739178482. He co-authored a biographical dictionary of Latin American philosophers. “Some Great Thinkers” in The Companion to Latin American Philosophy, Susana Nuccetelli, Ofelia Schutte and Otavio Bueno (eds.) Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Co. 2009. ISBN: 978-1-4051-7979-9. Hr also contributed to public philosophy with “Layers of Truth” in The Onion and Philosophy. Popular Culture and Philosophy Series. Open Court Publishing. 2010.

Professor, Chair of the Philosophy Department
Email: gregory.gilson@utrgv.edu
ELABS 342
Phone: (956) 665-3562

Dr. Chris Gomez

Lecturer I
Email: christopher.gomez1@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Chris Gomez

Dr. Christopher J. Gomez studied philosophy at the National University of Mexico and Universidad Veracruzana. Invited researcher at Boston University during his doctoral studies. Has published in Spanish about the history of philosophy in Mexico and the philosophy of science of Gaston Bachelard. Wrote doctoral dissertation in Spanish on epistemological problems and philosophy of mind. Worked as English-Spanish live translator of academic conferences in Veracruz, including three presentations by Dr. Susan Haack. Lecturing in the Rio Grande Valley since 2018 at STC and at UTRGV as an adjunct and lecturer. Has taught sections on ethics, ethics happiness, and the good life, ethics of technology, intro to philosophy (In English and Spanish), Latin American philosophy (bilingual), logic, critical thinking, and history and philosophy of math and science. Coaches the ethics bowl team at UTRGV. Researching within the field of philosophy of mind and cognition.

Lecturer I
Email: christopher.gomez1@utrgv.edu

Dr. Dahlia Guzman

Lecturer II
Phone: (956) 665-7062
Email: dahlia.guzman01@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Dahlia Guzman

I am a graduate of UTPA, the legacy institution of UTRGV. I earned my Master's degree in Philosophy from Kent State University in 2010 and my Ph.D. from the University of South Florida (Tampa, FL) in 2018. My dissertation was on epistemology (study of knowledge), and feminist philosophies of science.

My interests, however, are quite broad! Teaching and pedagogy are central to my work as a philosopher. Aside from writing about philosophies of science, I’m currently researching the role and value of critical thinking and knowledge in the incidence of genocide in the world. I’m also interested in thinking about the practical value of philosophical pursuits, so to me, this course is a lot of fun because this is what I get to think about with my students.

I love the arts in almost any medium I can think of—literature, language, arts and culture. I read a lot, and I listen to many different kinds of music. I love movies and documentaries. I am especially interested in the value of all of these mediums to illustrate or illuminate humane and philosophical ideas. I’m also really interested in NARRATIVES. I like learning about other people’s lives and how they think about the narrative of their own lives. I believe that philosophical contemplation can help us critically consider those narratives because narratives can help and they can hinder- depending on how often and how well we consider them.

I'm also currently participating in an initiative focused on fostering partnerships with students to inform pedagogy that is responsive to the student population here at UTRGV.

Lecturer II
Email: dahlia.guzman01@utrgv.edu

Phone: (956) 665-7062

Dr. Michael Jaworski

Lecturer III
Phone: (956) 665-3561
Email: michael.jaworski@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Michael Jaworski

Education

Bowling Green State University, 1994-1998. BA in Philosophy, 1998.

The Ohio State University, 1999-2010. PhD in Philosophy, 2010.

Areas of Specialization

Philosophy of Mind
Philosophy of Language
Philosophy of Religion

Areas of Competence

Applied Ethics
Logic and Critical Thinking

Teaching Experience

Teaching Assistant/Grader, 1999-2002. The Ohio State University.
Lecturer/Teaching Associate, 2002-2007. The Ohio State University.
Lecturer, Spring 2007. Ohio University-Lancaster, Pickerington Center.
Lecturer, 2007-2011. The University of Texas-Pan American.

Courses Taught

As a Primary Instructor:

Introduction to Philosophy
Introduction to Logic
Critical Thinking
Introduction to Religion
Contemporary Social/Moral Problems in the U. S.
Introduction to Ethics
Professional Ethics
Engineering Ethics

As a Teaching Assistant/Grader:

Introduction to Philosophy
Introduction to Logic
Introduction to Religion
Asian Philosophies
Political and Social Philosophy
History of Ancient Philosophy
Philosophical Problems in the Arts

I believe that critical thinking skills and an appreciation of the value of philosophical reflection contribute tremendously to the quality of an individual’s life, and to the quality of that individual’s contributions to society. My goal in the classroom is not just to impart knowledge, but to facilitate students’ growth into responsible decision makers capable of independent thinking. It is by contributing to this process of growth that I hope to make my greatest positive impact on my students and, in consequence, the world.

I design my classes accordingly. I frame the information in my lectures with two goals in mind. First, enchantment: I want students to find the information sufficiently captivating to spark their curiosity, thereby engendering a drive to examine the topic more closely. I want students to leave my classroom each day with new knowledge, but also with a sense of wonder and a desire for further exploration of the day’s subject. Secondly, personal connection: although I very much appreciate students who are able to take an academic interest in philosophical topics, I also attempt to force students out of the confines of the “student” role. I want them to confront information as human beings, to find their own worries and interests represented in the material, to have moments in which their studies trigger valuable thoughts about events in their lives outside of the classroom.

I also view introductory-level courses as opportunities to engender in students a desire for further study of philosophy. I am most pleased when students tell me that they plan to take another philosophy course as a result of their experience in my class. For many other students, my class will be their only exposure to philosophy. It is important to me that such students leave my course with an enhanced ability to adopt a reflective attitude toward their beliefs, values, and decisions, and an increased inclination to put that ability to use.

