Stephen T. Asma, Ph.D.
Department of Liberal Education
Columbia College
600 S. Michigan Ave
Chicago IL 60605
312 344-7583
Area of Specialization
Philosophy and History of Science (Life Sciences), Eastern Philosophy (esp. Buddhism), Religion and Science, Philosophy of Religion, Museum Studies
Area of Competence
Metaphysics, Epistemology, Ethics, Cultural Studies Theory, History of Philosophy (Ancient & Modern)
Publications
Books
On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears. Oxford University Press (Oct. 1, 2009)
Why I am a Buddhist. Hampton Roads Publishing (forthcoming 2009)
The Gods Drink Whiskey: Stumbling Toward Enlightenment in the Land of the Tattered Buddha. HarperCollins San Francisco June 1, 2005 (paper 2006)
Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads: The Culture and Evolution of Natural History Museums. Oxford University Press, New York. April, 2001 (paperback May 2003).
Buddha for Beginners. Writers and Readers Publishing Inc, 1996. Revised and republished by Hampton Roads Publishing, 2009.
Following Form and Function: A Philosophical Archaeology of Life Science. Studies in Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy Series, Northwestern University Press. December 1996.
Articles
“Ancient Antidotes to Timeless Troubles: Stoicism and the Recession” in The Chronicle of Higher Education; Chronicle Review, May 5, 2009.
“Happy Serf Liberation Day: China and Tibet” in In These Times magazine, May 2009.
“Trapped in the Creation Museum” in the Chicago Tribune Magazine, January 20, 2008.
“Never Mind Grendel! Can Beowulf Conquer the 21st-Century Guilt Trip?” in The Chronicle of Higher Education; Chronicle Review, December 2007.
“Looking Up from the Gutter: Pop-culture and Philosophy” in The Chronicle of Higher Education; Chronicle Review, October 2007)
“Holy Toyland” in In These Times magazine, October 2007
“Dinosaurs on the Ark: Natural History and the New Evangelical Museum” in The Chronicle of Higher Education. (The Chronicle Review magazine, May 18, 2007); reprinted as “Solomon’s House” in Skeptic magazine Vol.13, No.2.
“How to Survive the Apocalypse” in The Skeptical Inquirer (Summer, 2007)
“Against Transcendentalism: The Meaning of Life and Buddhism” in Monty Python and Philosophy, edited by George Reisch and Gary Hardcastle (Open Court Publishing, Spring 2006)
“My Teaching Experience in Cambodia” in The Chronicle of Higher Education. April. 22 2005. (The Chronicle Review magazine).
“’Mass Delusion’ or ‘True Myth’? PBS Considers The Question of God” in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Sept. 10 2004. (The Chronicle Review magazine) Reprinted in Skeptic magazine, February 2005. Reprinted as “The God Question” (a review of a documentary film comparing the ideas of C. S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud) in Skeptic magazine (Vol. 11, no. 3, 2005).
“Is ‘The Blues’ Black Enough?” in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Sept. 26 2003. (The Chronicle Review magazine).
“Blues Man on a Mojo Mission” in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Nov. 8, 2002. (The Chronicle Review magazine).
“A Portrait of the Artist as a Work in Progress” in The Chronicle of Higher Education. January 19, 2001. (The Chronicle Review magazine).
“Reel to Real” in The Chronicle of Higher Education. January 15, 1999 issue. B6-7.
“Darwin’s Causal Pluralism” in Biology & Philosophy Vol. 11, No.1 January 1996,1-20.
“Metaphors of Race: Theoretical Presuppositions Behind Racism” in American Philosophical Quarterly. Vol. 32 January 1995, 13-29.
“The Blues Artist as Cultural Rebel” in The Humanist July/August 1997.
“Abortion and the Embarrassing Saint” in The Humanist May/June 1994.Reprinted in the Abortion anthology, Current Controversies Series by Greenhaven Press 1994.
“The New Social Darwinism: Deserving Your Destitution” in The Humanist Sept/Oct. 1993.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy. Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, 1994.
Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. Northern Illinois University, 1988.
Professional Experience
1993-present: Professor of Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Humanities at Columbia College Chicago. Have taught and designed a variety of courses, including: “20th Century Philosophy”, “Religion & Science”, “Cultural Studies Theory”, “Philosophical Issues in Film”, “Philosophy I”, “Philosophy & History of Science”, “Western Humanities” and “Eastern Philosophy.”
2006/2007 Adjunct Faculty at School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Taught “Asian Philosophy” and “Philosophy of Religion.”
2006-2008 Appointed first Distinguished Scholar status of Columbia College by the Provost.
Served as Senior Fellow of the Teaching Academy that designed curriculum for Columbia College’s college-wide First Year Seminar for Freshman students. Working with five other faculty, designed a required liberal arts course based on the theme of Identity and Culture. 2004-2005
2004-2005: Coordinator of Humanities division of Liberal Education Department, Columbia College Chicago. Coordinator oversees 7 full-time faculty and approximately 30 part-time instructors. Also handles curriculum development for the Humanities division.
Director of the Intersections lecture series, 2005-2006. Intersections is an intellectual/cultural forum for the exchange of ideas. It is held each month at the Chicago Cultural Center (co-sponsored by the Mayor’s office), and its mission is to give voice to the “public intellectual” side of scholarly work. http://www.intersections.colum.edu/
Invited as Visiting Professor by the Buddhist Institute in Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia to teach “Buddhist Philosophy” seminar course as part of the Graduate Degree Program in Buddhist Studies. Taught 56 contact hours at Graduate level during Spring 2003. Ongoing thesis advising.
