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Graduate Student Profiles
| Monica
Berrier My philosophical interests are primarily within the cluster of Philosophy of Mind/Psychology/Cognitive Science. I am also interested in Feminism insofar as I believe that men and women are equals, however, I find I have difficulty squaring my beliefs with much of the "baggage" that is associated with Feminism beyond that core belief. My advisor is Ron Giere. |
| Marilea
Bramer My main philosophical interests are Feminist Philosophy, Ethics (particularly Kantian moral theory), personal relationships, and social and political philosophy. In my dissertation, I argue that, contrary to objections, Kantian moral theory mandates that we give special consideration to those in close personal relationships with us. I then contrast Kantian moral theory and the Ethics of Care, which is an ethics based the connections of close personal relationships on the moral issues of beneficence and domestic abuse. My advisors are Michelle Mason and Sarah Holtman. |
| Deepanwita
Dasgupta Entered PhD Program: 2002-2003 MA Philosophy: University of Minnesota, Spring 2004 PhD: Jadavpur University, Calcutta, 1995 My research focuses on colonial science, i.e., the growth of scientific communities outside Euro-American locations. In my dissertation, I concentrate on an early community of physicists in British India, often described as the Calcutta School of Physics, which flourished during the period of 1910-1940. Drawing on several resources from philosophical, historical and cognitive analysis of science, I seek to unpack the historical and conceptual underpinnings of their science, and ask to what extent their forms of scientific knowledge-making were influenced by their colonial location. In addition to this, I am interested in the social dimensions of scientific practice, theories of development, and how science policy (of a society) shapes development in different post-colonial societies. My advisor is Ronald Giere, and I also work with Prof. Subrata Dasgupta from the Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Louisiana, Lafayette. |
Susan
Hawthorne My research explores current views and treatment of mental illness from the perspectives of philosophy of biomedical science and ethics, taking attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as the primary example. I have broad interests in other areas of philosophy as well—including philosophy of psychology, political philosophy, areas of ethics beyond those touched on in my research, feminism, and pragmatism—many approaches, as long as the problems involve current social and/or scientific issues and have potential to make a positive difference in our understanding and treatment of one another. My advisor is Helen Longino. |
| Britt
Johnson My main area of focus is on bio-medical ethics as applied to international human rights and feminism. I also have written on medical treatment ethics issues occurring within the United States. I will minor in Bioethics through the Center for Bioethics. My dissertation will investigate Humean moral and ontological thought, and apply Hume's position to modern medical ethics issues. My advisor is Valerie Tiberius, and I also work with Deb DeBruin from the Center for Bioethics and Doug Lewis (resident Hume professor). |
Josh
Kortbein My interests are unaccountably wide-ranging but all tend to relate somehow to my worries about the value and purpose of philosophy. I am especially drawn to questions surrounding the ways philosophy treats what it takes to be non-philosophical, and questions about the relationship between theory and practice. My more immediate work examines the potential philosphical function of the rhetorical and literary qualities of Wittgenstein's writing. My long-term projects center around my efforts to understand what aesthetics would look like when transformed by my intuitions about the relationships between criticism, individual appreciation, and theory of popular and semi-popular music. I am most occupied (to various degrees) by work by Adorno, Stanley Cavell, Heidegger, Frank Kogan, Mark Sinker, and Wittgenstein. |
Casey
McGinnis My area of specialization is philosophical logic, which
I construe as the application of formal logical systems to philosophical
problems. My dissertation, "Paraconsistency
and Deontic Logic", addresses the problem of reasoning sensibly
with conflicting obligations. In it, I develop systems of deontic logic
that are conflict-tolerant (in the sense that conflicting obligations
do not entail that everything is obligatory, i.e. 'Op & O~p' does
not entail 'Oq'), yet are fully classical at the non-deontic level. I
am also interested in various issues in metaphysics and philosophy of
logic, language and mind, as well as the formalization of commonsense
knowledge as it relates to the development of artificial intelligence.
My advisors are William Hanson and Geoffrey Hellman. |
Christopher
Moore My research in ancient philosophy focuses on characterization in Plato: in what way the narrator's portrayal of the interlocutors matters to the philosophical content of the dialogue. My political philosophy interests include methodologies of human nature, civic education, and the rule of law. My philosophy of punishment has dealt with the role of rehabilitation and coercion in penal practices. |
Susan Parry My research interests are in bioethics and philosophy of science. In my dissertation I'm looking at how patient desires shape the practice of medicine. I'm examining cases ranging from debates over the diagnosis and treatment of chronic lyme disease to normalizing facial surgery for kids with downs syndrome. Carl Elliott is my advisor, but I also work with Jeff Kahn, Ron Giere and Helen Longino. |
Ian
Stoner I tend to approach philosophical problems through the history of their development. This has led to an enduring love for some of the towering figures in philosophy: particularly Plato and Hume, and to an only slightly lesser extent, Aristotle and Kant. My contemporary interests are primarily in normative ethics. I am particularly fond of Kantian and virtue ethics. I hope one day to succeed in fusing the two, so that I never have to choose between them. |
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My interests are wide-ranging, and if you were to label me you might call me interdisciplinary. But don't label me, that's not nice. I am especially intrigued by pedagogy/theories of learning and teaching, in all forms: in the classroom as a child and as an adult, through dialogue, via symbols and messages of cultural impetus, etc. Literary and cultural theory are also of great interest to me - in my own teaching experiences I find it especially important to enact theory through practice. I observe the ideology that without applied theory, the insular University would cease to serve as an agent for empowering the community and working towards social justice. I find myself working within and tying together the disciplines of Philosophy, English, Gender Studies, Cultural Theory, and Art. I'm fond of drinking red wine and eating smoked gouda on finn crisp crackers. Under pressure, I would admit some of my favorite thinkers are Michel Foucault, Monique Wittig, Roland Barthes, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Emily August. If you ever need a taxi, ride a Rainbow. |
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