Philosophy Research
At Adelphi University, philosophy research invites students to engage deeply with fundamental questions about knowledge, ethics, reality and human experience.
From your first year, you can explore areas such as ethics, political philosophy, metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of mind, and global philosophical traditions. Through coursework and independent study, students learn to analyze complex ideas, construct persuasive arguments, and apply philosophical thinking to real-world issues.
To receive credit for research:
- Speak with faculty about their research areas early in your first year
- Identify topics that align with your interests and goals
- Develop a research question with faculty guidance
- Register for independent study or honors research with approval
Students present their work at the Adelphi Scholarship and Creative Works Conference and may also share their research at regional and national conferences.
Through the SPARK Center (Scholars Pursuing Arts, Research and Knowledge), students can receive funding, mentorship, and support for independent research and conference presentations.
Faculty Research and Areas of Focus
Sokthan Yeng, PhD’s latest book is entitled Buddhist Feminism: Transforming Anger against Patriarchy (Palgrave, 2020). She has published articles in Philosophy East and West, the Journal of Buddhist Ethics, Soundings: An Interdisciplinary Journal, and the Journal of French and Francophone Philosophy. Her current book project centers on rewriting short stories from Zen Flesh, Zen Bones with an eye to keeping the elements of humor and including more accounts of Buddhist women in the collection.
Joshua Kaye works on ancient Greek philosophy, with a focus on Skepticism and Epicureanism. In addition, he works on Jewish philosophy with a focus on Mysticism as well as American pragmatism.
Emmanuel Nartey, PhD specializes in metaphysics and philosophy of mind, focusing on grounding and fundamentality, free will and core questions about the mind in relation to contemporary psychology, cognitive science and neuroscience.
Shawn Kaplan, PhD explores the intersection between political philosophy and applied ethics. Recent publications have addressed normative issues regarding:
- privacy and facial recognition surveillance
- nonviolent resistance
- just war
- terrorism
- counter-terrorism
His current project examines issues of moral complicity and economic sanctions.
Cathy Gutierrez, PhD specializes in the history of Spiritualism, or talking to the dead, in America as well as Europe in the 19th century. She has published a monograph on Oxford University Press, Plato’s Ghost: Spiritualism in the American Renaissance, and has appeared on podcasts like “Unobscured” and documentaries such as “Living with Ghosts.”