Cheyney C. Ryan Department of Philosophy University of Oregon Eugene, OR 97403-1295 cryan@uoregon.edu (541) 346-5553 :Office (541) 346-5544 :FAX

RESEARCH INTERESTS

My principal area of interest is political philosophy, but I also work on issues in philosophy of law, ethical theory, and philosophy of film. My main concern at the moment is understanding the amount of violence in the world and thinking about the ways to transcend it. But questions of war and peace cannot be separated from basic questions of justice, so I also work on questions about the nature of justice and rights.

Another aspect of my work deals with the practices of conflict resolution, from the personal and local to the global. In addition to teaching in the Philosophy Department I am a faculty member of the Masters Program in Conflict Resolution, based in the Law School. I teach the initial course in that program dealing with the foundations of conflict resolution. You can learn more about this program from its website: http://conflict.uoregon.edu/faq/.

PUBLICATIONS

I have over 50 publications, not including book reviews and journalism, in almost all the leading philosophy journals. An article of mine on pacifism self-defense ("Pacifism, Self Defense, and the Possibility of Killing", Ethics, Jan. 1983) is one of the most reprinted articles of the past 25 years. The Philosopher’s Annual chose this as one of the top articles of its year.

I have received the Joseph J. Blau Prize, from the Society for Advancement of American Philosophy, for contribution to history of American philosophy, and was named by Washington Post as one of nation's twenty leading scholars "on the frontier of peace and conflict studies."

You can find a full list of my publications in my vita.

TEACHING

In addition to teaching introductory and advanced courses in political philosophy and the philosophy of law, I have recently taught upper division classes on the philosophy of nonviolence, Rawls and Sandel, Levinas, and philosophy of film.

I have twice received the outstanding teacher award from the Mortar Board Society. I have also received the University's Charles E. Johnson Memorial Faculty Award, and several other awards for work on diversity.

UNIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

I have been active in campus activities related to my political concerns since coming to the University of Oregon in the mid-1970s. My first year at Oregon I helped found the Office of Multicultural Affairs; most recently I co-founded the Masters Program in Conflict Resolution. In between, I helped create the University of Oregon Humanities Center, the Carleton Savage Endowment in International Relations in Peace, the University of Oregon Schnitzer Program on Judaic Studies, among others. Look at my University activities page for a full list.

I have been active in peace related activities for many years, a commitment that began when I worked with Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement in New York City. I was active in the civil rights movement and anti-war movements in the 1960’s and 1970’s (that’s why I don’t have an undergraduate degree--I was expelled from Harvard for political activities). I am currently working with the Northwest Institute for Conflict Resolution to create a statewide organization of the university and community members to promote work in conflict resolution and peace.

THEATER ACTIVITIES

In addition to my philosophical work, I have also been active in theater as a playwright. Much of my work has a political dimension to it, and intertwines with my interest in political philosophy. Most recently, my play “Appalachian Ebenezer,” co-authored with Randi Douglas, was performed at Portland's Artist’s Repertory Theater in the fall of 2003. My play, “Holy Dirt,” co-authored with Marcos Martinez, has been widely performed in the United States and Europe. For many years I worked with the theater group, Teatro Nuestro, producing plays about pesticides and working conditions for migrant workers on the west coast.

You can find out more about this part of my life by looking at my theatrical vita. This also contains lists the awards my work has received, and various other items.

PERSONAL

I am married to Sandy Stein Ryan. We have three children, Tammy, Lisa, and Jeff. I was born in Los Angeles, my parents were Jessica and Robert Ryan. We moved to New York City when I was in high school, and I went to college, graduate school, and law school in Boston.

COURSE LINKS

Fall 2008

PHIL 307 Social & Political Philosophy

PHIL 407 Ethics & Politics

Winter 2009

PHIL 308 Social & Political Philosophy

PHIL 453/553 Marx

Fall 2009

PHIL 307 Social & Political Philosophy

PHIL 433/533 Top Hobbes & Rousseau

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