Dr. Andrew Young
Professor of Philosophy
My undergraduate philosophical training was in the history of philosophy and analytic philosophy, with a special interest in the philosopher Immanuel Kant. My graduate training was in contemporary continental philosophy. My Ph.d dissertation was about the German philosopher, Martin Heidegger, focusing on the intersection between his treatment of ethics (ethos) and time (temporality). I have always been interested in issues of teaching and learning, which led me to become the founding director of the John Stuart Rogers Faculty Development Center. My interest in the teaching of philosophy and learning in general has focused on developing strategies that help students discover the direct personal relevance of learning and philosophical reflection for their own lives. I am particularly interested in educational practices and research activities that are liberating, empowering, and that contribute to human maturation and depth. Over the past decades I have also developed teaching interests in Environmental Ethics, and Eastern Philosophy. The research interest in Eastern Philosophy, primarily Buddhism, has been complimented by many years of on-going formal training in Zen Buddhism. I received ordination as a Zen Buddhist Priest in 2008.
Education
Promotion and Tenure, CSU, Stanislaus, Spring, 1996.
Ph.D., Vanderbilt University, May 1988, Philosophy.
MA, Vanderbilt University, 1986, Philosophy.
BA with Honors, University of California at Santa Cruz, 1981, Philosophy.
Fellowships and Honors
Faculty Award, ALS Dean CSU, Stanislaus, 1993.
Direct Graduate Exchange Fellowship, Free University of Berlin, 1986-87.
Dissertation Research Award, Vanderbilt, 1986.
University Graduate Fellow, Vanderbilt, 1982-86.
Honors on Senior Thesis, University of California at Santa Cruz, 1981.
Area of Specialization
Continental Philosophy, Heidegger
Areas of Competence
History of Philosophy, Informal and Introductory Logic, Introductory Ethics, Contemporary Moral Issues, Asian Philosophy
Teaching Experience
- California State University, Stanislaus
- Introduction to Philosophy, Philosophy 1010, 3 units. (30 Sections)
- Philosophical Inquiry (Critical Thinking), Philosophy 2000, 3 units. (19 sections)
- Logic, Philosophy 2100, 3 units. (5 sections)
- Modern Philosophy, Philosophy 2230, 3 units. (4 sections)
- Contemporary Moral Issues, Philosophy 2400, 3 units. (3 sections)
- Honors Seminar III: Humanities, Honors 2960, 3 units. (1 section)
- Classics of Philosophy, Philosophy 3010, 3 units. (3 sections)
- Ethics (Writing Proficiency Course), Philosophy 3400, 4 units. (3 sections)
- Honors Seminar IV: Great Thinkers, Honors 3960, 3 units. (1 section)
- Advanced Studies: Heidegger, Philosophy 4200, 4 units. (2 sections)
- Philosophy of Language, Philosophy 4300, 3 units. (1 section)
- Philosophy of Religion (Eastern) (Writing Proficiency Course), Philosophy 4450, 4 units. (4 sections)
- Independent Study, Philosophy, 4980, variable units. (5 sections)
- Senior Thesis, Philosophy 4990, 2 units. (1 section)
- CAMP, Philosophy Component of three week Summer Gate Science Program, Summer, 1994
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES
Faculty Development Activities
- Director, Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, 1998-2001. Activities to date:
- Open up a new comprehensive Faculty Development Center at CSU, Stanislaus, including the development of a full array of services, information and programming, beginning Fall 1998.
- Co-chair a committee to design and direct the building of a Faculty Development Center at CSU, Stanislaus, April 2000.
- Chair , Faculty Development Committee, 1997-1998.
- Gained approval to open and funding for a Faculty Development Center.
- Faculty Representative, Faculty Development Committee,1996-1998.
- Organized Instructional Institute Day, 1997 (our major campus-wide faculty development event).
Grants Related to Faculty Development:
Promoting Academic Excellence: A qualitative study of honors students, faculty members, and administrators at three comprehensive universities. Grant awarded by the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. Co-investigator. Fully funded Fall, 1999. Research Spring 2000.
Workshops Conducted For Faculty Development:
- "Retention, Promotion and Tenure Workshop." CSU, Stanislaus. September 22, 1999, December 2, 1999, December 4, 1999.
- "Retention, Promotion and Tenure Workshop." CSU, Stanislaus Stockton Center. December 11, 1998.
Conferences Related to Faculty Development, participant:
- CSU Faculty Development Council Retreat. San Jose, CA. June 21-22, 2000.
- California State University Teacher-Scholar Summer Conference. San Jose, CA. June 19-21, 2000.
