Stefan S. Sencerz
TEXAS A&M - A & H / Philosophy
stefan.sencerz@tamucc.edu;
361-835-2392
(updated January 31, 2009)
EDUCATION
- Ph.D. Philosophy University of Rochester 1992
- M.A. Philosophy University of Rochester 1987
PH. D. THESIS
- Moral Intuitions, Moral Facts, and Justification in
Ethics
AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION
- Moral Philosophy, Applied Ethics, Epistemology, Descartes
AREAS OF COMPETENCE
- Eastern Philosophy, Metaphysics, History of Modern, Philosophy
of Language
PAPERS PUBLISHED
- "Human Rights and Children's Rights: Philosophical Analysis
and Ethical Justification" (Proceedings of the 1st International
Conference on Children Rights and Education in XXI century
(September, 2008)
- "Moral Facts and the Problem of Justification in Ethics",
Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 73:3, September 1995,
368-388.
- "Moral Conversions, Moral Feelings, and Evidence for Moral
Facts", Journal of Social Philosophy, 26:2, Fall 1995.
- "Personal Goodness and Moral Facts", Journal of
Philosophical Research, 20, 1995, 235-252.
- "Empiricism in Science and Ethics", Southern Journal of
Philosophy, 31:4, 1993, 449-470.
- "Descartes on Sensations and Animal' Minds",
Philosophical Papers, 19:2, 1990, 119-141.
- "On the Moral Relevance of Immortal Souls", Southern
Journal of Philosophy, 26, 1988, 351-68.
- "Moral Intuitions and Justification in Ethics",
Philosophical Studies, 50, 1986, 77-95.
REVIEWS
- D.A. Dombrowski, The Philosophy of Vegetarianism (1984),
Cross Currents, 36:1, Spring 1986.
- M. Midgley, Animals and Why They Matter (1984), Cross
Currents, 36:1, Spring 1986.
POEMS PUBLISHED
- A haiku, Update: Fanzine of the NorCal Poetry
Slam Scene; 11-05-2008, Vol. 11, No. 11
- Two haiku, Update: Fanzine of the NorCal Poetry
Slam Scene; 2007
- "An Ode to My Meditation Singing Bowl", di-verse-city;
Anthology of Austin International Poetry Festival, 2006
- "When My Great Grandmother Duchess Met Count Dracula," in
Look! Up in the Sky! ed by Melissa Guillet and Ryk McIntyre
(Sacred Fools Press, 2006)
- "Ask
Me About Silence," di-verse'-city: Anthology of the Austin
International Poetry Festival (April 2004), p. 87; a runner up
in Christina Sergeyevna Competition.
- "Where
Am I Really From," From Page to Stage and Back
Again, (The Best of the National Poetry Slam 2003;
anthology edited by Michael Salinger, Lucy Anderton, and Regie
Gibson, The Wordsmith Press, 2004)
- I Turn
My Face to the East," di-verse'-city: Anthology
of the Austin International Poetry Festival, Vicki Goldsberry
(ed.), 2003, p. 76
- "I've
Been to Auschwitz," in Freedom to Speak: National
Poetry Slam 2002, Scott Woods, Debora Marsh and Patricia Smith
(eds.) The Wordsmith Press, 2003.
- A haiku, Update: Fanzine of the NorCal Poetry
Slam Scene; 2-11-02 Vol. 6, No. 5
- "The
Shades of Snow and Rain" (a series of five poems), Snow
Monkey: Eclectic Journal, Vol. 4:2, 2002)
- "Silent
Moon, Hazy Dunes" (Six Short Ocean Poems), The Windward
Review, 4:1 (2001)
- "After the
Rain" (Borderlands:
Texas Poetry Review, 15, Fall/Winter 2000)
- "Further South
East" (Borderlands:
Texas Poetry Review, 15, Fall/Winter 2000)
- "A Haiku For Miles
Davis" (Potpourri, 2000)
- "This Night We Meet First
Time" (Porcupine, 4:2, 2000)
- "A Hymn To
Moongoddess (Tonight You Have Chosen)" (ISIS
Rising, April 2000)
- "To the Oak Tree on the Campus
Quad" (The Touchstone, IX:3, Summer 1999)
- "Writing a Poem"
(ByLine, 1999)
MAIN PUBLICATIONS IN POLISH AND EDITORIAL WORK (a full
list available upon request)
- Six papers on animal rights and environmental ethics; a
selected and annotated bibliography concerning obligations to
animals and animal rights; a number of shorter discussion
pieces.
- A contributing editor of two anthologies about animal
rights.
- A contributing editor to books on Zen Buddhism in Eastern and
Western contexts, in particular to Philip Kapleau's, The Three
Pillars of Zen.
