Muskingum University welcomes new philosophy professor

    Palencik is teaching four undergraduate philosophy classes this semester; including two sections of Introduction to Ethics, Topics in Moral Philosophy and a course in American Philosophy.

    Of the courses he oversees, American Philosophy is Palencik's favorite field of study.

    "It deals with the history of American thought, and that's really my specialty," said Palencik.

    Palencik noted that one thing that attracts him to American philosophy is the early pragmatism movement in American philosophy that began in the 19th century. A lot of the pragmatists – philosophers who evaluate the practical application of theories – also had ties to psychology.

    "One of the earliest pragmatists, a man named William James, he was not only a philosopher, but he was actually the founder of The American Psychological association," said Palencik. "So, when I say that I'm a scholar of American philosophy, James is one of the figures that I focus on, and his theory of emotion is one thing that I focused on in my own academic career."

    Palencik got his bachelor's and master's degree at Kent State University. He received his Ph. D from the philosophy department of SUNY Buffalo, focusing his dissertation on the philosophy of emotion.

     "Something I'm working on right now is trying to get some more speakers to come [to Muskingum], I'm hoping that I can get some speakers from Kent State to come down and talk to the philosophy and religion department," said Palencik.

     Palencik had many reasons for choosing Muskingum.   

     "I really liked the people here," said Palencik. "I knew some of the people professionally, they were colleagues of mine that I met in various places, and they had a reputation as good scholars and kind people. When I came to the campus for my interview, and I met other people here, and I saw how kind they were and how well the department functions, I was even more impressed."

    Life at Muskingum is already far different from the school where Palencik previously taught.

    "I taught in a school in downtown Baltimore, right in the city. People don't walk up to you and say hi and don't start conversations with you in the city, but they do here," said Palencik.

    Palencik also said the students here were a big factor in his decision to come to Muskingum. After he met a few of the students and could see that they were very well trained and very skilled, he developed high expectations of the students here.

    "I prefer that they show me that they've learned it by applying the ideas to either situations in their own life or to new circumstances that may be presented to them hypothetically," said Palencik.

    Students feel that Palencik's style is successful and makes classes interesting.

     "He does make [philosophy] more interesting, because you can tell that he has a passion for it," said American Philosophy student Brett Bender. "He makes it not too difficult to comprehend, and when he talks you understand what he's saying."

     Palencik finds it easy to balance work and life because he enjoys his job as a philosopher.

     "One of the thing that keeps me going is that when I'm talking about an issue in class or when I'm writing a paper about an issue, I don't think of it as work, it doesn't strike me as work, it's something that I want to do anyways," said Palencik.

     Palencik's colleague in the philosophy department, Assistant Professor of Philosophy Robert Sharp, spoke highly of Palencik.

     "Academically, he's very intelligent, he can see issues from multiple angles, and this helps not only for his own work but also for teaching," said Sharp. "We get along very well. He's very fun and easygoing to just hang out with and to be with."