- Twelfth Annual Lilly Conference on College & University Teaching-West. Lake Arrowhead, CA. March 3-5, 2000.
- CSU Faculty Development Council Retreat.. Sacramento, CA. January 14-15, 2000.
- Professional and Organizational Development (POD). 24th Annual Conference. Lake Harmony, PN. October 13-17, 1999.
- Conference On Teaching and Learning, CSU, Sacramento. Sacramento, CA. October 1-2, 1999.
- Syllabus 99, Educational Technology Conference (exhibits only). Santa Clara, CA. July 28, 1999.
- California State University Teacher-Scholar Summer Conference. San Jose, CA. June 28-July 1, 1999.
- CSU Faculty Development Council Retreat. San Jose, CA. June 26-27, 1999.
AAHE 1999 National Conference on Higher Education, Washington, DC, March 20-23, 1999. - Eleventh Annual Lilly Conference on College & University Teaching-West. Lake Arrowhead, CA. March 5-7, 1999.
- CSUS Instructional Institute Day '99. CSU, Stanislaus. February 10 1999.
Seventh AAHE Conference on Faculty Roles and Rewards. San Diego, CA. January 21-24, 1999. - CSU, Faculty Development Council Meeting. San Diego, CA. January 21, 1999.
Third Annual Worldwide Lessons in Leadership Teleconference. Modesto Site. November 18, 1998. - Service Learning Workshop. Don Hill, Presenter. CSU, Stanislaus. April 29, 1998.
- AAHE 1998 National Conference on Higher Education. Atlanta GA. March 20-24, 1998.
- Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes Conference. Long Beach, CA. February 19-21, 1998.
- CSUS Instructional Institute Day '98. Carlos Cortes, presenter. CSU, Stanislaus. February 8, 1998
- CSUS Instructional Institute Day '97. CSU, Stanislaus. February 12, 1997.
- Teaching Forum on Collaborative Learning. CSU, Hayward. 1996.
- CSUS Instructional Institute Day '96. CSU, Stanislaus. February 14, 1996.
- Sixth Annual Lilly Conference on College Teaching-West. Lake Arrowhead, CA. March, 1994.
- Instructional Institute Day: Promoting Rapport, Interaction and Active Learning with Linguistically and Culturally Diverse College Students. Kate Kinsella presenter. CSU, Stanislaus. February 8, 1994.
- CSUS Faculty Instructional Institute. CSU, Stanislaus. February, 1992.
- "Building An Academic Community: Common Aims in a Diverse Culture". CSU, Stanislaus. August 30-31, 1990.
PHILOSOPHICAL ACTIVITIES
Publications Referred
- "Using Children's Stories to Teach Critical Thinking at the College Level," College Teaching, 44/3, Sum. 96, 90-93.
- "Teaching Wu Wei Using Modeling Clay," Teaching Philosophy, 19:2, June, 1996, 167-171.
- Invited
- "Book Note on, Lingis, Alphonso. Deathbound Subjectivity", Ethics , Vol. 101 Num. 1, Oct. 1990, 207-8.
Works in Progress
- John and Laura's Incredible Adventure in Argumentation, a 600 page textbook manuscript.
- "The Pace of Thinking: Heidegger and Taoism"
- "Time and Ethos: The Impossibility of Ethics in Being and Time."
Presentations Refereed
"A Text-Based Technique for Argument Analysis." Sixth Annual Lilly Conference on College Teaching-West.. Lake Arrowhead, CA. March 5, 1994.
Invited
- Faculty Discussion Leader. "Heidegger's Beitrage." Collegium Phaenomenologicum. Chitta Di Castlo, Italy. July, 2000.
- "Critical Thinking for Parents." La Leche League of Northern California and Hawaii, Area Conference 2000. Sunnyvale, CA. April 14-16, 2000.
- "Infusing Critical Thinking into the Classroom. CSU, Stanislaus workshop. May 3, 1999.
- Response to Brian Schroeder, "Standing Firm on Nothing: Ethics and No-Self in Nishitani and Levinas." Pacific Division APA. Berkeley, CA. March 26-29, 1997.
- "Hansel and Gretel, and the Question of Ethics: Tasking Thinking." CSU, Stanislaus. April 9, 1992.
- "Kantian Ethics." New Mexico Highlands University. Las Vegas, New Mexico. April 2, 1992.
- "The End of Philosophy." A Public Lecture at CSU, Stanislaus. November 12, 1991.
- "A Philosopher's Reaction: Reflections on Shaw's Heartbreak House and Post-Modern Thought." A Public Lecture at CSU, Stanislaus. December 5, 1990.
