boston college
morrissey college of arts and sciences
graduate program
philosophy
1
welcome to the philosophy
department at boston college
B
oston College’s graduate philosophy
programs attract talented students from
around the world. We offer master’s
and doctoral degrees, covering all periods in
the history of philosophy and with a diversity of
philosophical approaches.
The department is noted for its strength in the
history of philosophy, contemporary continental
philosophy and practical philosophy, including
ethics and social-political philosophy. In addition,
the department offers several interdisciplinary
programs: philosophy and law, philosophy and
theology, and philosophy and psychoanalysis.
The program also includes Asian philosophy and
diaspora studies.
Each September our doctoral program admits
a small group of new students, who are immediately welcomed as research assistants. The
experience of working with an established scholar
is designed to help the student learn some of the
basic skills of philosophical research and establish
a mentoring relationship with one or more faculty. The program’s flexibility ensures individualized
attention in designing a plan of study. All Ph.D.
students have funding through their fifth year in
the program assuming successful completion of
requirements. Doctoral students gain experience
teaching in the University’s two-semester Philosophy of the Person core course. There is a teaching
seminar in the first two years of the program to
help prepare the doctoral students to design their
own syllabi and to provide feedback on teaching,
which continues in ongoing class visitations during their years of teaching.
The M.A. program admits an additional group
of about 25 students, who share the same faculty,
courses and other resources for the study of
philosophy, including language preparation.
Philosophy at Boston College benefits from our
location in the Boston area, a rich center of
academic life, including universities, libraries
and cultural institutions that aid all aspects of
our research and scholarly interchange. Internationally, the Institut für die Wissenschaften
vom Menschen (Vienna, Austria) offers a program for those at the dissertation stage to reside
at the Institut for six months and participate
in lectures and seminars. The Boston College
Office of International Programs offers a
cooperative program with the Paris Center
for Critical Studies, open to both graduate and
undergraduate students.
The Boston College Philosophy Department
is a thriving intellectual community, in contact
with philosophers in New England and throughout the world. We invite you to consider joining
with us in the investigation of philosophy’s
perennial issues.
contents
Program Overview
2
Faculty
3
Courses
8
Outcomes
8
Academic Resources
9
Student Life &
Campus Resources
10
Admission & Financial
Information
12
1
program overview
T
he department offers a comprehensive program in
the history and problems of philosophy, allowing for
concentration in the following areas:
 Continental philosophy: Kant to present
 Ancient philosophy
 Medieval philosophy
 Social and political philosophy
 Philosophy of science
 Philosophy of religion
A significant feature of the program is the extensive and
diverse range of courses available to graduate students
every semester. Students have considerable flexibility in
designing their programs of study and have access to
the resources of political science, theology and other
departments of the University as well as to the rich
intellectual assets of the Boston area.
Ph.D. Program
Admission to the doctoral program is highly selective:
five or six students are admitted each year from among
more than 200 applicants. The requirements for the Ph.D.
degree are as follows:
 16 courses (48 credits)
 Proficiency in logic (tested by course
or by examination)
 Proficiency in two foreign languages
(Latin, Greek, French or German)
 Preliminary comprehensive examination
 Doctoral comprehensive examination
 Dissertation and oral defense
 One year of full-time residence
Students entering the program with an M.A. in philosophy
may be given credit for up to six courses (18 credits) toward
the credits requirement, but must take a minimum of
10 courses (30 credits) in the program.
The preliminary comprehensive is a one-hour and fifteen
minute oral examination on a reading list in the history of
philosophy. It is taken at the end of the student’s first year.
The doctoral comprehensive is a two-hour oral examination on the student’s dissertation proposal, a systematic
problem and two major philosophers; it is taken by
November of the student’s fourth year.
2
M.A. Programs
M.A. ProgrAM in PhilosoPhy
The Master of Arts serves the goals and needs of a
variety of students: those who wish to discover whether
they should pursue the Ph.D., those who wish to extend
and consolidate their knowledge of the field before moving
on to work at the Ph.D. level and those oriented toward
careers in business, economics, law, medicine, publishing
and related fields who desire a rigorous and challenging
academic program.
Requirements for the M.A. in philosophy:
 Ten courses (30 credits)
 Proficiency in one foreign language (Latin, Greek,
French or German)
 One-hour-and-fifteen-minute oral comprehensive
examination on a reading list in the history of philosophy
Students may submit a master’s thesis in place of two
courses. The master’s degree may be pursued on a fullor part-time basis.
M.A. ProgrAM in PhilosoPhy And Theology
If you have questions and interests that lead you into both
philosophy and theology or would like to deepen your
understanding of each field by opening it to the other,
you might consider pursuing an M.A. in philosophy and
theology. This program is designed to address the various
interests of students who wish to augment graduate study
of philosophy with greater exposure to theology or graduate study of theology with greater exposure to philosophy,
consider teaching in private secondary schools or simply
feel in need of intellectual enrichment.
