Education

Syracuse University. M.Phil. in Religion, 1991.
Syracuse University. M.A. in Religion, 1988.
California State University, Chico. B.A. in Humanities, 1986.

Teaching Experience

Teacher. Woodrow Wilson High School, Portland Public School District, Department of Special Education. High school life skills and special education case management. Secondary education for students with autism, behavioral, developmental and cognitive disabilities. 2005—present.

Paraeducator. Portland Public School District, Department of Special Education. Secondary education for students with autism, behavioral, and cognitive disabilities. 2004—2005.

Philosophical Consulting. Independent client counseling, education, consulting, and group facilitation in Portland, OR. 2003—present.

Adjunct Instructor. Chemeketa Community College, Chemeketa Online. Introductory philosophy instruction in an entirely online environment. Curriculum development, instruction, evaluation, and individual tutorial using WebCT, WebBorad, HTML coding, and e-mail. 2003--2004.

Adjunct Faculty. Holyoke Community College. Holyoke, MA. 1999. Developed and taught courses in Logic, Critical Thinking, Ethics, History of Ideas, and Multicultural Issues.

Vocational/Avocational Assistant. Community Options, Inc. Belchertown, MA. 1997-1999. Assistant to developmentally disabled adults, counseling, avocational development, tutoring.

Part-Time Instructor. Department of Religion, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY. 1990-1991. Designed and taught a series of three upper-level courses in philosophy and religion, lecturing, leading discussion groups, and evaluating all students.

Instructor, Syracuse University College Auburn Program, Auburn, NY. 1990-1991. Designed and taught a series of introductory and advanced courses in Religious Studies and Humanities.

Assistant Teacher, Syracuse University College, Syracuse, NY. Spring, 1990. Lectured on the history of ideas in an inter-disciplinary writing and composition course.

Teaching Assistant, Department of Religion, Syracuse University. 1988-1990. Assisted professors in many courses leading discussion groups and grading tests and papers in religion, literature, and the history of ideas.

 

Administrative Experience

Publishing Representative. Bedford/St. Martin's, Freeman, and Worth Publishing Group. 1999—2004. Regional sales of college textbooks. Territory management. Marketing and editorial research. Author scouting. Numerous sales awards. $1.8 million sales base.

Chair. Session Two of the North American Spinoza Society Meeting, “Religious Salvation and Civic Welfare: ‘Salus’ in Spinoza’s Theologico-Political Treatise.” American Philosophical Association, Eastern Division Meeting, December 28, 1999.

Administrative Assistant. Continuing Education, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA. 1998-1999. Assistant in all areas of the Family Business Center including fundraising, membership development, customer service, program development, database management, communications, event coordination, transportation, reception, cross-platform and internet computer work, public relations, and theatre work.

Manager. Alpro Acoustics, New Orleans, LA. October, 1993 - November, 1995. Responsible for computer network installation and setup, database design and management, and computer maintenance. Also responsible for waste treatment facility. Duties included employee supervision, design, maintenance, operation and oversight of waste treatment system, quality control, laboratory testing, liaison to government regulatory agencies, and policy writing.

Co-President of the Graduate Students of Religion and Advisory Member of the Faculty Graduate Committee, Syracuse University, 1988-1991 (three terms).

Panel Coordinator for the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion, Eastern International Region: "Post-Modernism and Religious Thought." University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. April 20, 1991.

Director of the Graduate Student Reading Series, Department of Religion, Syracuse University, 1988-1989.

Representative to the Graduate Student Organization, Syracuse University, 1986-1987.

Awards, Honors, and Grants

Syracuse University Graduate Fellowship, 1992-1993.

Pass With Distinction awarded for comprehensive examinations, Department of Religion, Syracuse University, 1991.

Travel Grant, The Graduate School, Syracuse University, 1991.

Graduate Research Grant, The Graduate Students of Religion, Syracuse University, 1991.

Summer Research Fellowship, The Graduate School, Syracuse University, 1989.

Graduate Research Grant, The Graduate Students of Religion, Syracuse University, 1989.

Graduate Assistantships, Syracuse University, 1988-1990.

Graduate Scholarships, Syracuse University, 1986-1990.

Publications

“’The Hotel’ by Robert Walser.” Harper’s Magazine. June, 2003.

“Five Prose Pieces by Robert Walser.” Jubilat. Issue Six. Spring, 2003. pp. 108-119.

“Cursed Philosophy: The Destruction of the Philosophers.” Ravishing DisUnities: Real Ghazals in English. Ed. Agha Shahid Ali. Wesleyan University Press, 2000. pp. 97-98.

“Ales Debeljak, Descriptive Anarchy, Metaphysical Copula.” The Southwestern Review. Spring, 1993. pp. 142-144.

"The Politics of American Academia." Translated into Slovene by Seta Knop. Literatura. No. 8. Vol. 3. 1990. Ljubljana, Yugoslavia. pp. 170-177.

"A Dialogue Between Philosophy and Religion: The Perspective of Karl Jaspers." The Religious Studies Review. Vol. 16. No. 3. July, 1990. p. 237.

"Philosophy of Religion." Translated into Slovene by Ales Debeljak. Telex. N. 35. Sept. 7, 1989. Ljubljana, Yugoslavia.

Papers

"Rethinking Marxist Religion: Deleuzian Divinity." Politics and Languages of Contemporary Marxism. Rethinking Marxism. University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA. December 7, 1996.

"Sources For Post-Modern Mysticism: Rumi and Lyric Critique." Global and Multicultural Dimensions of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy and Social Thought. Institute of Global Cultural Studies of Binghamton University, SUNY, Binghamton, NY. October 25. 1996.

"Theology and Simulation: From the Blank Signifier to Significant Excess." American Academy of Religion, Eastern International Meeting. University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. April 20, 1991.

"Postmodernism and the Science of Being Qua Being." Prospects for a Postmodern Philosophy of Science, Sociology, Structural Hermeneutics, and Critical Ontology. Inter-University Center for Post-Doctoral Studies, Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia. March 18, 1989.

"Martin Heidegger: The Authentic Unity of Temporal Existence." Spring Reading Series. Department of Religion, Syracuse University. 1989.

Member of the AAR Seminar, "Theology and the Phenomenological Movement." American Academy of Religion, Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL. 1988.

"Universal Substance: Hegel's Concept of Divinity." Fall Reading Series. Department of Religion, Syracuse University. 1988.

 

Affiliations

Portland Association of Teachers
American Philosophical Association
American Academy of Religion
American Catholic Philosophical Association
North American Spinoza Society
Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy
Society for Philosophy in Practice (British)
Council for Exceptional Children

Courses Taught

Woodrow Wilson High School:

Life Skills
Social Skills
Vocational Skills
Reading
Writing
Math

Chemeketa Community College:

Philosophy 201: Philosophical Problems: Metaphysics
Philosophy 202: Philosophical Problems: Theory of Knowledge

Holyoke Community College:

Philosophy 103: Clear Thinking/Sound Reasoning.
Philosophy 120: Ethics

Syracuse University College, Auburn, NY:

Religion 290: Introduction to the Study of Religion
Religion 205: Ancient Greek Religion
Religion 256: Christianity
Religion 258: Critical Issues in Religious Thought
Humanities 419: Senior Thesis in the Humanities

Syracuse University:

Religion 291: Comparative Themes and Issues in Religious Studies
Religion 248: American Religious Thought
Religion 258: Modern Theology
Religion 300: Post-Holocaust Philosophy and Theology
Religion 300: Philosophy of Religion
Religion 300: Religion and Metaphysics
Religion 368: Varieties of Religious Language
Religion 490: Religion and Psychoanalysis