Because I want students to learn to incorporate philosophy into their personal lives, I prefer highly interactive teaching techniques. For most courses, I divide class time roughly 1:2 between lecture and interactive work, such as discussion or group assignments. I use frequent short writing assignments and in-class exercises to increase students’ readiness for discussion and to promote opportunities for independent, critical thinking. In order to expose students to many philosophical voices, I draw lecture material from multiple sources, rather than relying on one required textbook. Evaluation is based on participation in discussion, short writing assignments, exercises, and 2-4 major exams or papers.

Lecturer III
Email: michael.jaworski@utrgv.edu
ELABS 269A
Phone: (956) 665-3561

Dr. Kevin Jobe

Assistant Professor
Email: kevin.jobe@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Kevin Jobe

Ph.D., State University of New York, Stony Brook

M.Jur., School of Law, St. Mary’s University

Dr. Kevin S. Jobe is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and assists in coordinating the Pre-Law Concentration in Philosophy (B.A.). An Oklahoma native who migrated to New York City, he received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from SUNY Stony Brook in 2014, and received his Masters of Jurisprudence (M.Jur) from the School of Law at St. Mary’s University in 2021. Before joining UTRGV in Fall 2023, he was Program Head of Philosophy at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, TX, and Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies at Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD.

Dr. Jobe specializes in Philosophy of Law, Philosophy of the City and Critical Legal Studies and scholarship in the areas of constitutional law, immigration, housing, and discrimination law. Dr. Jobe utilizes critical, feminist, decolonial and law-and-humanities legal perspectives to examine issues of legal interpretation, strategy and performativity in discrimination law. Trained in the pluralist philosophical tradition, Dr. Jobe draws upon a diverse range of Continental, Analytic and interdisciplinary approaches to law, including Pragmatics, Philosophy of Language, Performance Studies, Law & Literature, Law & Music, Law & Economics, Continental Political Theory, Speech-Act Theory, Legal Realism, Critical Legal Theory, Critical Social Theory, Critical Race Theory, Feminist Jurisprudence, and more.

Dr. Jobe’s teaching is informed by a critical Service-Learning pedagogy, which moves beyond “experiential” learning towards a critical and self-reflective service to the community. He has over 6 years of experience in service-learning course design, assessment and validation, working with various community organizations in Texas working on issues of immigration, incarceration, housing, domestic violence, and more. Dr. Jobe is active within the American Philosophical Association’s (APA) “Teaching Hub” and will present a paper on Law & ChatGPT at the 2024 APA Teaching Hub, Eastern Division Meeting during Jan. 15-18^th in New York, NY. The theme of the Teaching Hub is “The Impact of AI on Teaching”.

He is currently working on three research projects: 1) a book project on “Performative Discrimination” and the U.S. Supreme Court’s “colorblind” jurisprudence, 2) a research project developing a computer model for discriminatory purpose tests, and 3) a manuscript on “Critical Legal Research” and its relationship to the Critical Legal Studies movement and its potential for transformative, anti-discriminatory legal interpretation and practice.

Courses he has taught:

Philosophy of Law
Social Justice (Service-Learning)
Philosophy of Mind
Bioethics
Power & Gender
Politics & Society
Epistemologies of Ignorance
Logic & Critical Reasoning (Pre-Law)
Philosophy of Social Science
Ethics

Selected Publications:

‘Anti-Discrimination Jurisprudence: United States v. Carrillo-Lopez’. Case Commentary. The International Journal of Discrimination and the Law. August 2022. https://doi.org/10.1177/13582291221124489
‘The Jurisprudence of Universal Subjectivity: COVID-19, Vulnerability & Housing’, The International Journal of Discrimination and the Law, Special Issue: COVID-19: Lessons for and from Vulnerability Theory. 21(3) (2021): pp. 254-271. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F13582291211032843
‘Policing th e Demos: Foucault, Hegel & the Police Power in Waller v. City of New York ’. New Formations: a journal of culture/theory/politics, Special Issue on ‘Societies of Control’, Number 84-85, 2015, pp. 92-129.

Book Chapters

“The Coloniality of Homelessness”, The Ethics of Homelessness: Philosophical Perspectives, 2^nd Edition, John Abbarno (ed.) (Leiden: Brill, 2020), p. 388-425. doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004420366_026
“Houselessnes s ” in Routledge Handbook on Philosophy of the City, Ronald Sundstrom and Sharon Meagher (co-ed). Routledge Handbook in Philosophy series. (New York: Routledge, 2020), pp. 203-215
“Foucault & Urban Philosophy ” in Routledge Handbook on Philosophy of the City, Ronald Sundstrom and Sharon Meagher (co-ed). Routledge Handbook in Philosophy series (New York: Routledge, 2020), pp.87-100

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9133-7463

Assistant Professor
Email: kevin.jobe@utrgv.edu

Assistant Professor
Philosophy
Email: kevin.jobe@utrgv.edu

Dr. Cynthia Jones

Professor
Phone: (956) 665-8287
Email: cynthia.jones@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Cynthia Jones

Ph.D., University of Missouri; B.A., Creighton University

Professor: Applied Ethics, Advocacy and Violence Victimization, Ethical Theory

My primary academic research has been in Biomedical Ethics, particularly in end-of-life issues, although I have published and lectured in several unique fields of professional ethics, including intelligence ethics, ethics & technology, and academic ethics. Most of my current work is directly or indirectly related to advocacy and violence victimization, especially as these relate to marginalized populations, such as LGBTQIA+-identifying individuals, current and former foster youth, people with disabilities, and international students.

