Oxford, England, United Kingdom
I’m a philosopher and philologist. I try to understand the principles underlying human activities that deal with words and how they are changed when they cross cultural and linguistic boundaries, usually through close analysis of ancient texts. I work in linguistics, philosophy, cultural and literary theory, and comparative religion. My current research centres on Eastern Semitic and Anatolian philology, particularly descriptive translation studies applied to Akkadian and Hittite Gilgameš texts from Hattusa. I also work on issues in the ethics of language, particularly microaggressions/hate speech and the relevance of last testaments to the ethics of posthumous publishing (especially in Kafka’s case). I started the world’s first high school gravel cycling program at Thaden School and can fly planes with a tailwheel. I enjoy music, reading, art, cycling, climbing, walking, and thinking about the Ozarks. I hold a BS (Interdisciplinary Studies, Theological Studies) from Harding University and an MA (Philosophy) from the University of Arkansas. I am reading an MPhil (Linguistics, Philology, and Phonetics) at St Cross College at the University of Oxford with support from the UK Philological Society’s Anna Morpurgo Davies Masters Bursary.
I was the instructor of record for a section of Introduction to Philosophy (PHIL 20003). I designed the course, gave lectures, led discussions, created assignments and examinations, and provided extensive feedback on student work.
I worked as a graduate assistant in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Arkansas, under the supervision of Dr. David Barrett. I designed and led three lecture/discussion classes per week, designed and graded assignments, and regularly interacted with nearly 200 undergraduate students from a variety of fields.
I managed the Graduate Student Reflection Series on the American Philosophical Association Blog.
I taught the Philosophy, Literature, and Modern History course for Oxford Royale at Yale University, one of the world’s premiere summer academic programmes, and provided pastoral, tutoring, and logistical services for the programme.