Department of Philosophy and Religion

Faculty and Staff

Charles W. Harvey
Professor and Chair, 501-450-5591, Harrin 224A, email address on home page. Click here for a recent photo.

Dr. Harvey's research and teaching interests include 19th and 20th century Continental philosophy, philosophies of art and literature, theories of the self, and philosophy through personal narrative. He has published two books, and his articles have appeared in such journals as the International Philosophical Quarterly, Social Theory and Practice, and Phenomenological Inquiry, and he has made presentations to such groups as the Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy, the Society for Philosophy in the Contemporary World, and the International Society for Phenomenology and Literature.

Jesse Butler

Assistant Professor, 501-450-3207, Harrin 132 (home page : email: JButler AT uca DOT edu). Click here for a recent photo.

Dr. Butler’s research and teaching interests include analytic philosophy (especially contemporary philosophy of mind and epistemology), modern philosophy, and logic. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Oklahoma. His work has appeared in Metapsychology Online Reviews and Philosophy and Ethics: New Research (Nova Science Publishers, 2006), and he is currently working on publications and presentations regarding the nature, scope, and limits of introspection.

Clayton Crockett
Assistant Professor, 501-450-5506, Harrin 128 (home page : email). Click here for a recent photo.

Dr. Crockett's research and teaching interests include modern and contemporary western religious thought, and Continental philosophy of religion. He has made presentations to the American Academy of Religion, and is the author of a book, A Theology of the Sublime (Routledge, 2001). He is also an editor of the online Journal for Cultural and Religious Theory (www.jcrt.org).

Dr. Deitrick's research and teaching interests include religion and social ethics and Western engagements with Asian religions. He has made presentations to such groups as the American Academy of Religion and the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, and has published in the Curzon Press Critical Studies in Buddhism series (Curzon/Routledge, 2003).

Jacob M. Held

Assistant Professor, 501-450-3634, Harrin 133 (homepage : email). Click here for a recent photo.

Dr. Held's research and teaching interests include social and political philosophy, 19th century German Philosophy (Marx and Marxism), and the philosophy of law. He is co-editor of James Bond and Philosophy, (Open Court Press, 2006) in Open Court's Popular Culture and Philosophy series. He also contributed to the volumes on the Beatles, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Star Trek. Most recently he has contributed to the volume on South Park in Blackwell's Philosophy and Pop Culture Series. He has published in several scholarly journals including Vera Lex and The Journal of the British Society of Phenomenology and has made presentations to such groups as the Radical Philosophy Association and the North American Society for Social Philosophy.

Jim Highland

Visiting Assistant Professor, 501-852-2643, Harrin 137 (homepage : email: JHighland AT uca DOT edu). Click here for a recent photo.

Dr. Highland’s research and teaching interests include Ancient Greek and Early Medieval Philosophy, Comparative Philosophy, Aesthetics, Ethics and Islamic Philosophy. He is finishing a manuscript, tentatively titled The Humane Experience of Tragedy: Tragedy, Katharsis and the Maturation of Character. He is also finishing an academic game for the Reacting to the Past series, with Dr. Harold McDougall (Howard University), titled The Struggle for Civil Rights: Birmingham to Memphis, 1963-1966. He has published articles in journals such as the Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Buddhist-Christian Studies, The Muslim World, and Philosophy in the Contemporary World. He has authored a chapter in the book Comparative Philosophy and Religion in Times of Terror. He has also presented at conferences dealing with Ancient, Medieval and Asian Philosophy, as well as at conferences on teaching philosophy.

Dawn M. Jakubowski
Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Gender Studies, 501-450-5594, Harrin 134 (home page : e-mail). Click here for a recent photo.

Dr. Jakubowski's research and teaching interests include ethics of neuroscience & enhancement technologies, social justice and feminist theory, and critical race studies. Her work has appeared in the Encyclopedia of Feminist Theories, the Society for Philosophy in the Contemporary World and the Journal of the Southwestern Philosophical Society. She has made presentations to such groups as the Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy, the Central States Philosophical Association, and the 10th Conference of Cuban and North American Philosophers and Social Scientists (in Havana, Cuba).

Peter J. Mehl

Professor and Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts, 501-450-5282, Irby 120, email on home page. Click here for a recent photo.

Dr. Mehl's research and teaching interests include theoretical and applied ethics, American pragmatism, philosophy of religion, and particularly Kierkegaard. He is the author of a book, Thinking through Kierkegaard: Existential Identity in a Pluralistic World, University of Illinois Press. (Copies can be purchased at the UCA Bookstore.) His articles have appeared in International Kierkegaard Commentary, The Journal of Religious Ethics, and Theology and Public Policy, and he has made presentations to such groups as the American Academy of Religion, The International Kierkegaard Conference, and the Society for Philosophy in the Contemporary World.

Ronald Novy
Visiting Assistant Professor and College Advisor, 501-852-2641, Harrin 225A (home page : e-mail). Click here for a recent photo.

Mr. Novy's research and teaching interests include metaphysics, philosophy of mind, social & political philosophy and ethics. He earned both his BA and MA from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee and his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri.

Dr. Shelton's research and teaching interests include logic, epistemology, and philosophy of science. His work has appeared in Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, and other journals, and he hasmade presentations to such groups as the Southwest Philosophical Association, and the International Society for the Philosophy of Chemistry.

Mr. Spivey earned a BA in Philosophy and Religion from Hendrix College, a MA in Religious Studies from the University of Kansas, and an MLA in Social Science from Arkansas Tech University. He also teaches Conceptual Development at Arkansas Governor's School, and is co-editor of the textbook, Contemporary Moral Problems. His main areas of interest include History of Western Philosophy, Jewish Studies, and World Religions.

Chris Springer
Adjunct Instructor & Library Assistant Professor, 501-450-5249, Torreyson Library 322 (e-mail). Click here for a recent photo.

Gary Thiher
Lecturer I, 501-450-5593, Harrin 136 (home page : e-mail). Click here for a recent photo.

Dr. Thiher's research and teaching interests are in Ethics, Social and Political Philosophy, and Ancient Philosophy. He received his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Missouri.

Jeffrey Williams

Visiting Assistant Professor, 501-852-2642, Harrin 225B (home page : e-mail). Click here for a recent photo.

Julia Winden Fey

Adjunct Instructor and Associate Dean, Division of Undergraduate Studies, 501-450-5384, Harrin 207 (home page : e-mail).

Dr. Winden Fey's research and teaching interests include feminist and sexual ethics, issues of popular culture, and alternative religious movements. She has written about the Gothic subculture as Generation X spirituality, and has made presentations to the American Academy of Religion and the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion.

Donna Peterson
Department Secretary, 501-450-3179, Harrin 224. Click here for a recent photo.