I am the current or past PI on numerous grants related to issues of violence, advocacy, and child welfare. I serve as the founding director of the Office for Victim Advocacy & Violence Prevention (www.utrgv.edu/OVAVP) and the Gelman Constitutional Scholars Program and am the past director of the university’s ethics center. I assisted in founding a local coalition to address issues in the child welfare system in Hidalgo County and I serve pro bono as an expert witness for domestic/family/dating violence cases in Cameron County. I am on the board of directors for the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics and am a past board member for Mujeres Unidas. I chair the university’s SART committee, organize an annual advocacy conference, and write cases for the National Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl.

My favorite courses to teach include Symbolic Logic (because students don’t claim that Logic is relative!) as well as Philosophy of Mind and Feminist Theories.

Select Publications

Wood, L., Voth Schrag, R., Hairston, D., & Jones, C. Campus-based Advocacy Evaluation Toolkit

The University of Texas at Austin, funded by grant 3642101 from State of Texas, Office of the Governor, Criminal Justice Division, 2019.

Jones, C. and S. Saladin. Fixing Deafness

The Journal of Philosophy, Science & Law, Disability Special Issue. Volume 14, pp.16-32, 2014.

Jones, C. Dirty Money

Journal of Academic Ethics, Volume 12, No. 3, pp. 191-207, 2014.

Available through First Look at http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10805-014-9211-5 (also featured on Inside Higher Ed at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/08/28/research-funding-morally-permissible-long-its-legal-and-without-strings-attached).

Jones, C. Preserving Life, Destroying Privacy: PICT and the Elderly

Chapter 6 of Ethical Guidance for Emerging Pervasive Information and Communication Technologies (PICT): Challenges, Opportunities, and Safeguards; Springer Publishing; 2013.

Jones, C. Instructor Disclosure and Theory Diversity in Teaching Professional Ethics

Teaching Ethics, Volume 12, No. 2, pp. 91-104, 2012.

Jones, C. Why Should We Eliminate Health Disparities? (The Moral Problem of Health Disparities)

The American Journal of Public Health, Volume 100, S1, pp. S47-51, 2010 (also featured in AJPH First Look, February 2010 and on MDLinx, February 2010).

Jones, C. Lying, Cheating, and Virtual Relationships

Global Virtue Ethics Review, Volume 6, No.1, pp.3-12, 2010.

Reprinted in Mauk, J. Culture: A Reader for Writers, Oxford University Press, 2014.

Pop Culture & Philosophy Publications

Hansmann and Jones, C. But Women Can Vote…

In Scott Adams and Philosophy, Open Court Publishing: Philosophy and Popular Culture Series; 2018.

Jones, C. Justified True Beliefs

Chapter 5 of Justified and Philosophy, Open Court Publishing: Philosophy and Popular Culture Series; 2015.

Jones, C., S. Hansmann, A.M. Stachura, and L. English. Boys will be boys: Violence, gender, prostitution, and hillbillies

Chapter 12 of Justified and Philosophy, Open Court Publishing: Philosophy and Popular Culture Series; 2015.

Jones, C., A.M. Stachura, and S. Hansmann. Devil with a Blue Dress

Chapter 7 of The Devil and Philosophy, Open Court Publishing: Philosophy and Popular Culture Series; 2014.

Jones, C. J. Abrams’ Leading Ladies as Feminist Role Models?

Chapter 3 of The Philosophy of J.J. Abrams, University Press of Kentucky: The Philosophy of Popular Culture Series; 2014.

Jones, C. Cute and Cuddly Animals versus Yummy Animals

Chapter 19 of The Ultimate South Park and Philosophy; Blackwell Publishing: Philosophy and Popular Culture Series; 2013.

Jones, C. Why “Phsysics” Beats Science

Chapter 3 of Psych and Philosophy, Open Court Publishing: Philosophy and Popular Culture Series; 2013.

McWilliams, C. Liar, Liar

Chapter 22 of The Onion and Philosophy, Open Court Publishing: Philosophy and Popular Culture Series; 2010.

McWilliams, C. Mutant Rights, Torture and Xperimentation

Chapter 8 of X-Men and Philosophy, Blackwell Publishing: Philosophy and Popular Culture Series; 2009.

McWilliams, C. Just Don’t Kill Baby Cows

Chapter 14 of South Park and Philosophy; Blackwell Publishing: Philosophy and Popular Culture Series; 2007.

Conferences Organized/Chaired

Risk to Resilience: 4^th Annual CAVE (Coalition Against Violence & Exploitation) Conference. Three-day advocacy-based training conference for counselors, attorneys, social workers, direct service providers, SAFEs/SANEs, campus and local law enforcement, and campus and community members, in conjunction with STC (South Texas College) Counseling and Disability Services, Mujeres Unidas, Hope Family Health Center, and other community-based organizations, 29-31 October 2019.

Building Together Against Violence: 3^rd Annual CAVE (Coalition Against Violence & Exploitation) Conference.

Three-day advocacy-based training conference for counselors, attorneys, social workers, direct service providers, SAFEs/SANEs, campus and local law enforcement, and campus and community members, in conjunction with TAASA (Texas Association Against Sexual Assault), Cameron County District Attorney’s Office, Family Crisis Center, Friendship of Women, and other community-based organizations, 24-26 October 2018.

Addressing the Needs of Marginalized and Underserved Populations: 2^nd Annual CAVE (Coalition Against Violence & Exploitation) Conference.

