Humanities & Teacher Education

Alumni Spotlight

We're very proud of our alumni of the Philosophy program in Humanities and Teacher Education. Many of them go on to do great things, some of which we highlight here.

Alan Reynolds

Alan Reynolds (of Chico, Cal.) graduated summa cum laude in 2009 with a double major in philosophy and political science. Following graduation, he entered the Ph.D. program in philosophy at the University of Oregon. Alan was admitted into several leading graduate programs in philosophy, and he received full-paid teaching fellowship offers from the Ph.D. programs at Villanova University, Duquesne University, and the University of Oregon. His philosophical interests include Continental Philosophy in general, and in particular the work of Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Gadamer. During all four years of his undergraduate career, Alan was a member of Pepperdine's philosophy honor society, Phi Sigma Tau, and he served as president of the society during his senior year. While a student at Pepperdine, Alan published two articles (one on Kant and one on Heidegger) and several book reviews in the undergraduate philosophy journal, Dialogue. In the spring of 2009, Alan presented a paper on Nietzsche and Christianity at the Association of Core Texts and Courses Conference. That paper was also accepted for publication in the journal, Agora. Interested in the intersection between philosophy and politics, Alan is hopeful that philosophy has the potential to illuminate political issues and contribute to social progress.

Student Spotlight

Andrew Forcehimes

Andrew Forcehimes (of Scottsdale, Ari.) will be graduating in 2010 with a major in philosophy. His main interests are applied ethics and contemporary political philosophy. Andrew plans on pursuing a Ph.D. in philosophy after graduation from Pepperdine. As an undergraduate, he has worked as a research assistant and as a teacher's assistant for several professors. Andrew co-authored and co-presented an article (with Prof. Brian Newman) on presidential approval ratings at the Western Political Science Association, which has been revised and resubmitted for publication in the professional journal, Electoral Studies. Andrew had two papers accepted to the prestigious Undergraduate Ethics Symposium at DePauw University in the spring of 2009 and was awarded a travel grant to attend the conference. One of those papers will be included in a volume published by the Prindle Institute for Ethics. Additionally, Andrew has been awarded grants by the Seaver Research Council to work on two Summer Undergraduate Research Program projects. The first project concerns multiculturalism, pragmatism, and contemporary political philosophy, and the second addresses educational studies and quality questions. Andrew has been a member and an officer of Pepperdine's philosophy honor society, Phi Sigma Tau, since 2007.