JASON A. BEYER

CURRICULUM VITAE

Education History

Ph.D. in Philosophy    Loyola University of Chicago    August 2003
        Dissertation: God and Explanation: A Defense of Philosophical Naturalism    Supervisor: Paul K. Moser

M.A. in Philosophy    Loyola University of Chicago    January 1998
        Master's Thesis: The Presumption of Atheism: Theism, Atheism, and the Burden of Proof    Supervisor: J.D. Trout

B.S. in Philosophy (honors) and Psychology (honors); cum laude    University of Wisconsin-Parkside    May 1995
        Honors Paper: Point of View in Leibniz' Metaphysics and Relativity Theory    Supervisor: A. Aaron Snyder

Professional Experience

Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies    Illinois Valley Community College    Aug. 2006 to present

Adjunct Professor of Philosophy    College of Lake County    Jan. 1999 to July 2006

Lecturer in Philosophy    Loyola University of Chicago    June 1998 to May 2000

Teaching Assistant    Loyola University of Chicago    Aug. 1995 to May 1999

Publications: Books

A Comparison of Judeo-Christian Theism and Philosophical Naturalism as Explanatory Worldviews.  Lewiston, N.Y.: Edwin Mellen Press, 2007.

Publications: Journal Articles

Reply to Nagasawa.  Sophia: An International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, Metaphysical Theology and Ethics, 45.2 (2006).

A Physicalist Rejoinder to a Problem with Omniscience; or, How God Can Know What We Know.  Sophia: An International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, Metaphysical Theology and Ethics, 43.2 (2004): 5-13.

Public Dilemmas and Gay Marriage: Contra Jordan.  Journal of Social Philosophy, 33.1 (2002): 9-16.

Is the Current Practice of Psychotherapy Morally Permissible?  International Journal of Applied Philosophy, 15.1 (2001): 85-105.

What Kind of Self Does Liberalism Need?  Nexus: A Forum for Ideas, 4 (2001): 28-35.

Epiphenomenalism and the Eliminative Strategy.  Kinesis, 26.1 (1999): 18-36.

Publications: Newspaper Articles and Letters to the Editor

Columnist Displays Lack of Understanding of Muslims.  IV Leader (Illinois Valley Community College), December 3, 2009: 4.

The Faith of a Secularist. The Times (Ottawa,IL), April 30, 2008: A4.

Coming Out of Homophobia. The Times (Ottawa, IL), April 16, 2008: A4.

History More than Learning one Date after Another. The Times (Ottawa, IL), April 2, 2008: A4.

Gay People Our Biggest Threat? The Times (Ottawa, IL), March 19, 2008: A4.

Eliminating Handguns Reduces Violence. The Times (Ottawa, IL), March 6, 2008: A4.

"War on Terror" an International Farce. The Times (Ottawa, IL), February 20, 2008: A4.

Education Helps Us See the Big Picture. The Times (Ottawa, IL), February 6, 2008: A4.

Whites are Still Systematically Privileged. The Times (Ottawa, IL), January 23, 2008: A4.

Democracy is Much More than Majority Rule. The Times (Ottawa, IL), January 9, 2008: A4.

Time for Sun to Set on Capital Punishment. The Times (Ottawa, IL), December 27, 2007: A4.

Freedom From Religion: Not Just for Atheists Anymore. The Times (Ottawa, IL), December 12, 2007: A4.

How Has Morality Become Evil? The Times (Ottawa, IL), November 28, 2007: A4.

Why Remembering the Armenians is Important. The Times (Ottawa, IL), November 14, 2007: A4.

True Confessions: "I'm a Heterosexual".  IV Leader (Illinois Valley Community College), October 25, 2007: 3.

Super-Thin Celebrities Send Wrong Message to Women.  News Tribune (LaSalle County, IL), September 20, 2007: 3.
        (Unfortunately, they did not use my original title: "Mixed Messages about Women's Bodies".  The title change misrepresents the contents of the article by ignoring my focus on the role of the media and making it sound like the celebrities themselves are the problem.)

Scandal Exists Because of Anti-Gay Prejudice.  The Times (Ottawa, IL), August 31, 2007.

Darfur: Act Now Before It's Too Late.  The Times (Ottawa, IL), April 22, 2007.

