Institutional Affiliation
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Department of Philosophy
Department of Religious Studies
Denver Project for Humanistic Inquiry
Education
Ph.D., Philosophy of Religion, Religious Studies, University of Pennsylvania
B.A., South Asian Studies, University of Pennsylvania
Regional and Thematic Interests
South Asia
Hermeneutics
Phenomenology
Ethics
Philosophy of Religion
Profile
I received my BA in South Asian Studies from UPenn in 2001. During that time, I studied Sanskrit with Ludo and Rosane Rocher, South Asian philosophy with Wilhelm Halbfass and Indian temple architecture with Michael Meister. In 2000, under Dr. Meister’s direction, I conducted grant supported research on a complex of Jain temples in Rajasthan, India. I wrote an unpublished sub-matriculation Master’s Thesis on “Utpaladeva’s Theory of ‘abasa’ as Presented in the Isvarapratyabhijnakarika,” under the supervision of Wilhelm Halbfass and Dr. Ludo Rocher in 2001. I was (perhaps still am) an elected member of the Philadelphia Oriental Society (the oldest such society in the US, I believe), and was awarded “Best Graduate Paper on a South Asia-Related Topic" from the department of South Asian Studies at UPenn. During those years, I spent long periods of time living in India, particularly Varanasi, but also Patna, Jaipur and various smaller villages in Sikkim. Despite my life-long love and continued interest in the intellectual history of India, my current scholarly interests have taken me away of the field. I now work on twentieth-century continental philosophy, but continue to teach occasionally on topics related to South Asia, especially in my capacity as director of a religious studies program at MSU Denver. I’m delighted by the opportunity this list provides to stay connected to front range Asian studies scholars.