Faculty

Mark Smillie

Professor, obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame. His special interests include the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas, philosophical anthropology, ancient & medieval philosophy, ethics, bioethics, and business ethics. He serves on the Ethics Committee at St. Peter's Hospital, the diocesan Seminarian Review Committee, and is a founder and board member of St. Andrew School, a K-12 school in Helena. Away from the classroom he enjoys spending time with his family. Courses Taught: Perspectives in Philosophy, Ethics, Bioethics, Medieval Philosophy, Philosophy of the Human Being, Business Ethics, Environmental Ethics

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Barry Ferst

Professor, earned his Ph.D. from Tulane University. His special interests include philosophy and religion of the Greek and Roman world. In April 2000, he obtained grants to finance a week-long event on campus entitled, “The 100 Years that Made 2000 A.D.” This program dissected the years 311-410 A.D., which were critical to the formation of behavior in the Western culture today. Away from the classroom he enjoys traveling to Europe and photography of Greek and Roman artifacts--he has 7,000 signs.  Courses Taught: Perspectives in Philosophy, Philosophy of History & Science, Social & Political Philosophy, Metaphysics, Ancient Philosophy, Philosophy of Art & Beauty.

Elvira Roncalli

Associate Professor and Department Chair, obtained her Ph.D. from the Université Catholique de Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium and her Laurea degree from the Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy.  She was the recipient of an Erasmus scholarship to the Husserl Archives at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, and of a Fulbright sholarship to Boston College and to the Library of Congress, Washington D.C. Her special interests include the philosophy of Hannah Arendt, Phenomenology, Continental Philosophy, Social and Political Philosophy, Feminist/Gender Theory and Ethics. Away from the classroom, she loves spending time with her family, friends, and travelling to Europe, especially to Italy. Courses taught: Perspectives in Philosophy, Ethics, Social & Political Philosophy, Continental Philosophy, Philosophy and Gender, Ethical Theory, Philosophy Seminar: Phenomenology and Existentialism.