- The scientific editor of R.M. Hare, Platon (Warsaw:
Wydawnictwo Michal Urbanski, 1996)
SELECTED CONFERENCE PAPERS (a full list available upon
request)
- "Tolerance in a Future Pluralistic Culture" (Presented at the
2nd International Conference on Children Rights and Education in
XXI century, Summer 2006, TAMU-CC)
- "Teaching Professional Ethics," presented with Andy Piker
and Don Berkich at 5th Annual International Conference on
Ethics Across the Curriculum, October 23-26, 2003, Austin,
TX (co-organized by St. Edwards University), (refereed).
- "The value of life, terminal cases, and the doctrine of
extraordinary means," the Conference in Medical Ethics organized
by the Center for Bio-Ethics, University of Minnesota,
April 4-6th, 2002, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (refereed).
- "Who Can Dwell on the Moral Twin Earth -- A Challenge to
Naturalistic Realism," presented for the American Philosophical
Association, Central Division, Meetings, Chicago, April 27,
2002 (refereed).
- "Naturalism in Ethics" (and invited symposium paper, presented
for American Philosophical Association in Minneapolis, May
2001)
- "The Concept of Morality", Southern Texas Philosophical
Association (October 1999)
- "Traditional View of Euthanasia and the Doctrine of
Extraordinary Means", American Philosophical Association,
Eastern Division Meetings (December 1998); also presented for
Southern Texas Philosophical Association (October 1997)
- "A Plethora of Naturalisms, Or What Should We Count as Nature
(and Why)?", a colloquium paper presented for the Philosophy
Department, TAMU-- College Station.
- "Intentional Death' Accounts of Suicide and the Problem
of Accidental Killing", American Philosophical Association,
Central Division Meetings (May 1998)
- "Moral Facts and Epistemic Goals: Justification and
Convergence in Ethics", American Philosophical Association,
Pacific Division Meetings (March 1995)
- "Moral Feelings as Evidence For Moral Facts", American
Philosophical Association, Central Division Meetings (April
1995)
- "Explanations and Prior Commitments in Value Theory", NEH
Institute on Moral Knowledge (Dartmouth College; October
1994)
- "A Plethora of Ethical Naturalisms", American Philosophical
Association, Central Division Meetings (April 1993); NEH Institute
on Naturalism (Lincoln, NE; Summer 1993)
- "Arnaud and Malebranche on Intentionality and the Value of
Pleasures", commentary at a conference on seventeenth and
eighteenth century philosophy (University of Iowa, 1989)
- "Descartes on Direct' and Reflective' Thoughts",
American Philosophical Association, Pacific Meeting (March
1988)
OTHER WORK IN PROGRESS
- "Traditional View of Euthanasia and the Doctrine of
Extraordinary Means", under consideration for the Journal of
Value Inquiry
- "Moorean Non-naturalism"
- "Explanations and Prior Commitments in Value Theory"
NATIONAL FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS
- Fall 1994 Institute on Moral Knowledge (Dartmouth College,
NH)
- Summer 1993 National Endowment for Humanities, Institute on
Naturalism (University of Nebraska Lincoln)
- Summer 1990 Visiting Scholar Fellowship (Social Philosophy and
Policy Center, Bowling Green State University, OH)
OTHER FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS
- University of Rochester:
- 1988-89 -- R.N. Ball Dissertation Fellowship
- 1984-88 -- University Fellowship (five years)
- 1987-88 -- First prize in the Graduate Student Essay
Contest: "On the Moral Relevance of Immortal Souls"
- 1985-86 -- First prize in the Graduate Student Essay
Contest: "Descartes on Sensations and 'Animal'
Minds"
- SUNY at Stony Brook
- 1983-84 -- Visiting Scholar Fellowship
- TAMU-CC, 2001-2
- Faculty Research Enhancement Grant that allowed me to
develop a paper on Naturalism in Ethics, presented for American
Philosophical Association)
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
- A referee for Australasian Journal of Philosophy (1999)
- American Association for Professional Ethics, Chair of the
session (February 1998)
- A referee for Journal of Philosophical Research (1998)
- American Philosophical Association, Central Division Meetings,
Chair of the session (April 1995)
- Medical ethics workshop for the students of the Medical
School, Wayne State University (1994)
- A referee for Theory and Decision (1990)
- Spindel Philosophy Conference on Moral Epistemology, Memphis
State University, Chair of the session (October 1990)
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
- Texas A&M University -- 1996-2000 (Assistant Professor),
2000-02 (Associate Professor without tenure) , 2002-current
(Associate Professor with tenure)
- Wayne State University - 1992-96 (Lecturer)
- Indiana University East - 1991-92 (Lecturer)
- Bowling Green State University - 1989-91 (Lecturer)
- University of Rochester - 1984-89 (Instructor and Teaching
Assistant)
COURSES TAUGHT