Philosophy Faculty Feature: Darian Spearman

Responses have been edited for length and clarity:

GONZAGA: Introduce yourself!

SPEARMAN: I'm Dr. Darian Spearman, I'm in the philosophy department and my areas of interest are Africana philosophy, philosophy of religion, environmental philosophy, and many other kinds that we can talk about whenever we meet or anything like that, and this is my third year.

Why did you decide to study philosophy?

I found myself in philosophy because, I started off actually as a religious studies major, but I found that some of the questions, the deeper questions I was looking for, weren't being answered. Their department was more anthropology-based, like observing, and so I wanted to go deeper into these questions so I found my way into philosophy, and I stayed in it, that's where I got my master's. 

What is your favorite class to teach?

My Africana philosophy CIS is my favorite class to teach because we can really talk seriously about race and its implications, where it comes from, and where do we want to go forward as people, as Americans. 

Describe your teaching style in one word.

Depth. I really try to go as deep as possible. I want people to feel connected to each other and themselves, and to understand the depth of the ideas and what's significant.

What is your most memorable job?

Probably working for the Black Resource Center in Southern Illinois University. I did it as a grad student and that's where I first got into understanding higher administration in higher ed, and I got to do a lot of great things with the Black community in Southern Illinois University, so it helped me. 

Do you have any hidden talents?

I sing, I do poetry and I cook pretty well.

What is your best piece of advice for students?

I want to say that you should try to focus on connecting to other people around you, to life, the broader planet. All the information around you, it can just stay in your mind if it's just information, but if you can figure out how to connect with it and then let it into yourself, it can really help you transform and grow, and I think that's what life is about. 

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