Drawing on the resources of major departments and
distinguished authorities in each field and situated at
the heart of a prominent Catholic, Jesuit university, this
program is structured around distinct concentrations that
address major areas of common concern to the two fields
and explores their historical, systematic and disciplinary
relations. Students develop a program of study in
discussion with an academic advisor and take courses in
the standard graduate programs offered by the Philosophy
and Theology departments. Concentrations include: Faith,
Science and Philosophy; Foundations in Philosophy and
Theology; Medieval Philosophy and Theology; and
Philosophy and Religions.
faculty profiles
james bernauer, s.j.
jeffrey bloechl
Kraft Family Professor and Director of the Center
for Christian-Jewish Learning
Associate Professor
Ph.D., SUNY, Stony Brook
Ph.D., Catholic University of Louvain
bloechl@bc.edu
bernauer@bc.edu
RESEARCh INTERESTS
 holocaust studies
 Philosophies of Michel Foucault and hannah Arendt
 Fascism
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 Co-ed. with R. Maryks, The Tragic Couple: Encounters Between
Jews and Jesuits. Brill, 2013.
 “A Jesuit Spiritual Insurrection.” In The Tragic Couple:
Encounters Between Jews and Jesuits, 203-15. Brill, 2013.
 “Christianity,” “Confession” and “Religion.” In The
Cambridge Foucault Lexicon, eds. L. Lawlor and J. Nale, 61-63,
75-79, 429-31. Cambridge University Press, 2014.
 “The Flawed Vision in Claude Lanzmann’s Shoah and the
Corrective Lens of Pierre Sauvage.” In Through a Lens Darkly:
Films of Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing, ed. J. Michalczyk, 107-14.
Peter Lang, 2013.
 “hallucinating heidegger: Reflections from hannah Arendt’s
Thought.” Philosophy and Social Criticism 39(9) (2013): 877-83.
 “heroic Collective Action: A People’s Blessing.” Studies in
Christian-Jewish Relations 6(1) (2011).
 “Secular Self-Sacrifice: On Michel Foucault’s Courses at the
Collège de France.” In Foucault’s Legacy, ed. C.G. Prado, 146-60.
Continuum, 2009.
olivia blanchette
Professor
Ph.D., University of Laval, Quebec
olivia.blanchette@bc.edu
RESEARCh INTERESTS
 Metaphysics
 Philosophy of religion
 Blondel
 Ethics
 hegel
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Globalization and Dehumanization: A Political and Cultural
Critique of the Global Corporate Economy.” In Humanity at the
Turning Point: Rethinking Nature, Culture and Freedom,
ed. S. Servomaa. Renvall Institute Publications, 2006.
 “Blondel’s Philosophical Probe into the Mystery of the
Trinitarian Life as Mystery of Mysteries.” Science et Esprit
59(2-3) (2007): 181-91.
 “Metaphysics as Preamble to Religious Belief.” In Belief and
Metaphysics, eds. P. Chandler and C. Cunningham, 141-60.
SCM Press, 2007.
RESEARCh INTERESTS
 Phenomenology and psychoanalysis
 Philosophy of religion
 Metaphilosophy
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “From Eschatology to Theological Thinking. Introduction to the
Thought of J.-Y. Lacoste.” In J.Y. Lacoste, From Theology to
Theological Thinking. University of Virginia Press, 2013.
 “Forgiveness and Its Limits.” In Vladimir Jankelevitch and the
Question of Forgiveness, ed. A. Udoff. Lexington Press, 2013.
 Guest editor, Continental Philosophy Review, on heidegger
between 1935 and 1955 (2014).
 Co-ed. with N. de Warren, Phenomenology in a New Key. Between
Analysis and History. Essays in Honor of Richard Cobb-Stevens.
Springer, 2015.
aspen brinton
Assistant Professor, Philosophy and International Studies
Ph.D., Georgetown University
brinton@bc.edu
RESEARCh INTERESTS
 Political philosophy
 Ethics
 International studies
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Association and Recognition in Authoritarian Societies: A
Theoretical Beginning.” European Journal of Political Theory 11(3)
(2012).
 “Persuading the Powerful: Translating Dissidence Across Time
and Culture,” presented at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the
American Political Science Association.
sarah byers
Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Toronto
sarah.byers@bc.edu
RESEARCh INTERESTS
 Augustine
 hellenistic philosophy
 history of ethics
 history of metaphysics (especially ancient and medieval)
3
faculty profiles
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Sarah Byers on Augustine’s Ethics.” “history of Philosophy
Without Any Gaps,” Episode 114.
 Perception, Sensibility, and Moral Motivation in Augustine.
Cambridge University Press, 2012.
 “The Psychology of Compassion: A Reading of City of God
9.5.” In The Cambridge Critical Guide to the City of God.
Cambridge University Press, 2012.
 “Augustine and the Philosophers.” In Blackwell Companion to
Augustine, ed. M. Vessey. Wiley-Blackwell, 2012.
 “Life as ‘Self-Motion’: Descartes and the Aristotelians on the
Soul as the Life of the Body.” Review of Metaphysics 59(4) (2006):
723-55.
