| Business: |
Home: |
| Department of Philosophy |
Available on Request email: mpamental@niu.edu Visit my Homepage here. |
Professional Interests
|
Areas of Specialization: Pragmatism, especially John Dewey's ethics and Philosophy of Education |
|
Areas of Competence: Virtue Ethics; Moral Psychology; Moral Education; Environmental Ethics; Animal Ethics; |
University Degrees
| PhD |
Doctor of Philosophy |
| B. A. |
Bachelor of Arts (Honors) |
Publications
|
1. "Pragmatism and Pets: Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, Maddie's Fund, and No More Homeless Pets in Utah." Animal Pragmatism, Andrew Light and Erin McKenna, eds. Indiana University Press, 2004. |
| 2. "The Structure of Dewey’s Scientific Ethics." Philosophy of Education. 1999. |
| 3. "What is it like to be a Deliberative Democrat?" Philosophy of Education. 1998. Pp. 222-230. |
| 4. "Re-Thinking 'The Community of Dissensus': A Response to Lisa Weems." Philosophical Studies in Education. 1997. Pp 63-70. |
Academic Appointments
| 2004-Present |
Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy |
|
2001-2004 |
Adjunct Assistant Professor
of Philosophy |
|
1999-2001 |
Research Assistant |
|
Spring 2000 |
Associate Instructor |
|
1997-1999 |
Associate Instructor |
|
1993-1997 |
Associate Instructor |
Awards and Recognitions
| Fall 2005 |
Pamental, M. and Yamagata-Lynch, L. C. Using activity systems to scaffold student moral decision-making. Northern Illinois University 2005 Research and Artistry Grant (Principal Investigator) |
| September 2003 | Registration Scholarship, 3rd International Conference on Service Learning. Salt Lake City, Utah. November 6-8, 2003. $300 |
| Summer 1995 | Graduate Student Travel Grant, College of Arts and Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington. $1500 for travel to British Library, London. |
Courses Taught
|
Fall 2001-Present |
Contemporary Moral Issues,
P2500/P231 |
|
P2500/P231 is a 3 credit undergraduate course fulfilling a humanities/general education requirement. In it students are introduced to philosophical discussions of contemporary social/moral issues such as abortion, equality, and environmental ethics. |
|
| Fall 2006 | P442: Theories of Value |
| A study of the major theories of value experience, evaluation and the language of value. The works of major theorists such as Dewey, Croce, C. I. Lewis, Perry, and Stevenson, as well as recent articles in the field, will be analyzed. | |
| Summer 2006 | Animal Ethics, P390 (Special Topics) |
| P390: Animal Ethics is a 3 credit upper level undergraduate course that fulfills a general humanities requirement. It covers basic positions with regard to the moral status of animals, as well as the moral issues surrounding such practices as eating animals, animal experimentation, and the use of animal products, such as fur or skin for clothing. | |
|
Spring 2004, Spring 2006 |
Environmental Ethics,
P3530/P335 |
|
P3530/P335 is a 3 credit upper level undergraduate course that fulfills a general humanities requirement. It covers basic theories of environmental ethics, issues in environmental ethics (e.g., wilderness/species preservation, animal rights, pollution control, development vs. preservation) and distributive justice in relation to the environment. |
|
| Fall 2004, Spring 2007 | Introduction to Logic (Now: Critical Reasoning), P103 Department of Philosophy Northern Illinois University |
| P103 is a 3 credit undergraduate course that fulfills a general educational requirement. It covers basic issues in argument, including deduction, induction, abduction, argument by analogy, definition, fallacies, and so on. | |
|
Spring 2003 |
Deductive Logic, P3200 |
|
P3200 is a 4 credit undergraduate course fulfilling a quantitative reasoning requirement. Topics covered include validity, soundness, deductive inferences and formal proofs, and predicate logic. |
|
|
Fall 2002- |
Introduction to Philosophy |
|
P1010 is a 3 credit undergraduate course fulfilling a humanities requirement. Topics covered include logic and reasoning, philosophy of religion, epistemology, philosophy of mind, and ethics. |
|
|
Spring 2002 |
Philosophy of Education,
P3720 |
|
P3720 is an upper level undergraduate course for majors and other interested students. Topics covered included classics in the philosophy of education (Plato, Rousseau, Dewey) and contemporary political philosophy of education (liberal and democratic theory and education). |
|
|
Spring 2000 |
Philosophy of Education,
H530 |
|
H530 is a 3 credit graduate course for masters and doctoral students. It serves as an educational foundations class for masters students seeking their teaching certificates, as well as being a foundations course for doctoral students in any of the departments in the school of education. The class is a general introduction to topics in the philosophy of education, ranging from concepts of teaching and learning to epistemology, ethics, and political philosophy in their applications to educational issues. |
|
Lectures and Presentations
Environmental Virtues, Situationism, and Environmental Education. 2nd Midwest Environmental Ethics Conference. May 6, 2006. University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN.