Three-day advocacy-based training conference for counselors, attorneys, social workers, direct service providers, SAFEs/SANEs, campus and local law enforcement, and campus and community members, in conjunction with TAASA (Texas Association Against Sexual Assault), Mujeres Unidas, SafeHaven at DHR, and other community- and campus-based organizations, 25-27 October 2017.

Stigmas & Stereotypes in Gender-Based Violence: 1^st Annual CAVE (Coalition Against Violence & Exploitation) Conference.

Three-day advocacy-based training conference for counselors, attorneys, social workers, direct service providers, SAFEs/SANEs, campus and local law enforcement, and campus and community members, in conjunction with TAASA (Texas Association Against Sexual Assault), Cameron County District Attorney’s Office, Family Crisis Center, Friendship of Women, and other community-based organizations, 17-19 October 2016.

Beyond Reform: Reimagining American Healthcare

Seventh Annual PACE Ethics Conference, UTRGV. 9-11 February 2016

Bioethics and the Future of Medical Education

Sixth Annual PACE Ethics Conference, UTPA. 4-6 November 2014

Bioethics: Public Health, Public Dilemmas

Bioethics component of MORE Health, UTPA. 26 March 2014

Bioethics: Creating and Challenging Knowledge in Health

Fifth Annual PACE Ethics Conference, UTPA. 2-5 April 2013

Bioethics: Healthcare & Treatment in Education & Practice

Fourth Annual PACE Ethics Conference, UTPA. 20-23 March 2012

Bioethics in Health Care: Engaging Professionals, Researchers, and Stakeholders

Third Annual PACE Ethics Conference, UTPA. 23-25 March 2011

Promoting Ethics and Values in Health Care

Second Annual PACE Ethics Conference, UTPA. 13-16 April 2010

Professor
Email: cynthia.jones@utrgv.edu
ELABS 302A/ELCTR 150
Phone: (956) 665-8287

Dr. Stephen Leach

Associate Professor
Phone: (956) 665-8797
Email: stephen.leach@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Stephen Leach

Ph.D., University of New Mexico

Associate Professor: 19th Century, Existentialism, Asian Philosophy

Associate Professor
Email: stephen.leach@utrgv.edu
ELABS 364
Phone: (956) 665-8797

Dr. Danny Marrero

Assistant Professor; Program Director of the Philosophy Pre-Law Program
Email: danny.marrero@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Danny Marrero

My academic and professional trajectory has been inspired by the fascinating issues that arise at the intersection between Law and Philosophy. This led me to earn two BA degrees: one in Philosophy, one in Law, an LLM, and an MA and a Ph.D. in Philosophy. My interdisciplinary education was brilliantly enriched by my immersion in the American culture after I was honored with the Fulbright Fellowship to achieve postgraduate studies in the United States. Personally speaking, and as a native of Colombia, I continue exploring and redefining my Latin American heritage each and every day, as I have a multicultural and bilingual family, with my two adorable daughters and wife, the three of them from the United States. I have taught in a variety of universities, in undergraduate and graduate programs, from both North and South America. My teaching experience also goes beyond the university classroom as I have served as a specialized trainer for criminal investigators, prosecutors, and judges. My topics of interest revolve around Philosophy of Law, Epistemology, Criminal Law, Critical Thinking, Environmental Ethics and Latinx Philosophy. At UTRGV, I am the Program Director of the Philosophy Pre-Law Program, where I serve students by building and developing the infrastructure helping them to develop crucial skills in their path to a legal education and career.
Some of my most recent publications are:
- Marrero, D. (2021) “Femicide: Another Chronicle of a Death Foretold.” In: L. Škof & S. Hawke (Eds.) Terrors and Injustice: Gender Violence and Ethics. New York: Lexington Books.
- Marrero, D. (2021). “Un argumento naturalista en contra de las teorías retóricas de la argumentación fáctica en el derecho”. En: F. J. Arena, P, Luque, & D. Moreno (Eds.). Los estados mentales y el derecho. Psicología y Normatividad. Bogotá: Universidad Externado
- Marrero, D & Reyes, Y (Editors). (2020). ¿Cómo y para qué se elabora una teoría del caso? Bogotá: Universidad Externado de Colombia.
- Marrero, D. (2019). “How to Solve Controversies in Scenarios of Legal Pluralism?” En: In: A. Fabris, & G. Scarafile (Ed.) Controversies in the Contemporary World. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publisher. pp. 261-278.

Assistant Professor; Program Director of the Philosophy Pre-Law Program
Email: danny.marrero@utrgv.edu
BMSLC 3.224

Dr. Cynthia Paccacerqua

Associate Professor
Phone: (956) 665-3552
Email: cynthia.paccacerqua@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Cynthia Paccacerqua

Ph.D., State University of New York, Stony Brook

Dr. Cynthia Paccacerqua is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Affiliate Faculty in Mexican American Studies. A Baltimore native who spent her formative years in Rosario Argentina, she received her Ph.D in Philosophy from SUNY Stony Brook in 2010. She joined the Department of Philosophy at UTPA (UTRGV’s legacy institution) immediately after graduation.

Dr. Paccacerqua specializes in social, political, and cultural philosophy within the traditions of Western, Latina-o, and Latin American/Decolonial Philosophy, as well as in Modern Philosophy, Kant’s theoretical philosophy in particular. She earned a MA in Latin American Studies from Stanford University in 2000.

She is currently working on two research projects: 1. On the underlying epistemological relationships between ideal liberal social contract theory and neoclassical economics, within a framework of critical race theory. 2. On the critical philosophy of Gloria Anzaldúa, grounded in the history of deep South and South Texas.