 “Racial and Ethnic Identity?” In Race or Ethnicity? On Black
and Latino Identity, ed. J.J.E. Gracia. Cornell University Press,
2007
 “Revisiting African-American Perspectives and Medical
Ethics.” In African American Bioethics: Culture, Race, and
Identity, eds. L. Prograis and E. Pellegrino. Georgetown
University Press, 2007.
 “Practical Reason and Its Virtues.” In Intellectual Virtue, eds.
M. DePaul and L. Zagzebski, 81-107. Oxford University Press,
2003.
patrick byrne
Ph.D., Fordham University
Ph.D., SUNY, Stony Brook
RESEARCh INTERESTS
 Ancient philosophy
 Plotinus
patrick.byrne.1@bc.edu
RESEARCh INTERESTS
 Philosophy of science
 Aristotle
 Lonergan studies
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Wholeness Through Science, Justice and Love.” In Search
of the Whole: Twelve Essays on Faith and Academic Life, ed. J.C.
haughey, S.J. Georgetown University Press, 2011.
 “Is the Universe on Our Side? Scientific Understanding and
Religious Faith.” The Lonergan Review 3 (2011).
 “What is an Evolutionary Explanation? —Darwin and Lonergan.” Lonergan Workshop 23 (2012).
 “The Integral Visions of Teilhard and Lonergan: Science, the
Universe, humanity and God.” In From Teilhard to Omega: Cocreating and Unfinished Universe, ed. I. Delio. Orbis Books, 2014.
 “Discernment and Self-Appropriation: Aristotle, St. Paul,
Ignatius and Lonergan.” Divyadaan: Journal of Philosophy and
Education (2014).
 Aesthetics
 Spanish philosophy
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 Plotinus Ennead IV.4.30–45 and IV.5, Problems Concerning the
Soul. Translation, Introduction and Commentary. Parmenides
Press, 2015.
 Ancient and Medieval Concepts of Friendship, eds. G. Gurtler,
S.J. and S. Stern-Gillet. SUNY Press, 2014.
 “The Distorted City in the Republic.” In Literary, Philosophical,
and Religious Studies in the Platonic Tradition, eds. J. Finamore
and J. Phillips, 115-34. Academia Verlag, 2013.
 “Imitations of Beings Enter and Exit: Plotinus on Incorporeal
Matter in Plato: III 6[26] 11-15.” Philosophy Study 3(1) (2013):
123-30.
 “Emanationism.” In New Catholic Encyclopedia Supplement
2012-13, 438-40. Original article, Charles Dubray, William
Wallace; revised Gary Gurtler, S.J. Gale, 2013.
david w. johnson
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., The Pennsylvania State University
jorge garcia
david.johnson.8@bc.edu
Professor
Ph.D., Yale University
RESEARCh INTERESTS
 Contemporary Japanese philosophy
 hermeneutics and phenomenology
 Comparative philosophy
garciajl@bc.edu
 Conception of racism
 Bioethical issues
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “health versus harm: Euthanasia and Physicians’ Duties.”
Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 1 (2007): 7-24.
 “Being Unimpressed with Ourselves: Reconceiving
humility.” Philosophia 34 (2006): 417-35.
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Associate Professor
gurtlerg@bc.edu
Professor
RESEARCh INTERESTS
 Normative moral theory
 Philosophy of Society
gary gurtler, s.j.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “A Unity Composed of Difference: Non-Duality and Selfhood in Watsuji Tetsur.” In The Bloomsbury Research Handbook
of Contemporary Japanese Philosophy, ed. M. Yusa. Bloomsbury
Academic, forthcoming
 “Nature as Unity, heterogeneity, Productivity: Merleau-Ponty
on the Vertical Genesis of Sense.” In Philosophy After Nature,
eds. R. Braidotti and R. Dolphijn. Forthcoming
 “The Experience of Truth: Gadamer on the Belonging
Together of Self, World, and Language.” Graduate Faculty
Philosophy Journal 36(2) (2015).
 “Perception, Expression, and the Continuity of Being: Some
Intersections Between Nishida and Gadamer.” Asian Philosophy
24(1) (2014): 48-66.
 “Merleau-Ponty and the Other World of Painting: A
Response.” Journal of the British Society for Phenomenology 40(1)
(2009): 89-97.
 “Why Be a Good human Being? Natural Goodness, Reason,
and the Authority of human Nature.” Philosophia 42(3) (2014):
761-77.
 “Situationism, Skill, and the Rarity of Virtue.” Journal of Value
Inquiry 48(3) (2014): 387-401.
richard kearney
arthur.madigan@bc.edu
Charles Seelig Professor in Philosophy
RESEARCh INTERESTS
 Greek philosophy
 The relationship between Greek philosophy and
Christian faith
 Contemporary neo-Aristotelian ethics
 Political theory
Ph.D., University of Paris
richard.kearney@bc.edu
RESEARCh INTERESTS
 Contemporary Continental philosophy
 Aesthetics
 Ethics
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 Anatheism: The Return to God after God. Columbia University
Press, 2011.
 Navigations: Collected Irish Essays, 1976-2006. Syracuse
University Press, 2006.