Dewey, Situationism, and Moral Education. American Educational Research
Association annual meeting. April 11, 2006. San Francisco, CA.
Deweyan Character: Situationism and the Possibility of Democracy. Society
for the Advancement of American Philosophy. March 2006. San Antonio, Texas.
Dewey on Ethics and Democracy. Invited Paper. Intelligent Inquiry Educational Association. May 6, 2003. Salt Lake City, UT.
Dewey’s Ethics and Moral Education: The Case for Creative Intelligence. Invited Paper. University of Utah, Department of Education, Culture, and Society. February 2001. Salt Lake City, UT.
The Structure of Dewey’s Scientific Ethics. Philosophy of Education Society. March 2000. Metropolitan Hotel, Toronto, CAN.
Ethics and the Psychology of Emotion: Reply to Draeger. MidSouth Philosophy Conference. February 2000. Memphis, TN.
What is it Like to be a Deliberative Democrat? Philosophy of Education Society. April 1998. Cambridge Hyatt, Cambridge, MA.
Re-Thinking ‘The Community of Dissensus’: A Response to Lisa Weems. Ohio Valley Philosophy of Education Society. October 1997. Omni Netherlands Hotel, Cincinnati, OH.
Functionalism and the Inverted Spectrum Problem. Indiana Philosophical Association. October 1995. Butler University, Indianapolis, IN.
Administration and Professional Service
| 2006- |
Secretary/Treasurer |
| 2006- | Liaison to the Philosophy of Education Society Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy |
| 2006- | Liaison to the John Dewey Society Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy |
|
2000-2001 |
Member, Conference Committee |
|
Fall 2000 |
Session Chair |
|
1997-1998 |
Philosophy Department
Representative |
|
1996-1997 |
Graduate Student Representative |
|
1995-1996 |
Graduate Student Representative |
|
1994-1995 |
President |
|
1994-1995 |
Graduate Student Representative |
Membership in Academic and Professional Organizations
|
2006--Present |
John Dewey Society |
| 2005--Present | Association for Moral Education |
| 2005--Present | American Educational Research Association |
|
1996--Present |
American Philosophical Association |
|
1997--Present |
Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy |
|
1997--Present |
Philosophy of Education Society |
Community Service
| Spring 2003 |
Chair, Registration/Preregistration Committee |
| Responsibilities: Select and maintain a database of all pre-registration information. Record and track pre-registration information and oversee the registration area on the day of the event. Train and oversee up to 35 volunteers working the registration tables on the day of the event. Develop and execute a plan for registering participants on the day of the event, as well as logging in pre-registered participants and distributing event memorabilia to all registered participants. |
|
| 2001-Present |
Volunteer, No More Homeless Pets in Utah |
| Responsibilities: Participate in various pet adoption events, including the organization’s mall store operation. Duties include helping customers select animals, provide information regarding various animals up for adoption. Walk, feed, water, and clean up after animals. Take digital photos of animals and post them on the organization’s web-site to advertise availability. |
|
| 1998-2001 |
Volunteer, Monroe County Humane Society Wildlife Rehabilitation/Education Program |
| Responsibilities: Rehabilitation: Collect wild animals from individuals who found them and transport the animals to volunteer rehabilitators, coordinating with Indiana Department of Natural Resources for protected species such as Osprey. Education: Work with Red Tailed Hawk, Great-Horned Owl and Burrowing Owl in demonstrations for K-12 aged school children and parents, indicating relationship between humans and wildlife, dangers of handling wild animals, harm done to environment and habitat by human development, and so on. |