Faculty Bios
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Donald P. Jarnevic, Office: Briggs 346 |
Jarnevic teaches aesthetics, logic, contemporary philosophy, philosophy of religion, and various courses in metaphysics, especially philosophy of God and philosophy of the person. Jarnevic's area of specialization is philosophical theology with a particular interest in the epistemology of faith. His most recent scholarly work has dealt with a number of philosophical issues involved in St. Thomas Aquinas' theory of sacred theology or "sacra doctrina." Jarnevic is currently pursuing a critical analysis of the received doctrine concerning existence in the tradition of Anglo-American analytic philosophy. A further interest is the interplay of Thomism and phenomenology as regards the treatment of the human person in the philosophical writings of St. Edith Stein and Karol Wojtyla. Jarnevic has been a participant in a National Endowment for the Humanities summer seminar, entitled "Concepts of Nature and God." Jarnevic holds an A.B. degree in philosophy from the University of Detroit, an M.A. degree in philosophy from the University of Notre Dame, an M.A. degree in religious studies from the University of Windsor, and a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh. Jarnevic was appointed to the faculty of UDM in 1960. |
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D. R. Koukal, Office: Briggs 336 |
Koukal regularly teaches introductory philosophy, ethics, social and political philosophy, person and society, and media critique. He has also taught thematic courses on friendship, the good life, appearance and reality, and has directed readings on Husserl, Heidegger, Nietzsche, existentialism, continental philosophy, postmodernism, the phenomenology of place, and the topic of dwelling. Koukal's scholarly research has centered on the phenomenological method and the problem of expression, and he has published articles on Husserl, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, and Sartre. In addition, he is interested in the actual practice of phenomenology, and has undertaken several investigations of the experience of media, lived space and the body. He also maintains an abiding interest in social and political questions. Koukal holds a B.A. (with distinction) in general studies from Shimer College and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in philosophy from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. He joined the University in the fall of 2000, and was appointed director of the University Honors Program in 2001. He received the Faculty Achievement Award in 2004. |
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Martin G. Leever, Office: Briggs 334 |
Leever teaches ethical theory, professional ethics and the history of philosophy. His research and publications focus on ethical issues in the professions and also on the history of philosophy, especially eighteenth-century Scottish moral philosophy. He also serves as an ethics consultant to social service and health care organizations. Leever holds B.A. and M.A. degrees from Marquette University and a Ph.D. from Loyola University of Chicago. He joined the University in 2000. Leever received the Faculty Achievement Award in 2006. |
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Elizabeth A. Oljar, Office: Briggs 342 |
Oljar specializes in philosophical ethics, but also teaches courses in philosophy of feminism, philosophy of law, symbolic logic, and early modern philosophy. Beth holds a B.A. degree from Portland State University and earned her M.A. and Ph.D in July 1996 at the University of Washington in Seattle, where she won an Excellence in Teaching Award in 1995. She left her lifelong home in the Pacific Northwest to join the UDM faculty in August 1996. From June 1999 to August 2000, she was Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. She returned as a full-time faculty member and Chair of the department in September 2000. She is currently engaged in research on feminism and the morality of abortion, but has also presented papers on the nature of practical reasons and diversity in Jesuit Core Curricula at Portland State University and Seattle University (respectively). |
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Gail M. Presbey, Office: Briggs 330 |
Presbey teaches peace and social justice, ethics, African philosophy and culture, and other courses related to social and political philosophy. Her interests are in cross-cultural and feminist explorations in philosophy and the philosophy of non-violence. She is first editor of an introductory philosophy text, The Philosophical Quest: A Cross Cultural Reader, now in its second edition. She is first editor of Thought and Practice in African Philosophy (2002), and editor of Philosophical Perspectives on the 'War on Terrorism' (2007). She has authored many journal articles and book chapters. She holds a B.A. degree from the University of Detroit and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Fordham University. In 1998-2000 she held a two-year J. William Fulbright Senior Scholar position at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, during which she did research on sage philosophy. In 2005 she had a six month research Fulbright grant, hosted by World Peace Center at MIT, Pune, India, where she studied Gandhian nonviolence. Presbey came to UDM in 2000, and received the Faculty Achievement Award in 2003. Presbey received UDM's Mission Leadership Award in 2006. |
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