 The Owl of Minerva: Encountering Paul Ricoeur. Ashgate
Publishing Limited, 2004.
peter kreeft
arthur madigan, s.j.
Professor
Ph.D., University of Toronto
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Catholic Philosophers in the U.S.” In The Sheed and Ward
Anthology of Catholic Philosophy, eds. J. C. Swindal and
h.J. Gensler, S.J., 555-77. Rowman and Littlefield, 2005.
 “Some Directions for Philosophical Reflection.” In Catholic
Universities in the New Europe, eds. C. Garbowski, P. Gutowski
and A. Kijewska, 209-30. Wydawnictwo KUL, 2005.
 “Common Goods and the Common Good: A Preliminary
Study.” Proceedings of the Jesuit Philosophical Association 67
(2005).
Professor
marina mccoy
Ph.D., Fordham University
Associate Professor
peter.kreeft@bc.edu
Ph.D., Boston University
marina.mccoy@bc.edu
RESEARCh INTERESTS
 Philosophy of religion
 C.S. Lewis
 Ethics
 Philosophy in literature
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 Socratic Logic. St. Augustine’s Press, 2001.
 How To Win The Culture War. IVP Books, 2002.
 Three Approaches to Abortion. Ignatius, 2002.
micah lott
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., University of Chicago
micah.lott@bc.edu
RESEARCh INTERESTS
 Ethics
 Political philosophy
 Meta-ethics
 Ancient philosophy
RESEARCh INTERESTS
 Ancient philosophy and literature
 Plato (especially Platonic rhetoric and argumentation)
 Sophists
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 Wounded Heroes: Vulnerability as a Virtue in Greek Tragedy and
Philosophy. Oxford University Press, 2013.
 Plato on the Rhetoric of Philosophers and Sophists. Cambridge
University Press, 2008.
 “The City of Sows and Sexual Differentiation in Plato’s
Republic.” In Plato’s Animals, eds. J. Bell and M. Naas. Indiana
University Press, 2015.
 “Freedom and Responsibility in the Myth of Er.” Ideas y
Valores (special issue: Plato and Socratic Politics) 61(149) (2012).
 “Alcidamas, Isocrates, and Plato on Speech, Writing, and
Philosophical Rhetoric.” Ancient Philosophy 29(2) (2009).
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Morality, Accountability, and the Wrong Kind of Reason.”
Utilitas (forthcoming).
5
faculty profiles
daniel mckaughan
vanessa rumble
Associate Professor
Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Notre Dame
Ph.D., Emory University
daniel.mckaughan@bc.edu
vanessa.rumble@bc.edu
RESEARCh INTERESTS
 Philosophy of science
 Epistemology
 Philosophy of biology
 Philosophy of religion
 history of philosophy
 Psychoanalysis
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Authentic Faith and Acknowledged Risk: Dissolving the
Problem of Faith and Reason.” Religious Studies: An International
Journal for the Philosophy of Religion 49(1) (2013): 101-24.
 “Methodological Naturalism” (with Erik L. Peterson). In New
Catholic Encyclopedia (Supplement 2012-13: Ethics and Philosophy), eds. R. Fastiggi, et al. Gale-Cengage Learning and the
Catholic University of America Press, 2013.
 “Brute Facts” and “Ockham’s Razor.” In New Catholic Encyclopedia (Supplement 2012-13: Ethics and Philosophy), eds. R.
Fastiggi, et al. Gale-Cengage Learning and the Catholic
University of America Press, 2013.
 “Backtracking and the Ethics of Framing: Lessons from Voles
and Vasopressin” (with Kevin C. Elliott). Accountability in
Research 20(3) (2013): 206-26.
 “Delbrück, Max.” In Oxford Encyclopedia of the History of
Science, Medicine, and Technology in America, ed. h. Slotten.
Oxford University Press, 2013.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Why Moriah? On Weaning and the Trauma of Transcendence.” In Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling: A Critical Guide, ed.
D. Conway. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
 Editorial board member and co-translator, English language
critical edition of Kierkegaard Journals and Notebooks.
Volumes 1-7 of projected 11 volumes, Princeton University
Press, 2007-present.
 “Progress in Spirit: Freud and Kristeva on Ethics and
Unheimlichkeit.” In Hosting the Stranger: Between Religions,
ed. R. Kearney. Fordham University Press, 2011.
david rasmussen
RESEARCh INTERESTS
 Ancient philosophy
 Philosophy of art
Professor
Ph.D., University of Chicago
david.rasmussen@bc.edu
RESEARCh INTERESTS
 Contemporary continental philosophy
 Social and political philosophy
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Political Liberalism and the Good Life: On Fred Dallmayr’s
In Search of the Good Life.” Philosophy & Social Criticism 35
(2009): 1119-25.
 “Die Möglichkeit globaler Gerichtigkeit.” In Sozialphilosophie
und Kritik, eds. R. Forst, M. hartmann, R. Jaeggi and M. Saar,
339-58. Suhrkamp Verlag Gmbh, 2009.
