T H 12:30-1:45p.m. (PL 220-51) "History of Medieval Philosophy"
T H 2-3:15p.m. (PL 275-51) "Recent & Contemporary Philosophers"
T H 6:30-7:45p.m. (PL 101-2) "Introduction to Philosophy" (reachable by email or voice mail)
T H 3:30-6:15 p.m. - Philosophy B26a (Ad. Bldg. basement)
Growing up with a mother who's a philosopher certainly puts an
interesting spin on life. I spent so much time in the back of her
classroom and playing in her office as a kid that I've actually known most of her
colleagues longer than my own friends.
Dr. Brenda Wirkus is one of the highest acclaimed professors at JCU,
boasting awards that reflect her insightful work. Dr. Wirkus
received the Lucrezia Culicchia Award for Teaching Excellence in 1997.
Dr. Wirkus traveled abroad the Summer 1 session of '07 with Dr. Casciani and Mrs. Mileti all over Italy for PL 298,
Italian Social Philosophy from Leo XIII to Negri.
Other courses she
teaches are Philosophy of Woman, 19th and 20th
Century Philosophy, and Theories of Knowledge.
Dr. Wirkus "retired" from the position of Chairperson of the Philosophy Department, and instead
(since September 2004) holds the Don Shula Chair in Philosophy. In Fall 2005, Dr. Wirkus welcomed famous contemporary philosopher Dr. John McCumber
of UCLA to be the Don Shula Philopher-in-Residence. Dr. McCumber teaches in the Department of Germanic Languages at UCLA, and his most recent book is "Reshaping Reason: Toward A New Philosophy."
Together, Dr. Wirkus and Dr. McCumber team-taught "Recent & Contemporary Philosophers" (PL275).
The oldest of six children, Dr. Wirkus escaped the noisy household and attended Georgetown University intending on pursuing a foreign language major. Instead, she was
intruiged by philosophy class and the life of the mind. She opted for the B.A. in philosophy, her Masters
from Cleveland State University and her
Ph.D. from the University of Ottawa.
Three JCU profs venture off to Italy!
Don Shula, one of the JCU Philosophy legends
Doctors Wirkus and McCumber also invited Loyola Chicago Professor Andrew Cutrofello (a former student of McCumber's)
to speak to their class in December 2005.
Attending a college where your mother works is an experience I wouldn't
recommend for the faint of heart. With that said, I have been extremely
priviledged to attend JCU and see the professors in a different light.
Hopefully this page enables you, too, to see the "real" Dr. Wirkus, a
pleasure in and out of the classroom.
