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PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION NEWS
From the Department Head’s Desk
One of the most exciting things about our
department is a faculty that is willing and able to
move in innovative directions that provide
significant educational experiences for our students.
Volume 7, Issue no. 3
MAY 2014
In this issue . . .
A few years ago, the department created a new interdisciplinary major in
Asian Religions and Cultures. Thanks to the passionate leadership of Dr.
Jeffrey Samuels and quality teaching and mentorship from faculty in the
department and across campus, this major has grown considerably. It now
has nearly 50 students enrolled, and has been a central part of WKU’s recent
emphasis on the study of Asia.
Dr. Trafton
moves to
transitional
retirement.
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Last year we graduated our first students in our MA program in Religious
Studies. We are completing only our third year of the program, but already
our graduates are proving themselves in very impressive ways (read more
on page 3).
Now we are proud to announce a new program to begin this coming fall—
the minor in Classical Studies (read more on page 2). Spearheaded by Dr.
Stephen Kershner (Adjunct Instructor in Religious Studies and History) and
Dr. Eric Kondratieff (Assistant Professor of History), this new program will
provide a wonderful interdisciplinary curriculum for students interested in
ancient Greece and Rome. At a time when the humanities often are on the
retreat at other institutions, this new program signals WKU’s ongoing
commitment to liberal education and the humanities’ role in it.
Check out our 2014
student award winners
and other student and
alumni news
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Eric Bain-Selbo, Department Head
Congratulations to the Class of 2014
The end of the academic year always means having
to say goodbye (we hope only “see you later”) to the
many students who enliven our department and our
teaching. Congratulations to all of the following
students.
MA students in Religious Studies: Kayla Baldwin,
Marcus Evans, Daniel Shouse, and Jonathan Spence.
Asian Religions and Cultures majors: Vannessa
Allbright, James Stovall, Caitlin Webster, and Kevin
Worthy.
Philosophy majors: Ronald Alexander, Cassy
Barnett, Ashley Coulter, Ryan Hunton, Alexander
Jacobs, and Kevin Pierson.
Religious Studies majors: Nicholas Bratcher,
Keaton Brownstead, Scott Cooksey, Nolan Crooks,
Nathan Dalrymple, Aaron Frasier, Bethany Hughes,
James (Ben) Hussung, Austin-James Lanter,
Christopher Page, Dillon Sidebottom, Daniel
Summers, Kayla Trent, Justin Tyree, Caitlin Webster,
and Jamey Yadon.
Philosophy minors: Dustin Grillon.
Religious Studies minors: Berenice Anaya, Kayla
Grorud, Jordan Kassel, Benjamin Rogers, and Isaac
Shrum.
Many thanks to all of these students. Your
participation in our classes and in our programs has
added greatly to our work.
Philosophy and Religion News
Page 2
Dr. Trafton Moves to Transitional Retirement
After 37-years of exemplary service, Dr. Joseph Trafton will be moving to
transitional retirement beginning in Fall 2014. He will be teaching still for
the department (we can all hear the big sigh of relief), but only during
the fall semester.
Dr. Trafton has won several awards at WKU for his teaching and
research, and it is fair to say that the positive reputation of his courses
has only increased as the years have gone along. He has been the
cornerstone of the Biblical Studies area in the Religious Studies program,
and his efforts have been critical to making the undergraduate Religious
Studies program one of the most successful in the country.
In 2004, he was named a University Distinguished Professor—the highest
faculty honor at WKU. Of course, the public recognition only confirmed
what his students and colleagues have known for years—that Dr. Trafton
is a teacher and scholars of significant achievement.
New Classical Studies
Minor Begins Fall ‘14
The Department of Philosophy and Religion is
excited to announce the availability of a new minor
on campus.
The Minor in Classical Studies (reference number
334) will prepare students with interests in the
Classical Roman or Greek worlds to understand
these foundational western civilizations from
multiple methodologies and knowledge bases.
Dr. Anton Receives
Grants for Research
Dr. Audrey Anton (pictured on the left), assistant
professor of philosophy, was a recipient this year of
two WKU grants that will help to forward her
research on a book on vice in Aristotle’s thought. She
received $5185 for a Research and Creative Activity
Project (RCAP) grant and $4500 for a FacultyUndergraduate Student Engagement grant. Both
grants include funds to allow Erika Brown (right),
junior philosophy major, to assist with Dr. Anton’s
research and the latter provides funds for Ms. Brown
to present her own work at a conference next year.
Category 1:
Philosophy
(3 hours)
Category 2:
Ancient
Languages
(6 hours)
Category 3:
History
(3 hours)
Category 4:
Art and
Archaeology
(3 hours)
Category 5:
Electives
(6 hours)
Students must take one of the following:
PHIL 341: Plato and Aristotle
PHIL 342: Hellenistic Philosophy
Students must take one of the following
two-course sequences:
RELS 150 and 151: Elementary Latin 1 and
2
RELS/BLNG 384 and 385: Biblical Greek 1
and 2
Students must take one of the following:
HIST 305: Ancient Greece
HIST 306: Ancient Rome
Students must take one of the following:
ANTH 130: Introduction to Archaeology
ANTH 335: Old World Prehistory
ART 105: History of Art to 1300
ART 305: Ancient Greek and Roman Art
Students must take two courses from those
listed above as electives or other courses
approved by the Department Head.
Philosophy and Religion News
Page 3
Student and alumni
news
Kyle Young, 2012 philosophy graduate, has
been accepted into the PhD program in French
at Washington University in St. Louis, and has
received a fellowship to fund his studies.
Three Religious Studies seniors successfully
completed their Honors Theses, all of them
passing with distinction. They were Nicholas
Bratcher, James (Ben) Hussung, and Jamey
Yadon. Congratulations to all three!