 “Conflicted Modernity: Toleration as a Principle of Justice.” In
After Hiroshima: Memory, Warfare, and the Ethics of Peace, ed.
E. Demenchonok. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2010.
william richardson, s.j.
Professor Emeritus
Ph.D., Catholic University of Louvain
william.richardson@bc.edu
RESEARCh INTERESTS
 heidegger
 Lacan
6
RESEARCh INTERESTS
 Søren Kierkegaard
 German Romanticism
john sallis
Frederick J. Adelmann S.J. Professor of Philosophy
Ph.D., Tulane University
Ph.D. (honoris causa), University of Freiburg
john.sallis.1@bc.edu
 Kant and German idealism
 Recent Continental philosophy
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 Logic of Imagination: The Expanse of the Elemental. Indiana
University Press, 2012.
 Light Traces. Indiana University Press, 2014.
 Klee’s Mirror. SUNY Press, 2015.
jean-luc solère
Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Poitiers
solere@bc.edu
RESEARCh INTERESTS
 Metaphysics and natural philosophy
 Representation in ontology and epistemology
 Status of pleasure in ethics
 Modern scholastic and its influence on 17th-century thought
 Pierre Bayle
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Durand of Saint-Pourçain’s Cognition Theory: Its Fundamental Principles.” In Medieval Perspectives on Aristotle’s De
Anima, eds., R. Friedman and J.M. Counet, 185-248. PeetersInstitut Supérieur de Philosophie, 2013.
 “Scotus Geometres: The Longevity of Duns Scotus’s Geometric
Arguments Against Indivisibilism.” In La posterité de Duns Scot/Die
Rezeption des Duns Scotus/Scotism through the Centuries, eds.
M. Dreyer, E. Mehl and M. Vollet, 139-54. Aschendorff, 2013.
 “Les variations qualitatives dans les théories post-thomistes.”
Revue Thomiste 1 (2012): 157-204.
andrea staiti
Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Freiburg
andrea.staiti@bc.edu
RESEARCh INTERESTS
 Transcendental phenomenology (husserl)
 Neokantianism (Rickert, Lask)
 Philosophy of the human sciences (Dilthey, Simmel)
 German idealism (Fichte)
 Phenomenology and philosophy of mind
 The possibility of thinking beyond the opposition analytic/
continental philosophy
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “The Ideen and Neo-Kantianism.” In Husserl’s Ideen,
eds. L. Embree and T. Nenon, 71-90. Springer, 2012.
 “Different Worlds and Tendency to Concordance. Towards a New
Perspective on husserl’s Phenomenology of Culture.” The New Yearbook for Phenomenology and Phenomenological Philosophy 10(1) (2011):
127-43.
 Geistigkeit, Leben und geschichtliche Welt in der Transzendentalphänomenologie Husserls. Ergon, 2010.
marius stan
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., Johns Hopkins
marius.stan@bc.edu
eileen sweeney
Professor
Ph.D., University of Texas, Austin
eileen.sweeney@bc.edu
RESEARCh INTERESTS
 Medieval philosophy
 Philosophy of language
 Theories of the passions
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 Anselm of Canterbury and the Desire for the Word. The Catholic
University of America Press, 2012.
 “Aquinas on the Seven Deadly Sins: Tradition and Innovation.” In Sin in Medieval and Early Modern Culture: The Tradition
of the Seven Deadly Sins, eds. R. Newhauser and S. Ridyard,
85-106. York Medieval Press/Boydell and Brewer, 2012.
 “Anselm and the Phenomenology of the Gift in Marcel, Sartre
and Marion.” In Saint Anselm of Canterbury and His Legacy, eds.
G. Gasper and I. Logan, 385-404. University of Toronto Press,
2012.
 “Thomas Aquinas and the Difficulties of Reading the Natural
Law Written on Our hearts,” In Reason, Religion and the Natural
Law, ed. J. Jacobs, 133-54. Oxford University Press, 2012.
 “New Standards for Certainty: The Reception of Aristotle's
Posterior Analytics in the late 12th and early 13th centuries.”
In Uncertain Knowledge: Scepticism, Relativism, and Doubt in the
Middle Ages, ed. D. Denery, K. Ghosh and N. Zeeman, 37-62.
Brepols, 2013.
 “Abelard and the Jews.” In Rethinking Abelard: A Collection of
Critical Essays, ed. B. hellemans, 37-50. Brill, 2014.
ronald k. tacelli, s.j.
Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Toronto
ronald.tacelli@bc.edu
RESEARCh INTERESTS
 Kant’s natural philosophy
 Leibniz and Newton in the 18th century
 Philosophical foundations of Enlightenment science
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 “Kant’s Early Theory of Motion: Metaphysical Dynamics and
Relativity.” The Leibniz Review (2009): 29-60.
 “Newton and Wolff: The Leibnizian Reaction to the Principia, 17161763.” The Southern Journal of Philosophy, (special anniversary issue
“Newton and Newtonianism”), ed. M. Domski (2012).
 “Kant’s Third Mechanical Law: The Long Shadow of Leibniz.” In
Studies in History and Philosophy of Science. Forthcoming.
