Katherine Kirby

Associate Professor of Philosophy and Global Studies

Katherine Kirby, PhD

Associate Professor of Philosophy and Global Studies

M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D. Fordham University
B.A. Salisbury State University

View my Curriculum Vitae

Areas of Expertise:

Ethics (including the philosophical ethics tradition, metaethics, applied ethics); Emmanuel Levinas (French postmodern ethicist); Continental Philosophy; Global Studies

Courses I Teach:

  • Ethics
  • Ethics of the Heroic
  • First-Year Seminar: Global Studies
  • Foundations of Global Studies
  • Introduction to Philosophy
  • Otherness and Marginalization: Levinas and the Alienated
  • Truth and Propaganda: Ethics and the Media

My Saint Michael's:

I've become a huge proponent of service-learning courses, wherein there is practical engagement with the community that breathes a certain life into the texts we read and discuss. I find that service-learning opportunities set the stage for a close philosophical (phenomenological) exploration of our lived experiences, especially in courses that challenge students to think about ethical or moral responsibility and engagement.

Research Interests:

Ethics (including the philosophical ethics tradition, metaethics, applied ethics, and global ethical issues); Emmanuel Levinas (French postmodern ethicist); Continental philosophy

My research interests coincide very closely with my teaching. I have been able to develop courses that tackle the very questions with which I grapple in my work, which ensures that my course material continues to be fresh and innovative. I am a huge proponent of service-learning courses, especially in courses that challenge students to think about ethical or moral responsibility and engagement, where I find that service-learning opportunities set the stage for a close philosophical (phenomenological) exploration of lived experiences.

I have two recent journal publications, including: "The Hero and Asymmetrical Obligation: Levinas and Ricoeur in Dialogue," which appeared in the June 2010 issue of International Philosophical Quarterly and "Encountering and Understanding Suffering: The Need for Service-Learning in Ethical Education," which appeared in the June 2009 issue of Teaching Philosophy.  The latter publication was chosen to be the topic of a plenary session at the 2009 North American Levinas Society conference in Toronto, and a shorter version of this paper was presented at a session of the 2007 meeting of the Association of Moral Education.  Another article entitled "War and Peace, Power and Faith" was released in the book, X-Men and Philosophy, in 2009.

Life Off Campus:

Outside Saint Michael's I enjoy hikes, playing with my dog Abigail, movies, cooking, selected television shows, and spending time with friends and family.