Description / Biography

With a background in the history of philosophy, I approach philosophy as an ongoing conversation with thinkers of the past and present. I teach a variety of courses including existentialism, phenomenology, philosophy of the Enlightenment, philosophy of race, Africana philosophy, and philosophy of art. In all these courses, I challenge students to read, write, and think critically about the questions that matter to them. My goal in the classroom is always to promote good discussion and to guide students in the process of reflecting on their beliefs and assumptions, as well as considering things from different perspectives. Many of my courses are writing intensive, and I enjoy working with students to build their communication skills and discover their style and voice.

In my research, I have focused primarily on 19th and 20th century philosophers in the European continental tradition, especially Henri Bergson, Martin Heidegger, and Michel Foucault. I am especially interested in philosophical questions about the nature and experience of time, which is the subject of my book The Origin of Time. My recent work examines the issue of time in African-American political thought and in ancient Greek and Roman ethics. I have also begun to explore the field of environmental philosophy and specifically the question of how our concept of nature guides the way we relate to the natural world.

When I’m not teaching or writing, I enjoy spending time with my family, watching movies, reading fiction, and listening to music of the 1960s and ’70s. I also like playing disc golf and ultimate frisbee, canoeing, hiking, gardening, and cross-country skiing.