In 2014 Dr. Paccacerqua was awarded the University Teaching Excellence Award. Courses she has taught:

Feminist Theories
Latina Feminist Philosophy
Modern Philosophy
Special Topics in Philosophy: Philosophy of Culture
Special Topics in Philosophy: Materialisms
Special Topics in Latin American Philosophy: Decoloniality
Introduction to Philosophy
Ethics, Happiness, and the Good Life

She is the Department’s Coordinator for the Anzaldúa Speaker Series in Philosophy at UTRGV.

CV & Publications:

https://utrgv.academia.edu/CynthiaPaccacerqua

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Cynthia_Paccacerqua

Associate Professor
Email: cynthia.paccacerqua@utrgv.edu
ELABS 357
Phone: (956) 665-3552

Dr. Thomas Pearson

Associate Professor
Phone: (956) 665-3570
Email: thomas.pearson@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Thomas Pearson

Ph.D., Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

Associate Professor: Ethics, Professional Ethics, Philosophy of Religion

My research is a constellation of topics that revolve around the very broad concept of the “natural.” In ethics, I write about questions such as, “Is there a ‘naturalized’ ethics? Is virtue ethics an instance of a ‘naturalized’ ethics? What is ‘natural’ about natural law ethics?” In philosophy of law, I write about questions such as, “What is the connection between natural law and positive law? Are legal systems a natural development within political communities?” In philosophy of science, I write about questions such as, “What is the relationship in scientific inquiry between natural phenomena and the formal expressions (i.e., mathematical formulas) used to describe that phenomena? Is nature reducible to such formal expressions?” In philosophy of religion, I write about questions such as, “Can we learn about God through observing nature? Is there a created natural order in the cosmos? Is natural theology a viable place to start doing philosophy?” In all of these areas, I pay special attention to the work of Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Hume, Wittgenstein, Popper, and, in particular, the recent writings of Alasdair MacIntyre.

Associate Professor
Email: thomas.pearson@utrgv.edu
ELABS 204
Phone: (956) 665-3570

Dr. Paul Saka

Professor
Email: paul.saka@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Paul Saka

PhDs, University of Arizona & University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Professor: Analytic Metaphysics and Epistemology

My primary interests, beginning in language, extend to metaphysics (on truth and reference); epistemology (on linguistic competence, contextualism, the analysis of factivity, and also the relation between faith and reason); and the philosophy of science (on the aims, methods, and conduct of linguistics and other sciences). Aside from teaching and research, I serve as Area Editor in philosophy of language for the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy and as Consultant Editor for Episteme; and in my spare time I like to travel with my wife, care for our pet hamster, collect art books, and spend time with friends.

Select Publications

“Quotation and the Use-Distinction.” Mind 107: 113-35, 1998.
“Ought Does Not Imply Can.” American Philosophical Quarterly 37: 93-105, 2000.
“Pascal’s Wager and the Many-Gods Objection.” Religious Studies 37: 321-41, 2001.
"Pascal's Wager." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2002.
“The Demonstrative and Identity Theories of Quotation.” Journal of Philosophy 103: 452-71, 2006.
“The Argument from Ignorance against Truth-Conditional Semantics.” American Philosophical Quarterly 44: 157-70, 2007.
How to Think about Meaning. Springer, 2008. Includes chapter on pejoratives first published in 1998.
“Tensions in the Theory of Truth.” Topoi 29: 125-36, 2010.
“Mind and Paradox.” Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Artificial Intelligence 25: 377-87, 2013.
“Quotation.” Philosophy Compass 8: 935-49, 2013.
“Blah, blah, blah: Quasi-Quotation and Unquotation.” In The Semantics and Pragmatics of Quotation. Springer, 2017.
“Rationality and the Wager.” In Pascal's Wager. Cambridge University Press, 2018.
“Superman Semantics.” In Further Advances in Pragmatics and Philosophy, vol. 2. Springer, 2019.
“Prospective Reference.” In Inquiries in Philosophical Pragmatics, Springer, 2021.
“Take Me to Your Leader.” Amazing Stories, 2023. https://amazingstories.com/2023/05/take-me-to-your-leader-by-paul-saka-free-story/

Professor
Email: paul.saka@utrgv.edu
ELABS 361

Dr. Justin Simpson

Lecturer I
Email: justin.simpson@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Justin Simpson

I received my Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in May 2022. My dissertation cross-pollinated posthumanists, such as Karen Barad, Donna Haraway, Rosi Braidotti, and Bruno Latour, with environmental ethics and social epistemology. This research involved three parts: developing an environmental ethic based on biocultural diversity and using it to compare the rice worlds of Golden Rice and Carolina Gold Rice; critiquing anthropocentric epistemologies and extending the scope of epistemic injustices to include nonhuman animals; and developing onto-epistemic virtues for creating worlds of multi-species flourishing in support of an environmental ethic based on gift giving.

I am currently co-authoring a book tentatively titled, Attentive Love as an Environmental Ethic of Surprise. Based on an understanding of nonhumans as surprising, creative, curious, and worlding entities, we seek to develop loving attention as an environmental virtue. I am also working on two papers. In one I argue that material culture can instigate epistemic injustices. In the other, I examine how Western conceptions of death function as a technology that reinforces or challenges anthropocentricism and narcissism, which undermine an appreciation for bio-temporal-diversity.