Marriage Evolves Through the Ages.  Daily Herald (Lake County, IL), June 24, 2006: 16.

Science, 'Intelligent Design' Are Not Equal.  Daily Herald (Lake County, IL), April 26, 2006: 18.

U.S. Charity Needed Around World, Too.  Daily Herald (Lake County, IL), September 14, 2005: 10.

Remember Holocaust by Challenging Hate.  Daily Herald (Lake County, IL), May 2, 2005: 12.

Writer Uses Rhetoric Like a Terrorist Does.  Daily Herald (Lake County, IL), March 28, 2005: 10.

Ryan Has Nothing to Be Ashamed Of.  Daily Herald (Lake County, IL), June 30, 2004: 17.  (The Ryan in question here is not former Illinois Governor George Ryan, but Illinois Senatorial candidate Jack Ryan.)

Debate Ideas with Dignity, Not Vulgarity.  Daily Herald (Lake County, IL), January 18, 2004: 16.

Remembering Holocaust Important for Society.  Lake Villa/Lindenhurst Review (Lake Villa, IL), April 25, 2002: 12-3.

Stem Cell Research Morally Acceptable.  Lake Villa/Lindenhurst Review (Lake Villa, IL), August 30, 2001: 18, 20.

Abortion Legality is Complicated.  Gurnee Review (Gurnee, IL), August 16, 2001: 22-3.

Affirmative Action Remains Necessary.  Gurnee Review (Gurnee, IL), May 10, 2001: 20.

Affirmative Action Critics Distort Key Statistics.  Gurnee Review (Gurnee, IL), April 26, 2001: 19.

Mom's March Letter in Poor Taste.  Libertyville Review (Libertyville, IL), June 22, 2000: 24.

Publications: Book Reviews

Louis P. Pojman, editor, Philosophy of Religion, 4th ed.  Teaching Philosophy, 26.4 (2003): 386-9.

William Lane Craig, editor, Philosophy of Religion.  Teaching Philosophy, 26.2 (2003): 184-8.

John D. Caputo, On Religion.  American Philosophical Association Newsletters, 02.2 (2003): 236-7.

Amelie Oksenberg Rorty, editor, The Many Faces of Evil.  Teaching Philosophy, 25.4 (2002): 364-9.

David M. Rosenthal, editor, Materialism and the Mind-Body Problem, 2nd ed. Teaching Philosophy, 25.3 (2002): 258-61.

Stuart Brown, Philosophy of Religion.  Teaching Philosophy, 25.2 (2002): 174-8.

Paul Helm, editor, Faith and Reason.  Teaching Philosophy, 24.4 (2001): 421-4.

Keith Yandell, Philosophy of Religion.  Teaching Philosophy, 24.3 (2001): 292-5.

Louis Greenspan and Stefan Andersson, editors, Russell on Religion.  Teaching Philosophy, 24.2 (2001): 175-8.

Holmes Rolston III, Genes, Genesis and God.  Teaching Philosophy, 24.1 (2001): 87-91.

Paul Thagard, editor, Mind Readings.  Teaching Philosophy, 23.4 (2000): 407-9.

Michael Peterson, God and Evil.  Teaching Philosophy, 23.3 (2000): 303-5.

Nicholas Wolterstorff, Divine Discourse.  Auslegung, 23.1 (2000): 99-113.

Click here to see my reviews on Amazon.com

Professional Presentations

Served on an open forum panel for Darwin Day at I.V.C.C.; February 17, 2010.

Co-presenter on Multicultural Education for I.V.C.C.'s Faculty/Staff Enrichment Day; January 13, 2010.

Served as moderator and co-presenter on religious diversity for the 2009 Between Fences Program at the Princeton (IL) Public Library, sponsored by a grant from the Smithsonian Institute; April 15, 2009

Served on an open forum panel on evolutionary theory at I.V.C.C.  Presented in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin; February 12, 2009.

Co-presenter on 'Creating a Multicultural Learning Environment' for I.V.C.C.'s Faculty/Staff Enrichment Day; October 10, 2008.

Served on a panel for discussion of the documentary For the Bible Tells Me So.  Presented as part of Adam Maubach's management project; October 7, 2008.

