Faculty

Office Location
Administration Building, 416

Mark Alfino teaches for the Philosophy Department and the Department of Organizational Leadership at Gonzaga University. His teaching and research interests are broad, but tend to focus on two general problems: the nature of language and the nature of values. As a philosopher of language, Dr. Alfino writes about the role of rhetoric in interpersonal and cultural communication.

In addition to these research interests, Dr. Alfino is a speaker and consultant on Information Ethics, Professional Ethics, Critical Thinking, & Organizational Ethics for organizations interested in continuous quality improvement.

Dr. Mark Alfino has been a member of the Philosophy Faculty at Gonzaga University since 1989.

Kirk Besmer received his Ph.D.from the University of Notre Dame. His interests include Continental philosophy, especially Phenomenology and Existentialism, and the philosophy of technology. He recently published Merleau-Ponty's Phenomenology: The Problem of Ideal Objects with Continuum Press.

Office Location
Rebmann 211, 1205 North Astor

Office Hours
I am usually available most of the work week during the academic year. For current office hours, check with me by email or by contacting the Philosophy Department secretary (509 323 6741)

B.A. in Philosophy, Louisiana State University, 1981 (Phi Beta Kappa); M.A. in Philosophy, Northwestern University, 1985; Ph.D. in Philosophy, Northwestern University, 1989. My teaching and research interests are in ancient Greek philosophy, especially Socratic method, philosophical anthropology/human nature, Christian existentialism, and philosophy of education. I am the coordinator of the Gonzaga Socratic Club, which promotes philosophical inquiry into Christian doctrine, worldview, and practice. Information about the club can be found at http://guweb2.gonzaga.edu/faculty/calhoun/socratic/.

Office Location
Rebmann 103

Jay received his BA in Philosophy and History from Cal State, Chico (1982), and his MA and PhD in Philosophy from Tulane University (1991). He regularly teaches courses in African Philosophy and Healthcare Ethics.   He also serves as an Ethics Consultant to the Spokane Community Long-term Care Ethics Committee.  HIs publications include articles on Heidegger and African Philosophy, as well as a book entitled Max Weber and the Problems of Value-free Social Science. 

BA (Philosophy) 1978, Trinity College (Deerfield, IL); MA (Philosophy) 1980, University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, IN); PhD. (Philosophy) 1987, University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, IN). Dr. Clayton has taught at Gonzaga since 1986. He is currently the Director of the Catholic Studies Concentration, the Director of the Integrated Studies Program, and the Associate Director of the Institute for Christian Philosophy and the Natural Sciences.

Ted received both his B.A. (1986) and M.A. (1988) in philosophy from Northern Illinois University, and his Ph.D. from Marquette University in 1999. His primary research interests are currently in modern philosophy, particularly the theoretical philosophy of Kant, but he also has research interests in existentialist thinkers and ancient philosophy. He is currently the Director of the Philosophy department's M.A. program.

Office Location
RB 10

Office Hours

Ph.D., Fordham University (2003)
M.Phil., Fordham University (2002)
M.A., Fordham University (2001)
B.A., Seattle University, Summa Cum Laude (1998)

Brian Henning's scholarship and teaching focuses on the interconnections among ethics, metaphysics, and aesthetics. His first systematic exploration of these interconnections was developed in: The Ethics of Creativity: Beauty, Morality, and Nature in a Processive Cosmos. He teaches courses on environmental philosophy, moral philosophy, American philosophy, metaphysics, and the history of philosophy.

Received PhD. from Boston College. My area of specialization is metaphysics. My areas of competence include logic, philosophy of logic, and philosophy of education. I have special interests in realism/anti-realism debates, logic pedagogy, and Native American philosophy. Serves as the faculty advisor for the graduate student conference

Office Location
AD 433

Ph.D.: Boston College, 1988 B.A.: Seattle Univerisity (philosophy), 1982 B.A.: Seattle University (theology), 1982

Office Location
Rebmann House 202

Quanhua Liu received Ph.D. in philosophy from Duke University (1994), MA and BA in philosophy from Peking (Beijing) University (1985 and 1982 respectively). His current research interests lie in Chinese philosophy, comparative philosophy, and modern and contemporary philosophy.

My BA is in Political Science from The George Washington University (1995); my MA is in Philosophy from Colorado State University (1998) and my PhD is in Philosophy from The University of Florida (2004).  My areas of interest are Normative and Applied Ethics, particularly Business Ethics and Feminist Ethics. I am also interested in International Developmental Ethics and Ethics and the Professions.

Office Location
AD 410C

Office Hours
MWF 10-11

Graduated from Reed College in 1970 (BA in Literature; elected to Phi Beta Kappa);attended Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ 1970-71; graduated from Oxford University (Jesus College; BA, 1975; MA, 1980; both in Theology) and Cambridge University (Corpus Christi College; Ph.D., Ancient Greek Philosophy, 1985). I have taught at the University of Notre Dame (1981-85), Seattle Pacific University (1985-92), Seattle University (1993-99), and have been at Gonzaga since 1999. My special areas of interest are philosophy of mind, moral psychology, and the intersection of both with contemporary psychoanalytic object relations theory.

Office Location
Rebmann 204

Degrees: Ph.D. from Northwestern Univ., 1977; M.A. from Northwestern Univ., 1972; AB from Georgetown Univ., 1968
Areas of Expertise: History of Modern Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, and Philosophy of Human Nature

Office Location
Rebman 205 (Rebman is a former dorm across St. Aloysius)

Office Hours
Mon 12 - 1 Tues 2 - 3 Wed 12 - 1 Fri 12 - 1

BA (Philosophy) 1993, Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL); PhD (Philosophy) 2003, Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY). Dr. Schmidt has taught at Gonzaga since 2003. His current research addresses the intersection of moral psychology and practical reason and he is also working on issues related to the philosophy of art.

Ph.D. in philosophy, The Catholic University of America, 1993; M.A. in philosophy, The Catholic University of America, 1989; M.M.S. (Master of Medieval Studies), University of Notre Dame, 1982.  Recent publications include "Albert the Great on Logic, Knowledge, and Science," in The Universal Doctor:  Albertus Magnus and His Contributions to Philosophy and Science (Brill, 2008), 1-44; "Albert the Great and the Revival of Aristotle's Zoological Research Program," Vivarium 45 (2007): 30-68.

Office Location
Administration Building 403

BA, Mathematics, Houghton College, 1974 MA, Philosophy of Religion, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1977 PhD, Philosophy, 1983 Ethics Consultant, Holy Family Hospital and the Long-Term Care Ethics Committee, both in Spokane.