As an instructor, I aim to provide students with the critical and collective thinking skills necessary to live meaningful and joyful lives and contribute to a fairer and more sustainable world. My courses seek to provide an inclusive learning environment by balancing philosophical texts from the Western tradition with diverse contemporary philosophers, revealing the different ways that philosophy can be practiced. These diverse perspectives help students understand the complexity and different facets of philosophical and real-world problems. Additionally, I strive to engage students with different interests by offering a wide array of issues pertaining to the course. For instance, in Ethics, Technology, and Society, after reading primary texts on ethics and philosophy of technology, the course considers issues surrounding climate change, biomimicry, environmental racism, gender, disability, agency laundering, surveillance technology, and border security. Ultimately, my courses seek to convey how students can be philosophers in their own way, speaking to issues that matter to them.

Lecturer I
Email: justin.simpson@utrgv.edu
ELABS 342

Dr. Alexander Stehn

Professor
Email: alex.stehn@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Alexander Stehn

Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University

Professor: North American & Latin American Philosophies;
Ethics; Social & Political Philosophy; Philosophy of Religion

Dr. Alex Stehn researches and teaches the history of philosophy across the Americas and Europe, with a focus on the intersections between Ethics, Social & Political Philosophy, and Philosophy of Religion. In 2014, he was recognized with a University of Texas Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award. His most recent research explores Mexican and Mexican American Philosophy, especially the work of Gloria Anzaldúa, in order to develop a bilingual, bicultural, and biliterate philosophy of education to flesh out UTRGV's vision of becoming the USA's "premier Hispanic-serving institution, and a highly engaged bilingual university."

Dr. Stehn is also the Associate Director of UTRGV's Center for Bilingual Studies, a Faculty Affiliate in Mexican American Studies, and the co-founder of RGV PUEDE, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to educate and organize parents, families, and communities to support, improve, and extend dual language bilingual education programs from Pre-K to 12th across the Rio Grande Valley.

More complete lists of Dr. Stehn’s scholarly work and CV are available here:
https://philpeople.org/profiles/alexander-stehn
https://utrgv.academia.edu/AlexStehn
UTRGV Faculty Profile

Selected Publications

“American Philosophy as a Way of Life: A Course in Self-Culture” in American Association of Philosophy Teachers Studies in Pedagogy (2023).
“Philosophizing in Tongues: Cultivating Bilingualism, Biculturalism, and Biliteracy in an Introduction to Latin American Philosophy Course” in APA Studies on Hispanic/Latino Issues in Philosophy (2022)
“Teaching Gloria Anzaldúa as an American Philosopher” in Teaching Gloria E. Anzaldua: Pedagogy and Practice for Our Classrooms and Communities, eds. Norma E. Cantú, Margaret Cantú-Sanchez, and Candace de León-Zepeda (2020)
“La Mexicana en la Chicana: The Mexican Sources of Gloria Anzaldúa’s Inter-American Philosophy.” Co-authored with Mariana Alessandri in Inter-American Journal of Philosophy (2020)
“Gloria Anzaldúa’s Mexican Genealogy: From Pelados and Pachucos to New Mestizas.” Co-authored with Mariana Alessandri in New Directions in Latinx/Latin American Philosophy, a Special Issue of Genealogy (2020)
“Nation-Building through Education: Positivism and its Transformations in Mexico” in Latin American and Latinx Philosophy: A Collaborative Introduction, ed. Robert Eli Sanchez Jr. (2019)
“Teaching Ethics, Happiness, & The Good Life: An Upbuilding Discourse in the Spirits of Søren Kierkegaard and John Dewey” in Philosophers in the Classroom: Essays on Teaching, eds. Steven M. Cahn, Alexandra Bradner, and Andrew Mills (2018)
Scholarly translation of Antonio Caso’s “La existencia como economía y como caridad” (1916). Translated with Jose G. Rodriguez Jr. as “Existence as Economy and as Charity,” in 20th Century Mexican Philosophy: Essential Readings, eds. Carlos Alberto Sánchez and Robert Eli Sanchez, Jr. (2017)
“Latin American Philosophy” in The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, eds. James Fieser and Bradley Dowdon (2014)

Professor
Email: alex.stehn@utrgv.edu
ELABS 359

Dr. Melisa Vivanco

Assistant Professor
Phone: (956) 882-7436
Email: melisa.vivanco@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Melisa Vivanco

I received my first doctorate in 2018 from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and a second Ph.D. in 2022 from the University of Miami. As a mathematician, my main interests are algebra and topology. Working in these areas, I developed a philosophical interest in metaphysical and methodological questions about algebraic structures and topological spaces. In this spirit, I have linked my academic studies, connecting mathematical practice to philosophy.

My main research areas are the philosophy of mathematics, language, logic, philosophy of sciences, and metaphysics, which branch out to the philosophy of technology, epistemology, feminist philosophy, and philosophy of logic. I have published books on mathematics education and papers on the metaphysics and epistemology of numbers, Platonism about logic, referential uses of numerals, and terms used to shut down discourse in the current social-political environment.

Personal website:

http://www.melviva.com/

Assistant Professor
Philosophy
Email: melisa.vivanco@utrgv.edu
BMSLC 3.220
Phone: (956) 882-7436

Dr. Bradley Warfield

Lecturer II
Email: bradley.warfield@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Bradley Warfield

Ph.D. Philosophy, University of South Florida

M.A. Philosophy, University of South Florida

Ed.M. Philosophy and Education, Teachers College, Columbia University

M.L.A. Liberal Arts, Temple University

B.A. Philosophy and B.A. Spanish, Salisbury University

I earned my Ph.D. in philosophy at the University of South Florida in May 2017 under the supervision of Charles Guignon and Joanne Waugh. My dissertation was an examination of the most important theories of dialogism in the twentieth- and twenty-first centuries. My central claim was that (what I call) interpersonal dialogism must be recognized as a prominent feature of ethical human agency and identity.