Presentation and Discussion Leader
- James Clavell and Walter Benjamin." For the Central Valley Philosophy Colloquium (CVPC). November 10, 1992.
- "Charles Scott's The Language of Difference, Christopher Norris', "Nietzsche: Philosophy and Deconstruction," and Jacques Derrida's, "Difference." For the CVPC. March 21, 1991.
- "Heidegger's 'The End of Philosophy and the Task of Thinking,' and 'Language.'" For the CVPC. January 18, 1990.
- "Heidegger's 'Memorial Address.'" For the CVPC. December 7, 1989.
Informal/Community Presentations
- Panel Chair. "Father's Forum." La Leche League of Northern California and Hawaii, Area Conference 2000. Sunnyvale, CA. April 14-16, 2000.
- Discussion Leader: When Things Fall Apart, by Pema Chodron, Chapter 4 "Relax as it is", Almond Blossom Sanga, September 29, 1999.
- Guest Lecturer. "Defining Postmodernism." Adult Class at the First Presbyterian Church. Turlock, CA. April 18, 1999.
- Discussion Leader. A Path with Heart. Jack Kornfield. Chapter 15, April 14, 1999, Almond Blossom Sanga, Modesto, CA.
- Discussion Leader. A Path with Heart. Jack Kornfield. Chapter 10, February 24, 1999, Almond Blossom Sanga, Modesto, CA.
- Respondent, Religious Issues Lecturer Series, CSU, Stanislaus, (May 1998)
- Chair, "Panel B: Literature and Existentialism." Construction of the Human Conference. CSU, Stanislaus. October 17-19, 1997.
- "Time and Ethics in Heidegger's Thought" for a Research in Progress Symposium at CSU, Stanislaus. November 2, 1994.
- "Ancient Greek Philosophy," a one-hour presentation to a Humanities class. September 22, 1994.
- "Using Children's Stories to Introduce Critical Thinking" for a Faculty Research Symposium at CSU, Stanislaus. April 11, 1994.
- "Great Thinkers in Philosophy," a presentation to HONS 3960 Seminar. March 2, 1994.
- "Overview of the History of Philosophy." CSU, Stanislaus Student Philosophical Society. October 16, 1992.
Philosophy Conferences
- Collegium Phaenomenologicum, Heideggerís Beitrage. Chitta Di Castelo, Italy. July, 2000.
- Heidegger Conference. Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia. May 19-21, 2000.
- Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy, thirty-eighth Annual Meeting. Eugene, OR. October 7-9, 1999.
- Humanities Matters. U.C. Irvine. Irvine, CA. April 2-3, 1998.
- 31st Annual Heidegger Conference. Penn State. University Park, PA. May 23-25, 1997.
- APA Pacific Division Meeting. Berkeley, CA. March 26-29, 1997.
- 16th International Conference on Critical Thinking and Educational Reform. Sonoma State. Rohnert Park, CA. July 25-31, 1996.
- Heidegger Conference, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH. May 24-26, 1996.
- APA Eastern Division Meeting, Boston MS. December 27-January 1, 1994-5.
- Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy. Thirty-third Annual meeting. Seattle WA. September 1994.
- APA Pacific Division Meeting. San Francisco, CA. March 24-28, 1993.
- APA Eastern Division Meeting. New York City. December 27-30, 1991.
- APA Pacific Division Meeting. San Francisco, CA. March 27-30, 1991.
- Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy. Twenty-Ninth Annual Meeting.
- Villanova University. Villanova, Pennsylvania. October 11-13, 1990.
- APA Pacific Division Meeting. Los Angeles, CA. March 28-31, 1990.
- APA Eastern Division Meeting. Atlanta, GA. December 27-30, 1989.
- Heidegger: Phenomenology, Ontology, Poetics--Contemporary Perspectives. An International Conference Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of
- Martin Heidegger, at Loyola University of Chicago, September 21-24, 1989.
- APA Pacific Division Meeting. Berkeley, CA. March 23-25, 1989.
- APA Eastern Division Meeting. Washington, DC. December 27-30, 1988.
- Central California Critical Thinking Conference. CSU, Fresno. November 18-19, 1988.
- APA Eastern Division Meeting. New York, NY. December 27-30, 1987.
- McVean Symposium on the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas, with guest respondent,
- Jacques Derrida. Vanderbilt University. Nashville, TN. October 4-7, 1987.
- Collegium Phaenomenologicum, Heidegger's Early Thinking. Perugia, Italy. July 1986.