 “Kant’s Philosophy of Science” (with Eric Watkins). In The
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, ed. E.N. Zalta (2013).
 “Kant’s Phenomenology and Newtonianism: The Riddle of Rotation.” In Oxford Studies in Early Modern Philosophy, Volume XIII.
Forthcoming.
RESEARCh INTERESTS
 Kant
 Analytic philosophy
 Philosophy of religion
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
 Ed. with P. Copan, Jesus’ Resurrection: Fact or Figment.
IVP Academic, 2000.
 Handbook of Christan Apologetics (with P. Kreeft).
IVP Academic, 1994.
7
courses
outcomes
T
Recent Dissertations
Recent Placements
2015
Central College, iowa
he combined and varied interests of the
faculty, as indicated in the faculty profiles,
ensure that the department offers a wide variety
of graduate course electives. While the number
and content of the graduate electives varies
from year to year, the following list is illustrative
of the range of courses offered.
FAll 2015
habermas: law and Politics
rasmussen
Medieval Metaphysics
solere
image and genesis of Thought
di Beistegui
heidegger: Question Truth
sallis
Theory of the Passions
sweeney
Aquinas: summa Theologiae
Kreeft
Michel Foucault
Bernauer
hermenutics of Christian life
Bloechl
Platonic dialogues
McCoy
hegel, Kierkegaard, Blondel
Blanchette
sPring 2016
Platonic Theories of Knowledge
gurtler
skepticism, stoic, neo-Platonism
Byers
Kant’s First Critique
stan
Aquinas on Virtue and law
Blanchette
Macintyre and lonergan
Byrne
st. Paul and Philosophy
Bloechl
Philosophy of religion
Kreeft
Kierkegaard and german sources
rumble
early Modern Metaphysics
solere
Philosophy and Film
Kearney
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Haggarty, Joseph M., “The Principle
of individuation According to
st. Thomas Aquinas: An
interpretation in embryo”
saint Anselm College
2014
skidmore College
saint Michael’s College
santa Clara University
seattle University
Bueya, S.J., Emmanuel, “stability in
Africa: indeterminacy and Credence”
st. Augustine College of
south Africa
Connors, Colin, “The early Modern
debate on the Problem of Matter's
divisibility: A neo-Aristotelian
solution”
st. Joseph’s University
Gomez Perez, Gustavo, “gesture
and Art in heidegger and
Merleau-Ponty”
University of houston
Smith, Michael Jaeger,
“imagination, Authority, and
Community in spinoza's
Theological-Political Treatise”
Clarke, Evan, “Kant, husserl, and
Analyticity”
Enslin, S.J., John V., “Kant on
human dignity: A Conversation
among scholars”
Britt, William G., “seduction is not
yet Betrayal: Trust and the essence
of Truth for heidegger and Freud”
2013
Vanden Bout, Melissa, “Thomas
Aquinas and the generation of the
embryo: Being human Before the
rational soul”
Hanly, Peter, “Figuring the Between:
An essay on heidegger and
novalis”
Trinity College
University of Connecticut
University of dallas
University of illinois
University of Massachusetts
University of Minnesota (duluth)
University of Montana
University of Tennessee
University of Washington
Vanderbilt University
Villanova University
Xavier University
morrissey college of arts & sciences
T
he oldest and largest of the University’s eight
schools and colleges, the Morrissey College
of Arts and Sciences offers graduate programs
in the humanities, social sciences and natural
sciences, leading to the degrees of Doctor of
Philosophy, Master of Arts and Master of Science.
In addition, numerous dual-degree options are
offered in cooperation with the Carroll School of
Management, the Boston College Law School, the
Lynch School of Education and the Graduate School
of Social Work.
With approximately 1,000 students and 400 fulltime faculty, the Graduate School is small enough
to know you as a person, but large enough to
serve you and prepare you for a rewarding life and
satisfying career.
Academic Resources
The insTiTUTe oF MedieVAl PhilosoPhy
And Theology
Boston College’s Institute of Medieval Philosophy and
Theology unites the teaching and research efforts of faculty
members in the Theology and Philosophy departments.
The focus of the institute is on the relationship between
medieval philosophy and theology and modern continental
philosophy and theology.
The concentration of the Philosophy and Theology departments at Boston College lies in modern continental thought,
so the context for carrying on a dialogue between medieval
and modern philosophy and theology is well established.
To foster this dialogue and encourage the scholarly retrieval
of the great medieval intellectual tradition, the institute
offers fellowships and assistantships and sponsors speakers
programs and a faculty-student seminar to investigate new
areas of medieval philosophical and theological research.
The institute also runs a research center to assist in the
publication of monographs and articles in the diverse areas
of medieval philosophy and theology, and encourages the
translation of medieval sources and the editing of philosophical and theological texts. For more information, call
617-552-0436.