My research interests lie in 20th-century Continental Philosophy (especially Heidegger), Ethics, Philosophy of Technology, and Philosophy of the Self, especially the dialogical self. I have interest in additional areas, such as the Philosophy of Love and Sex, Africana Philosophy, Latin American Philosophy, and Applied Ethics (including Bioethics), as well.

Before coming to UTRGV, I taught at Salisbury University, USF, Hillsborough Community College, and the University of Tampa.

I have taught the following courses at UTRGV:

Introduction to Philosophy
Ethics, Happiness, and the Good Life (as an officially-designated service-learning course beginning Fall 2019)
Ethics, Technology, and Society
Introduction to Latin American Philosophy
Race, Sexuality, and Class
Ancient Philosophy (upper-division)
Existentialism and Phenomenology (upper-division)
Special Topics: Philosophy of Love and Sex (upper-division) currently teaching
BIET 6334: Human Rights and Health (in the M.S. in Bioethics program)

I taught the following courses before coming to UTRGV:

Introduction to Philosophy
Introduction to Ethics
Ethics
Biomedical Ethics
Professional Ethics
Philosophy of Love and Sex
Identity, Freedom, and Responsibility in Africana Philosophy

More information about my teaching and research can be found here:

https://utrgv.academia.edu/BradleyWarfield

Lecturer II
Philosophy
Email: bradley.warfield@utrgv.edu
BMSLC 3.235

Dr. Ian Werkheiser

Associate Professor
Phone: (956) 665-3561
Email: ian.werkheiser@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Ian Werkheiser

Ph.D., Philosophy, Michigan State University

Associate Professor: Environmental Philosophy (especially environmental and food justice); Social Epistemology; Social and Political Philosophy

I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and the Director of the Center for Collaboration and Ethics at UTRGV. I work in areas like Social Epistemology, Environmental Philosophy, Philosophy of Food, and Philosophy of Technology. In all these areas, I am interested in questions of justice. I also host a podcast, Thought About Food, where I talk about food and food systems and interview academics, activists, or anyone who works on issues around food. Recently, I have been applying tools from environmental philosophy and especially environmental justice to emerging digital technology. I co-created the Digital Worlds Workshop with my UTRGV colleague Michael Butler to examine issues in emerging technology and virtual worlds. Digitally altered environments, more than the technology itself, are what most people experience and interact with, and these new augmented environments have a host of philosophical implications.

Website: http://ianwerkheiser.wordpress.com

Associate Professor
Email: ian.werkheiser@utrgv.edu
ELABS 358
Phone: (956) 665-3561

Dr. Dale Wilkerson

Lecturer I
Phone: (956) 665-3564
Email: dale.wilkerson@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Dale Wilkerson

Lecturer I
Email: dale.wilkerson@utrgv.edu
ELABS 346C
Phone: (956) 665-3564

Dr. Cory Wimberly

Professor
Phone: (956) 665-3554
Email: cory.wimberly@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Cory Wimberly

Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University

Associate Professor: Social and Political Philosophy, Feminist Theories

My research is focused on social political philosophy and post-structuralism. More specifically, I am currently thinking through the notion of democracy in post-foundational terms. This line of thought is indebted to liberalism, Marxism, existentialism and current thinkers like Foucault, Deleuze and Guattari, Wendy Brown, and William Connolly. In the broadest terms, the aim is to explore opportunities for the reformulation of democracy in post-foundational terms and its application to other areas of political life outside of its current use in politics today.

I am also seeking to create a forum for the discussion of these issues and the development of a philosophical community devoted to political issues as a member of the executive board of the Society for Social and Political Philosophy (www.sspp.us).

Recent publications include:

“The Joy of Difference: Foucault and Hadot on the Universal and the Aesthetic,”Philosophy Today, 53(2), 2009.

“Montesquieu and Locke on Democratic Power and the Justification of the ‘War on Terror,’” International Studies in Philosophy, 40(2), 2009.

Professor
Email: cory.wimberly@utrgv.edu
ELABS 363
Phone: (956) 665-3554

Part-Time Faculty

Dr. Jeffrey Case

Part-Time Lecturer
Email: jeffrey.case@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Jeffrey Case

Ph.D. Philosophy, Saint Louis University

B.A. Philosophy and Classical Humanities (double major), Saint Louis University

Research interests: Medieval metaphysics, the Virtue Tradition (virtue ethics and epistemology), and Philosophical Theology/Philosophy of Religion.

I have taught Introduction to Philosophy, Ethics, Professional Ethics, Philosophy of Religion, and World Religions.

Presentations

“Aquinas and Some Empirical Objections to Aristotelianism.” The Seventh Annual Symposium on Medieval and Renaissance Studies. Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Missouri. June 2019.

“Anselm's Way Out: A Medieval Precursor to the Divine Hiddenness Debate in the Augustinian Tradition's Psychological Requirements for Primal Freedom.” The Sixth Annual Symposium on Medieval and Renaissance Studies. Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Missouri. June 2018.

“Aquinas on Tempting the Impeccable.” The Fourth Annual Symposium on Medieval and Renaissance Studies. Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Missouri. June 2016.

“'Frankfurt, the Son and the Hypostasis': The Possibility of the Impeccable Christ Suffering Temptation.” The 11th Spring Meeting of the Midwest Region of the Evangelical Philosophical Society. Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan. March 2016.