Served as moderator and presenter for book discussion on Michael Eric Dyson's Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster.  Presented by the I.V.C.C. Diversity Team for Black History Month; February 27, 2008

Served as discussion moderator at I.V.C.C. for the P.T.K. Satellite Seminar "How to Win a Cosmic War" by Reza Aslan; December 4, 2007.

Whose Marriage Is It, Anyway?: Myth, Meaning and Privilege in the Dispute Over Same-Sex Marriage.  Presented on behalf of the I.V.C.C. Gay/Straight Alliance for National Coming Out Day; October 10, 2007.

Homosexuals as Enemies of the State: Nazi Germany, 'Family Values', and the War on Terror.  Presented on behalf of the I.V.C.C. Gay/Straight Alliance for the National Day of Silence; April 18, 2007.

The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.  International Brown Bag Lunch Faculty Forum at I.V.C.C.; April 18, 2007.

Served as moderator and presenter for book discussion of Elie Wiesel's Night.  Presented at I.V.C.C. in recognition of Holocaust Remembrance Day; April 16, 2007.

Maternal Fetal Abuse Laws: Political Agendas, Social Harms.  Presented for Women's History Month at I.V.C.C.; March 21, 2007.

The Ethics of Sales: Beyond Caveat Emptor.  Presented for the Ethics Awareness Week program sponsored by Students In Free Enterprise (I.V.C.C.); February 28, 2007.

Torture: Weapon Against Terror, or Weapon of Terror?  Presented with Kim Abel, Amanda Bigelow, Vince Brolley and Merri Mattison at I.V.C.C.; November 16, 2006.

Without a Prayer: The Debate Over the Separation of Church and State in America.  Presented with Amanda Bigelow for I.V.C.C.'s Constitution Day Celebration; September 18, 2006.

Finding God in All Things: A Theory of Religious Experience.  Presented to the Integrative Studies Program of Arizona State University West; February 28, 2005.

Academic Services

Hispanic Outreach Team; Illinois Valley Community College; June 2009 to present.

Summer Multicultural Institute; Illinois Valley Community College; May 2009.

S.O.U.P. Team; Illinois Valley Community College; March 2009 to present.

Summer Multicultural Institute; Illinois Valley Community College; June 2008.

Planning Team for Safe Zone/Ally program; Illinois Valley Community College; July 2007 to present.

Honors Team; Illinois Valley Community College; February 2007 to present.

Diversity Team; Illinois Valley Community College; September 2006 to present; interim chair August 2007 to May 2008.

Community Services

Write Team volunteer for The Ottawa Times; November 2007-April 2008.

Notarized voter registrar for the state of Illinois; 2006-present.

Awards and Honors (Academic and Otherwise)

Completed L.G.B.T. Ally training at Northern Illinois University; October 24, 2007.

I.V.C.C. Core Values and Leadership Retreat; May 14-15, 2007.

Recognition on the Wall of Tolerance, sponsored by the Southern Poverty Law Center; May 20, 2002.

Graduate Teaching Assistantship (competitive), Loyola University of Chicago; August 1995 to May 1999.

Graduate Tuition Fellowship (competitive), Loyola University of Chicago; August 1995 to May 1999.

Graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside cum laude, with honors in both philosophy and psychology; May 1995.

1994-5 Parkside Student Government Association Distinguished Service Award, University of Wisconsin-Parkside; May 1995.

Psi Chi (National Honors Society for Psychology) lifetime membership; April 1995.

1991-2 Emerging Leader Award, University of Wisconsin-Parkside; May 1992.

1991-2 Parkside Student Government Association Distinguished Service Award, University of Wisconsin-Parkside; May 1992.

Current Professional Memberships

American Civil Liberties Union; since 2004

American Federation of Teachers/Illinois Federation of Teachers; since 2006

American Philosophical Association; since 1998

Amnesty International; since 2006

Genocide Intervention Network; since 2007

Psi Chi (National Honors Society for Psychology); since 1995 (lifetime membership)

Radical Philosophy Association; since 2006

Society for the Philosophic Study of Genocide and Holocaust; since 2000

Society for the Philosophy of Sex and Love; since 2003

Southern Poverty Law Center; since 2002

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; since 2001

last updated 2/17/10