Current Position

2023 - present: Associate Professor, Philosophy, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
2009 - 2023: Assistant Professor, Philosophy, University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Previous Positions

2004 - 2009: Program Coordinator, Philosophy Program, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
2003 - 2004: Interim Program Coordinator & Assistant Professor, Philosophy, University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
1998 - 2003: Instructor, Philosophy, University Louisiana at Lafayette
1997 - 1998: Lecturer, Department of Philosophy, California State University, Fresno
1996 - 1997: Instructor, Department of Philosophy, Winona State University

Education

Ph.D. (Philosophy), The Ohio State University, August 1996
M.A. (Philosophy), The Ohio State University, March 1993
B.A. (Philosophy), Arizona State University, December 1987

Areas of Specialization

Epistemology, Practical Ethics (selected topics)

Areas of Competence

Metaphysics, Ethics, History of Modern Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, 20th Century Analytic Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Informal Logic/Critical Thinking

Published Work

"Inference and the Basing Relation," Well-Founded Belief: New Essays on the Epistemic Basing Relation, ed. by J. Adam Carter and Patrick Bondy, (Routledge, 2019).

"The Epistemic Basing Relation", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, October 31, 2001. Latest Revision: August 2019.

"Coke Into Pepsi: The Miracle in Pulp Fiction," Quentin Tarantino and Philosophy, ed. by Richard Greene and K. Silem Mohammad, (Open Court, 2007).

"A Reply to Marquis' 'Korcz on Abortion," Journal of Social Philosophy, Volume 35, Issue 1, March 2004.

"A Comparison of Student Editions of Hume's First Enquiry", American Philosophical Association's Newsletter on Teaching Philosophy, Volume 02, number 1, Fall 2002.

"Two Moral Strategies Regarding Abortion" , Journal of Social Philosophy, Volume 33, Issue 4, Winter 2002.

"The Causal-Doxastic Theory of the Basing Relation" , Canadian Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 30, No. 4, December 2000.

"Teaching Informal Modal Logic in Informal Logic/Critical Thinking Classes," American Philosophical Association's Newsletter on Teaching Philosophy, Spring 1998. 

"Recent Work on the Basing Relation," American Philosophical Quarterly,  Vol. 34, No. 2, April 1997. (To see the full text of this article, click here.)

Presentations

"Epistemic Teleology," Presentation for Philosophy Colloquium, UL Lafayette Philosophy Program, March 2006.
"Two Strategies Regarding The Issue Of Abortion." Presentation sponsored  by the California State University, Fresno, Philosophy Club, March 5, 1998.
"Epistemic Deontology." Presented at the California State University,  Fresno Philosophy Colloquium on October 14, 1997.
"The Causal-Doxastic Theory Of The Basing Relation." Presented at the  annual Minnesota Philosophical Society Meeting at Bethel College on  October 26, 1996.
"Reasons For Which One Believes." Presented to the Ohio State University  Department of Philosophy, May 24, 1996

Referee Work

I have refereed philosophy articles for:

The Canadian Journal of Philosophy
Erkenntnis
Grazer Philosophische Studien
The Journal of Philosophy
Mind
Nous
Philosophical Papers
Philosophical Quarterly
Philosophy and Phenomenological Research
Synthese

I have refereed philosophy books for:

Blackwell Publishers
Broadview Publishers
Harcourt-Brace
Longman's Publishing Co.
Mayfield Publishing Company
McGraw Hill
MIT Press
Oxford University Press
Routledge Publishers
Rowman & Littlefield
Susquehanna University Press
Wadsworth Publishing Company

Internet Work

Maintained the departmental web page, UL Lafayette, Fall 1999 - present.
Created and maintain an extensive website for my students' use that includes a web page for each course (including items such as an online syllabus, study aids, suggestions for further reading, videos relevant to the course, practice exercises, etc.), links pages in philosophy and for research, and a variety of other pages (1999-present).
Created a "How To Survive Your First Philosophy Class" tutorial, which includes information on taking notes, writing philosophy papers, doing research in philosophy, etc.