The lonergAn CenTer
The Lonergan Center at Boston College fosters studies related to the work of the Jesuit theologian and philosopher
Bernard Lonergan (1904-1984). Inaugurated in 1986, the
center houses a growing collection of Lonergan’s published
and unpublished writings, as well as secondary materials
and reference works; it also serves as a seminar and meeting room. The center is located in Bapst Library. Boston
College sponsors an annual Lonergan Workshop, which
provides resources, lectures and workshops. For more information, call 617-552- 8095 or visit bclonergan.org.
BosTon AreA ConsorTiUM
The Boston Area Consortium allows graduate students to
cross-register for courses at Boston University, Brandeis
University and Tufts University.
BosTon College liBrAries
The University is home to eight libraries, containing 2.87
million volumes; more than 700 manuscript collections,
including music, photos, art and artifacts; 440,000
e-books; and more than 600 electronic databases. O’Neill
Library, Boston College’s main library, offers subjectspecialist librarians to help with research, to set up alerts
to new publications in areas of interest and to answer any
research- and library-related questions.
The BosTon liBrAry ConsorTiUM
The Boston Library Consortium allows Boston College
students access to millions of volumes and other services at
19 area institutions in addition to the world-class resources
available through the Boston College Library System.
The grAdUATe ConsorTiUM in WoMen’s sTUdies
The Graduate Consortium in Women’s Studies (GCWS)
brings together scholars and teachers at nine degree-granting institutions in the Boston area: Boston College, Boston
University, Brandeis University, harvard University,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern
University, Simmons College, Tufts University and the
University of Massachusetts Boston. The GCWS is devoted
to graduate teaching and research in Women’s Studies
and to advancing interdisciplinary Women’s Studies
scholarship. Students can engage in the community and
cross-disciplinary study promoted by the GCWS in myriad
ways. Through courses, attending events and organizing
conferences, these initiatives provide a learning environment unlike any other.
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student life & campus resources
B
oston College is located on the edge of one
of the world’s most vibrant cities. Just six
miles from downtown Boston—an exciting and
dynamic place to live and learn—Boston College
is an easy car or “T” ride away from a booming
center for trade, finance, research and education.
home to some of New England’s most
prestigious cultural landmarks, including the
Museum of Fine Arts, the Isabella Stewart
Gardner Museum, Boston Symphony hall
and the Freedom Trail, Boston provides a rich
environment for those passionate about art,
music and history. For sports fans, Boston
hosts a number of the country’s greatest sports
teams: the Celtics, Patriots, Bruins and, of
course, Fenway Park’s beloved Red Sox. Found
within a short drive from Boston are some of
New England’s best recreational sites, from
the excellent skiing in New hampshire to the
pristine beaches of Cape Cod.
Boston also offers a wide range of family-friendly
attractions, including the Children’s Museum,
New England Aquarium, Franklin Park Zoo
and the Museum of Science. There are roughly
50 universities located in the Boston area, and
the large student population adds to the city’s
intellectually rich and diverse community.
Events, lectures and reading groups hosted
by world-renowned scholars abound on area
campuses, providing abundant opportunities to
meet and network with other graduate students
and faculty throughout the Boston area.
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The University
Boston College is a Jesuit university with more than
14,000 students, 758 full-time faculty and more than
165,000 active alumni. Since its founding in 1863, the
University has known extraordinary growth and change.
From its beginnings as a small Jesuit college intended to
provide higher education for Boston’s largely immigrant
Catholic population, Boston College has grown into a
national institution of higher learning that is consistently
ranked among the top universities in the nation: Boston
College is ranked 31st among national universities by
U.S. News & World Report.
Today, Boston College attracts scholars from all 50 states
and over 80 countries, and confers more than 4,000
degrees annually in more than 50 fields through its eight
schools and colleges. Its faculty members are committed
to both teaching and research and have set new marks
for research grants in each of the last 10 years. The
University is committed to academic excellence. As part
of its most recent strategic plan, Boston College is in the
process of adding 100 new faculty positions, expanding faculty and graduate research, increasing student
financial aid and widening opportunities in key undergraduate and graduate programs.
The University is comprised of the following colleges
and schools: Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, Carroll School of Management, Connell School of Nursing,
Lynch School of Education, Woods College of Advancing
Studies, Boston College Law School, Graduate School of
Social Work and School of Theology and Ministry.
General Resources
hoUsing
While on-campus housing is not available for graduate students, most choose to live in nearby apartments.
The Office of Residential Life maintains an extensive
database with available rental listings, roommates and
helpful local real estate agents. The best time to look for
fall semester housing is June through the end of August. For spring semester housing, the best time to look
is late November through the beginning of the second
semester. Additionally, some graduate students may live
on campus as resident assistants. Interested students
should contact the Office of Residential Life.
John CoUrTney MUrrAy, s.J., grAdUATe
sTUdenT CenTer
One of only a handful of graduate student centers
around the country, the Murray Graduate Student Center
is dedicated to the support and enrichment of graduate
student life at Boston College. Its primary purpose is to
build a sense of community among the entire graduate
student population and cultivate a sense of belonging to
the University as a whole. Its amenities include study
rooms, a computer lab, two smart televisions, kitchen,
deck and patio space, complimentary coffee and tea, and
more. Throughout the year, the center hosts programs
organized by the Office of Graduate Student Life and
graduate student groups. The Murray Graduate Student
Center also maintains an active job board (available
electronically), listing academic and non-academic opportunities for employment both on and off campus.