“T.S. Eliot, R.G. Collingwood and Alasdair MacIntyre's Idea of Tradition.” The T.S. Eliot Society 36th Annual Conference. Washington University, Saint Louis, Missouri. September 2015.

“Whose Influence, Which Ideology?” International society for MacIntyrean Enquiry 9th Annual Conference. Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Missouri. July 2015.

“The Neoplatonism of Aquinas’s Transition from His Third to Fourth Ways.” Invited talk given to the faculty and students of Concordia University, Irvine, California. March 2014.

“T.S. Eliot, MacIntyrean.” International society for MacIntyrean Enquiry 7th Annual Conference.
Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, Michigan. July 2013.

“The Augustinian and Aristotelian Traditions in Saint Thomas Aquinas.” Invited talk given at Providence Classical Christian Academy, Saint Louis, Missouri. Fall, 2008.

“Augustine and Anselm on the Fall of Men and Angels.” National Faculty Leadership Conference. Washington, D.C., June 2004.

Awards

Research Fellowship--Research Assistant to Professor Kent Staley (2004-2005).

Research Fellowship in Saint Louis University’s Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (2006-2007).

Part-Time Lecturer
Philosophy
Email: jeffrey.case@utrgv.edu

Dr. Aaron Wilson

Part-Time Lecturer
Email: aaron.wilson1@utrgv.edu
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Dr. Aaron Wilson

Ph.D. Philosophy, University of Miami, 2014

B.A. Philosophy, Boston University, 2005

In addition to my part-time teaching at UTRGV, I am an Associate Professor of Philosophy at South Texas College.

Most of my research and writing is focused on the thought of the philosopher-polymath Charles S. Peirce (1839 - 1914), who is best known as the "founder" of the loosely connected philosophical tradition known as "pragmatism". In his seminal 1878 paper "How to Make Our Ideas Clear", Peirce argues that our clearest conception of almost anything includes our conceptions of its significance for our perception and our practical conduct. He introduced a rule for attaining this highest "grade" of clearness, which came to be called the "pragmatic maxim". Peirce's pragmatism is embedded within a systematic philosophy encompassing metaphysics, epistemology, logic, value theory, and above all, semeiotic or the theory of signs. Along with Ferdinand de Saussure, Peirce is considered a founder of modern semiotics or sign theory, which encompasses philosophy of language and much of linguistics, but which also concerns non-linguistic signs, interpretation, and meaning.

In addition to my work on Peirce, I occasionally do work on early Modern Empiricists, including John Locke, David Hume, and Thomas Reid. I've also dabbled in medical ethics and in the philosophy of technology.

I enjoy teaching or have taught, beyond pragmatism and early modern philosophy, metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of science, and philosophy of mind. I love almost all areas of philosophy, and I thoroughly enjoy sharing that affection for all philosophy with my students.

Publications:

Peirce's Empiricism: Its Roots and Its Originality. Lexington 2016.

"Interpretation, Realism, and Truth: Is the Second Grade of Clearness Independent of the Third?" Transactions of the Charles. S. Peirce Society, vol. 56.3, 2020.

"Perception, Abduction, and Foundherentism", Cosmos + Taxis 8.4/5, 2020.

"Peirce’s Hypothesis of the Final Opinion: A Transcendental Feature and an Empirical Constraint." European Journal of Pragmatism and American Philosophy. Vol. 10:2, 2018.

"A Peircean Solution to Non-Existence Problems: Immediate and Dynamical Objects." Transactions of the Charles. S. Peirce Society, vol. 53.4. 2017: 528-552.

"The Transhumanist Philosophy of Charles Sanders Peirce" (with Daniel Bruson). The Journal of Evolution and Technology, 27.2, 2017: 12-29.

"What Do We Perceive? How Peirce ‘Expands Our Perception’" in R.K. Atkins and K. Hull, From Icons to Logic: Peirce on Perception and Reasoning. 2017.

"Peirce and the A Priori." Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society, vol. 51.2. Spring 2015: 201-224.

"Locke’s Externalism about ‘Sensitive Knowledge’." British Journal for the History of Philosophy, vol. 22.3. 2014: 425-445.

"Reid’s Account of Judgment and Missing Fourth Kind of Conception." Journal of Scottish Philosophy, vol. 11.1. 2013: 25-40.

"Justice and Lung Cancer." Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, vol. 38.2. April 2013: 219-234.

"The Perception of Generals." Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society, vol. 48.2. 2012: 169-190.

"Peirce versus Davidson on Metaphorical Meaning." Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society, vol.47.2, 2011: 117-135.

Copies of these publications can be found here: https://.academia.edu

Part-Time Lecturer
Philosophy
Email: aaron.wilson1@utrgv.edu

Emeritus

Dr. Ken Buckman

Professor Emeritus
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Dr. Ken Buckman

Retired Professor of Philosophy University of Texas Pan American

Emeritus Professor of Philosophy UTRGV

Retired Associate Provost Student Engagement and Experiential Learning (UTPA)

Retired Director of the Guerra Honors Program (UTPA)

Instrumental in the establishment of the Honors College at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV)

Past President and Vice President Great Plains Honors Council

Past President and Vice President New Mexico West Texas Philosophical Society

Past President and Vice President Texas Faculty Association

Board member Texas Faculty Association 15 years

Board Member Texas State Teachers Association 4 years

Regents Award Winner

Minnie Stephens Piper Award for teaching and scholarship

Two time winner of the Chancellor's Award University of Texas System

Professor Emeritus
Philosophy

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