Grants & Awards

Grant from Friends of the Humanities, UL Lafayette, $700 awarded to purchase books for Dupre library, 2021.
Grant from Friends of the Humanities, UL Lafayette, $500 awarded to purchase books for Dupre library, 2017.
Grant from Friends of the Humanities, UL Lafayette, $250 awarded to purchase books for Dupre library, 2014.
Grant for Faculty Development, first author, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, $400 awarded to acquire philosophy books for Dupre Library, 2007.
Student Technology Enhancement Proposal (STEP) Grant, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, $7,800 for the three-year acquisition of a site license for The Philosopher's Index Online, 2007.
Grant for Faculty Development, first author, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, $650 awarded to acquire philosophy books for Dupre Library, 2005.
Grant For Faculty Development, first author, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, $650 to acquire philosophy books for Dupre Library, 2004.
Student Technology Enhancement Proposal (STEP) Grant, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, $9,262 for multi-media cart, including computer, projector, document camera, and other equipment, for use of internet, DVD, and multi-media classroom presentations, 2000.
Grant For Faculty Development, co-recipient, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, $500 to acquire videos and related materials for use in teaching philosophy, 1998.
The William H. Fink Award, May 1996 (annual award of $1,000 for best graduate student essay in philosophy at the Ohio State University,  awarded for my paper "Reasons For Which One Believes").
Graduate Summer Fellowship in Philosophy, The Ohio State University, June 1995.
Regent's Scholarships, Arizona State University, September 1984 -  December 1987.
Numerous tournament awards in speech and C.E.D.A. debate, Arizona  State University and University of Nevada at Las Vegas, 1983-1986.
Devos Scholarship, for art, University of Nevada at Las Vegas, September  1983.

Departmental Service

Provided transfer course evaluations for Philosophy using TES (2018 - present).
Philosophy Program Web Liaison, (2001-present).
Philosophy Program Liaison to Dupre Library (2001-present).
Developed Philosophy concentration in general studies (2018).
Departmental Librarian, Philosophy Program, University of Louisiana at Lafayette (1998-present).
Member, Hiring Committee for Geography, (2014, 2017).
Program Coordinator, (Summer 2004 - 2009).
Interim Program Coordinator, (Fall 2003 - Spring 2004).
Acting Program Coordinator, Philosophy, (Summer 2003).
Assistant Program Coordinator, Philosophy, (2001-2003).
Member of the Graduate Faculty, (2001-2008).
Member, University Library Committee, (2006-2007)
Chair, Hiring Committee for Philosophy, (2003-2004, 2004 -2005, 2005-2006, 2006-2007).
Member, Hiring Committee for Philosophy (2001-2002).
Revised Philosophy Program Curriculum, (2001).
Advisor to the Philosophy Club, Philosophy Program, University of Louisiana at Lafayette (1998-2012).
Member, Freshman Seminar Committee for the College of Liberal Arts,  University of Louisiana at Lafayette (1998-1999).
Chair, Recruiting Committee, Philosophy Program, University of Louisiana at Lafayette (1998-2009).
Chief Author, Philosophy Program's new website, University of Louisiana at Lafayette (1999).
Advisor to the Philosophy Club, California State University, Fresno (1997-1998).

Community Service

Friend of the Lafayette Public Library, 2003 - present.
Camp Bon Coeur Quiz Bowl participant, 2012 - 2014.
Interviewed by Nathan Stubbs of The Independent for an article on the film The Matrix - we discussed the philosophical issues raised in the movie, November 12, 2003. Article, with quotes, appeared in the November 19, 2003 issue, p. 25.
By invitation, debated Dr. Bryan-Paul Frost on the existence of God for the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Lafayette, LA, on Sept. 14, 2003.
Guest appearance on live local cable TV show "Speak-Out", on the topic "Homosexuality and the Law", April 6, 2000.
Guest appearance on live local cable TV show "Speak-Out", on the topic "God's Existence and its Relation to Public Policy", January 21, 2000.
 

Teaching Experience

Assistant Professor (Philosophy), University of Louisiana at Lafayette: 2003 - present
Instructor (Philosophy), University of Louisiana at Lafayette: 1998 -  2003
Lecturer (Philosophy), California State University, Fresno: autumn 1997 - spring 1998
Instructor (Philosophy), Winona State University: autumn 1996 - spring 1997
Graduate Teaching Associate (Philosophy), The Ohio State University,  September 1990 - June 1996
Graduate Teaching Assistantship (Philosophy), Arizona State University,  September 1988 - June 1990

Courses Previously Taught

Upper Division

Theory of Knowledge.
Paradoxes and Skepticism/Skepticism.
Introduction to Symbolic Logic.
Metaphysics.
Philosophy of Religion
Ethical Theory.
Contemporary Conflicts of Morals.
Professional Ethics.
History of Modern Philosophy.
Hume.
Philosophy of the Enlightenment.
20th Century Analytic Philosophy.

I have also taught the following Upper Division independent study courses:
       
        Classics of Contemporary Analytic Epistemology.
        Free Will.
        Philosophy of Religion.
        The Problem of Evil.
        Ethical Theory.

Lower Division

Introduction to Philosophy of Religion.
Honors Introduction to Philosophy.
Introduction to Philosophy.
Contemporary Moral Dilemmas/Introduction to Ethics/Moral Problems.
Explorations in Liberal Arts.
How to Think About Weird Things/Practical Argumentation.
Introduction to Logic (Informal).
Critical Thinking.
Computer Assisted Critical Thinking.