MCMUllen MUseUM oF ArT
Serving as a dynamic educational resource for the
national and international community, the McMullen
Museum of Art showcases interdisciplinary exhibitions
that ask innovative questions and break new ground in
the display and scholarship of the works on view. The
McMullen regularly offers exhibition-related programs,
including musical and theatrical performances, films,
gallery talks, symposia, lectures, readings and receptions
that draw students, faculty, alumni and friends together
for stimulating dialogue. Located on the main campus,
the McMullen Museum is free to all visitors.
Flynn reCreATion CoMPleX
The 144,000-square-foot Flynn Recreation Complex
houses a running track; tennis, basketball, volleyball,
squash and racquetball courts; an aquatics center with
pool and dive well; saunas and more. Its 10,000-squarefoot Fitness Center offers over 100 pieces of cardio
equipment, a full complement of strength training
equipment and free weights, an air-conditioned spin
studio and three air-conditioned group fitness studios.
During the academic year, BC Rec holds more than 80
group fitness classes per week in a variety of disciplines,
including Zumba, spin, yoga, strength training, Pilates
and more.
BosTon College CAreer CenTer
The Boston College Career Center works with graduate
students at each step of their career development.
Services include self-assessment, career counseling,
various career development workshops, resume and
cover letter critiques, and practice interviews. In
addition to extensive workshop offerings, Career Center
staff members are available throughout the year for oneon-one advising about any aspect of the career path. The
Career Resource Library offers a wealth of resources,
including books, periodicals and online databases.
Connors FAMily leArning CenTer
Working closely with the Graduate School, the Connors
Family Learning Center sponsors seminars, workshops
and discussions for graduate teaching assistants and
teaching fellows on strategies for improving teaching effectiveness and student learning. Each fall, the Learning
Center and the Graduate School hold a one-and-a-half
day “Fall Teaching Orientation” workshop designed to
help students prepare for teaching. The center also hosts
ongoing seminars on college teaching, higher learning
and academic life; assists graduate students in developing teaching portfolios; and provides class visits and
teaching consultations, upon request. Through these
and other activities, the Connors Family Learning Center
plays an important role in enhancing the quality of
academic life at Boston College.
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admission & financial information
Admission Requirements
T
he application deadline for fall admission is January 2
for the Ph.D. program and February 1 for the M.A.
program and joint Philosophy/Theology M.A. program.
Please visit bc.edu/gsas for detailed information on how
to apply.
Application requirements include:
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
Application Form:
submitted online,
via the gsAs website.

Application Fee:
$75, non-refundable.

Abstract of Courses
Form:
A concise overview of background
and related courses completed in
an intended field or proposed
area of study.

Official Transcripts:
demonstrating coursework
completed/degree conferral from
all post-secondary institutions
attended.

GRE General Test:
official score report required for
all applicants.

Three Letters of
Recommendation:
From professors or supervisors.
it is highly advisable that at least
one letter be from an academic
source.

Statement of Purpose: A brief (1-2 page) discussion of
an applicant’s preparation,
motivation and goals for their
proposed course of study.

Writing Sample:
A sample of an applicant’s best
work (usually a course paper
or equivalent) related to their
proposed field of study.

Proof of English
Proficiency:
(International only)
official ToeFl/ielTs reports
accepted.
Financial Assistance
dePArTMenT FUnding
Doctoral students are generally admitted with financial
aid in the form of research assistantships. These awards
include a competitive stipend and a full-tuition scholarship toward all courses related to the program. Doctoral
students generally serve as teaching fellows after the first
year. Funding is renewable for up to five years contingent
on satisfactory progress toward degree completion.
Ph.D. candidates are expected to pursue the degree on a
full-time basis and to maintain satisfactory progress
toward the completion of degree requirements.
FederAl FinAnCiAl Aid
Graduate students can apply for federal financial aid
using the FAFSA. The loans that may be available to
graduate students are the Federal Direct Unsubsidized
Stafford Loan and Perkins Loan, based on eligibility. If
additional funds are needed, student may apply for a
Grad Plus Loan. For more information, see the Graduate
Financial Aid website at bc.edu/gradaid or contact the
Graduate Financial Aid Office at 617-552-3300 or
800-294-0294.
oFFiCe oF sPonsored ProgrAMs
The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) assists both
faculty and graduate students in finding sources of
external funding for their projects and provides advice
in the development of proposals. OSP maintains a
reference library of publications from both the public
and private sectors listing funding sources for sponsored
projects. In the recent past, graduate students have
received research support from prominent agencies,
corporations and organizations such as the Fulbright
Commission, the Guggenheim Foundation, the National
Science Foundation, the American Political Science
Association, the American Chemical Society and the
American Association of University Women.
header
boston college
morrissey college of arts and sciences
department of Philosophy
stokes hall
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut hill, MA 02467
617-552-3847
bc.edu/philosophy
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