Student Award Winners
Each year the Department of Philosophy and Religion
selects outstanding students for their excellent academic
work. These students are recognized at the Potter College
Student Awards Banquet along with their faculty mentors.
The awards were announced by Dr. Eric Bain-Selbo,
Department Head (far left) and presented by Dr. David
Lee, Dean of Potter College (far right). From left to right,
the award recipients were (with mentors listed in
parentheses) Ashley Coulter in philosophy (Dr. Grace
Hunt), Hannah Garland in Asian Religions and Cultures
(Dr. Paul Fischer), Emily Potts in (undergraduate)
Religious Studies (Dr. Beth Plummer, affiliated faculty
member from History), and Daniel Shouse in (graduate)
Religious Studies (Dr. Jeffrey Samuels).
Ashley Coulter, senior philosophy major,
presented a paper on Kierkegaard's notion of
Subjective Truth at the Midsouth Philosophy
Conference in February at Rhodes College in
Memphis.
Erin Kenney, Philosophy 2012, has taken a new
job as a teacher’s aide at a juvenile detention
center in Indiana.
Religious Studies students Gabby Canant and
Jia Ong Ong were special presenters at an
interfaith forum on religion and social justice.
The event was held on March 18 at the Holy
Spirit Catholic Church. It was co-sponsored by
the department.
Please send any student or alumni news to
eric.bain-selbo@wku.edu.
Graduate Students Embark on New Challenges
Our graduate program in Religious Studies is
beneficial both for the student who will complete his
or her academic career with the MA degree and for
the student who wants to use it as a stepping-stone
for further study. In regard to the latter, it has been
an exciting year as we send recent graduates out into
the broader academic world.
On the right is a list of current students or recent
alumni who received exciting acceptances and offers
this year. We are confident that their preparation in
our program will help them be successful in these
new opportunities.
Terry Shoemaker
Daniel Shouse
Will Simpson
Deborah Sorrells
PhD program in Religious
Studies at Arizona State
University; fully funded
PhD program in Asian
Studies at the University of
Texas; fully funded
PhD program in the
Humanities at the University
of Louisville; fully funded
MA program in Peace and
Conflict Management Studies
at the University of Haifa
(Israel)
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Other Faculty News
Dr. Audrey Anton, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, published
“Fixed and Flexible Characters: Aristotle on the permanence and
mutability of distinct types of character,” in the Society for Ancient
Greek Philosophy Newsletter, 15.1 2014 (the paper had been
presented at the American Philosophical Association Central
meeting in March). Dr. Anton also presented “Aristotle on Moral
Vice and Ignorance: Why Stupid Jerks are the Worst” to the WKU
Greek and Roman Classics Club, on April 21, 2014 and to the
Austin Peay State University Philosophy Club and Classics Club
on March 25, 2014.
Dr. Eric Bain-Selbo, Department Head of Philosophy and
Religion, participated in a six-person open forum discussing
contemporary political issues in the United States. The forum was
organized by students in the Department of Political Science, and
was held in Grise Hall on April 22.
Dr. Grace Hunt, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, won “Best
Essay by a Junior Scholar” for the 53rd annual conference for the
Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy (SPEP).
The prize includes airfare and hotel costs for her participation in
the meeting in New Orleans in October and she will receive a $500
award at the conference business meeting. In February, Dr. Hunt
presented a paper on Hannah Arendt and Resentment at the
Midsouth Philosophy Conference at Rhodes College in Memphis.
And in March, she attended and moderated a panel at the Julia
Kristeva Circle at Vanderbilt University in March.
Dr. Bella Mukonyora, Associate Professor of Religious Studies,
attended an American Academy of Religions sponsored workshop
in March to support new teaching initiatives. The workshop was
entitled Place-Based Pedagogies. Dr. Mukonyora will be planning
the next Place-Based Pedagogies to be held by members of the
same group at WKU’s Green River Biological Preserve in May
2015. Also in March, and under Dr. Mukonyora’s leadership, the
department co-sponsored a public interfaith dialogue on the
public role of Christianity in South Africa. Approximately 100
hundred people attended a public screening of a film about
Nelson Mandela and President de Klerk, two men who won
Nobel Peace Prices for negotiating peace, justice and
reconciliation in South Africa in 1994. Finally, in April, Dr.
Mukonyora attended a workshop at Vanderbilt University at
which the guests presented papers on uses and abuses of religion
in acts of violence in nationalism and politics in Sub-Sahara
Africa. Her contribution was entitled “Four religious ways to
honor suffering and death in nation-building: a study of an
African national anthem.”
Dr. Jeffrey Samuels, Associate Professor of Religious Studies,
was promoted to the rank of Professor. The promotion was based
on recommendations by a faculty committee, the Department
Head, the Dean of Potter College, the WKU Provost and the
President of WKU. The WKU Board of Regents then approved
the promotion in April. Also this spring, Dr. Samuels presented
“Learning to Become Buddhists in Malaysia: A Search for Unity
in Diversity” at the annual meeting of the Association for Asian
Studies.
Dr. Ian Schnee, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, presented a
paper, “Blocking the Strengthened Case for Knowledge from
Falsehood,” at the Central Division meeting of the American
Philosophical Association in Chicago, IL, in February. He also
presented a paper, “Joint Attention and Spectator Identification,”
at the meeting for the Society for the Philosophical Study of
Contemporary Visual Arts at the same conference.
As you consider your contribution to the New Century of Spirit campaign for Western Kentucky
University, please remember that you can designate your gift to the Philosophy and Religion Department.
Your contributions are critical to the life of the department and its students.
Philosophy and Religion News
Department of Philosophy and Religion
Western Kentucky University
1906 College Heights Blvd.
Bowling Green, KY 42101