Linda Zagzebski
Linda Zagzebski, Kingfisher Chair of the Philosophy of Religion and Ethics and director of graduate studies in the Department of Philosophy in the University of Oklahoma College of Arts and Sciences, has been selected by the national Phi Beta Kappa Society senate as the recipient of the 2005-2006 Romanell Professorship in Philosophy.
The award recognizes Zagzebski, who earned her bachelor’s degree at Stanford University and her doctoral degree at the University of California Los Angeles, for distinguished achievements within the field of philosophy, according to a letter from Phi Beta Kappa secretary John Churchill. The award also honors her “vast contributions to the understanding of philosophy by the public.”
“Professor Zagzebski is widely regarded as one of the foremost figures in philosophy of religion, ethics and epistemology,” said Hugh Benson, chair of the philosophy department. “The Department of Philosophy is delighted and gratified that her accomplishments have been recognized by such a distinguished award.”
Zagzebski, whose publications include six books, including Divine Motivation Theory (2004), more than 60 journal articles and book chapters, and 15 reviews, was nominated by the Alpha of Oklahoma chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for the professorship, which requires the preparation and delivery of three thematically linked lectures to be given at OU. Upon completion of the lectures, which Zagzebski said probably will be on the general theme “Religious Diversity” and include such topics as “Religious Belief: Public Issue or Private Business” “The Ethics of Action and Belief” and “Exemplarism and the Resolution of Conflict,” she will be awarded a $7,500 stipend.
Zagzebski, who regularly teaches courses in ancient and medieval religion, modern philosophy of religion, fatalism, and religion and morality at OU, began her academic career as a visiting assistant professor of philosophy at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles in 1979, where she spent 20 years as an instructor. She served as department chair at Loyola from 1995 to 1999, when she left to join the faculty at OU. She is the president of the Society of Christian Philosophers and past president of the American Catholic Philosophical Association.
The Romanell Professorship in Philosophy is named for the late Dr. Patrick Romanell, noted philosopher and Benedict Professor of Philosophy at the University of Texas at El Paso, who, with his wife Edna, established the professorship and provided for the stipend. Romanell felt strongly that the lectures given as part of the professorship should be accessible to both academic and public audiences. The first award was given for the 1983-84 academic year. |