- Deconstruction and Philosophy: The Texts of Jacques Derrida. An International Conference sponsored by the Philosophy Department of Loyola University of Chicago. March 22-23, 1985.
Graduate/Senior Thesis Committees
- Third reader, Interdisciplinary Studies Program Master's Committee, Linda Center, Communication Expectations of Female Interactants in Relation to Personal Attributes, Communication Behavior, and Clothing. Completed, December, 1995.
- Third reader, Interdisciplinary Studies Program Master's Committee, Chris Hank. "Let There be Commerce": Interesting Stories, All-Consuming (DI)Versions of Bourgeois Rhetoric, and the Political Economy of Getting Away with it. Completed, February 1996.
- Senior Thesis Advisor. Jade Samulski. Spring 1993.
University Service
- Co-Chair. John Stuart Roger's Faculty Development Center Building Committee. 2000
- Faculty Representative. First Year Experience Task Force 1999-present
- Faculty Representative. Search Committee. Extramural Funding Proposal Development Specialist. Fall 1999.
- Faculty Representative. Faculty Research Advisory Panel. 1998-9.
- Faculty Advisor. Associated Students. 1995-8.
- Ex Officio Member. Faculty Development Committee. 1998-present.
- Chair. Faculty Development Committee. 1997-8.
- Faculty Representative. Faculty Development Committee. 1996-7.
- Faculty Representative. General Education Review Task Force. 1997-9.
- Faculty Representative. University Food Services Advisory Committee. F. 1997.
- Faculty Representative. University Facilities Planning Committee. 1995-7.
- Faculty Representative. Campus Planning Committee. 1993-5.
- Faculty Representative. Non-maintenance, Improvements and Beautification , a Subcommittee of the UFPC. 1995-7.
Departmental Service
- Academic Senator for Philosophy. 1992-4, 1996-7.
- Department Library Representative. 1992-F.98.
- Department RPT committee. 1996--present.
- Department Search committees. S. 1997-present.
- Club Adviser and Co-founder. Philosophical Society. 1990-9.
- Department Chair Search committee. 1993, 1996, 1999.
Dissertation (1988)
TIME AND ETHOS: THEIR ROLE IN HEIDEGGER'S THINKING
Professor Charles Scott, Supervisor.
In this dissertation I discuss the significance an absence of ethics in Heidegger's thinking has for his treatment of time. Heidegger's understanding of time developed in a series of strategies that involve both the destructuring of traditional concepts of time and the development of a way of thinking that brings to expression its own temporality. In doing this, Heidegger is not attempting to generate an new concept of time. his concern is to let thinking dwell in and through its own temporality.
In Part One, I discuss Heidegger's treatment of time in two of his most important works, Being and Time (1927) and "Time and Being" (1962). I show that the ordinary "linear" understanding of time, is inextricably linked with conceptual inquiry about time. Heidegger puts the ordinary understanding of time into question at the beginning of Being and Time. ;his treatment of time is guided by this initial questioning, leading him from his treatment of time as "authentic temporality" in Being and Time, to "true time" in "Time and Being." In this way I show that the later "Time and Being" does not constitute a rejection of the earlier Being and Time, but is rather a continuation of the same path of thinking opened up in Being and Time, now transformed under the weight of its own internal necessities.
In Part Two, I consider the absence of ethics in Heidegger's thinking. First, I establish the absence of ethics, in particular, by arguing that authenticity and Ereignis, the two notions most often interpreted as ethical in Heidegger, do not have ethical import. Furthermore, I show that Heidegger does not fall prey to strategies of implicit self-justification, and so, a kind of de facto "ethics of inquiry." I use the term ethos, especially as developed in Heidegger's essay "Letter on Humanism" (1947), to name the absence of ethics. Heidegger's effort, I argue, is to let thinking find its own dwelling place (ethos), a task far removed from efforts to ground moral judgments. What I show is that Heidegger's task can only arise in the abandonment of traditional sympathetic appraisal of the internal demands that shape the sometimes disturbing external character of Heidegger's non-metaphysical path of thinking can be attained.
I conclude with a series of observations about the significance that Heidegger's treatment of time and use of ethos have for the question of Heidegger's difference from metaphysics.
Professional Memberships
Member: American Association of Higher Education, 1998-present
Member: Professional and Organizational Development, 1998-present
Member: American Philosophical Association, 1988-present.
Member: Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy, 1989-present.
Member: Central Valley Philosophy Colloquium, 1989-present.
Member: California Faculty Association, 1988-present.
Member: International Alliance of Teacher Scholars, Inc. Dec. 1998-present.