Acting Chair of Liberal Education Department, Columbia College Chicago (2001/2002). Chairman administers over Humanities, History, and Social Science divisions. Chair coordinates 15 full-time faculty, and approximately 90 part-time faculty. As Chair, I developed and shepherded a new “Cultural Studies Major” for the Liberal Education Department.
1998-2001: Coordinator of Humanities division of Liberal Education Department, Columbia College Chicago. Coordinator oversees 5 full-time faculty and approximately 30 part-time instructors. Also handles curriculum development for the Humanities division.
Served on Senior Seminar Committee to develop a college-wide Ethics course for Senior undergraduates. Columbia College, December 1995 to January 1998.
Book referee for Oxford University Press (New York) since 4/98. Under Kirk Jensen, Senior Editor of Life Sciences.
Public Lectures
“Darwin, Creationism, and the Contemporary Culture Wars” Invited workshop at the Newberry Library, Chicago, March 6, 2009.
“Religious Syncretism in Southeast Asia” Invited lecture at Carl Sandburg College, Galesburg Illinois, April 17th, 2008.
“Reflections on the Buddhist Warrior” at Carl Sandburg College, Invited Lecture at Galesburg Illinois, April 18th, 2008.
“Looking Backwards and Forward in Cultural Studies Education” at the University of East London’s international conference “Cultural Studies Now,” July 21, 2007.
“Making Room for Dinosaurs on the Ark” Invited lecture for Oregon State University Zoology Department (and History Department). Spring Seminar Series, May 14, 2007
“Reconciling Action and Renunciation: How to Raise a Wild Toddler” Invited Dharma-talk at the new Buddhist Temple of Chicago, December 10 2006, to celebrate Mahayana Bodhi Day.
Organized and served on panel “Buddhism: The Search for Internal and External Peace” for the 17th Annual Chicago Humanities Festival Peace and War: Facing Human Conflict. November 4, 2006.
Invited lecture “Reflections on Spirituality in Southeast Asia" at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (Northern Illinois University), September 9, 2005.
Invited panel member for Intersections Cultural Studies Series “Exploring Death”
October 6, 2004. Chicago Cultural Center. Presented on Buddhist ideas of death and impermanence.
Invited by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to speak to a delegation of arts educators from Kyrgyzstan. Presented on the topic of American liberal arts pedagogy for artists. Sponsored by the International Visitors Center of Chicago. June 14, 2004
Keynote speaker for the Eastern Illinois University Historical Administration Symposium, “Beyond History”. Presented on the topic of “Science Museums and Truth.” Symposium held at the Lincoln Log Cabin State Historical Site, Lerna, Illinois. March 27, 2004
Invited Keynote lecture “Natural History and Truth” at the Field Museum (Chicago) “Field Ambassador Program” August 23, 2003.
Invited panel member for “Dinner with Darwin” conference, sponsored by the Association of College and University Biology Educators (ACUBE) September 14, 2002. Chicago, IL.
Invited to give lecture on “The Metaphysics of Natural History Museums” at Harvard’s Museum of Natural History. October 25, 2001.
Invited to lecture on “The Evolution of Natural History Museums” at the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History, September 16, 2001.
Invited to lecture on “The Pedagogy of Museums” at The Chicago Field Museum’s “Educators Night” on October 13, 2001, and again August 24, 2002.
Regular contributor to Chicago’s Public Radio program “848.” Interviewed in October 2002 on the pedagogy of teaching philosophy through motion picture films. Interviewed in August, 2001 regarding the development of nature museums. Interviewed in September, 2001 regarding the relationship between Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and Chinese Communism.
Invited to give Keynote Address “Exhibiting Evolution: Defining the Domains of Metaphysics and Science” at conference “Building Bridges: Religion and Science in Dialogue.” November 12-13, 1999. Southern Illinois University.
Presented paper “Philosophy Meets Hollywood: Descartes and Bladerunner” at the School of Visual Arts Twelfth Annual National Conference on “Liberal Arts and the Education of Artists” at the Algonquin Hotel, NY October 15 1998.
Invited public lecture “Darwinism, Design and the Metaphysics of Science” at Connecticut College, New London Connecticut. Event sponsored by the Philosophy Department, Feb. 2,1998.
Invited public lecture “Problems of Biological Taxonomy and Essentialism” at California State University-Hayward. Event sponsored by the Philosophy Department, Feb. 10, 1998.
Invited speaker at Mahayana celebration of Buddha’s Birthday. Presented lecture “What was the Historical Buddha’s Philosophy? Sponsored by the Lilly Grant Endowment (aimed at increasing Multicultural Awareness). Columbia College, April 9,1996.
Participant in National Science Foundation Chautauqua Course #60: “Creation, Evolution or Both? A Multiple Model Approach.” University of Dayton Chautauqua Field Center, May 1996.
Panel speaker at teacher’s seminar on “Multiculturalism in the Classroom” sponsored by the Teaching and Learning Committee. Spoke on the question: “Is Plato Multicultural?” Columbia College, March, 1996.
Invited to present paper “Blues Artist as Cultural Rebel” at Lilly Grant Sponsored Conference entitled Culture, Communities and the Arts, Columbia College Chicago, December 2-3 1994.
Additional Experience
2007 Released original Music CD of Jazz/Blues/Rock songs under the name Axle-Man on Academy of Fists Record Label (http://www.academy-of-fists.com/)
December 2006, scored music (with Benjamin Dauer) for North Carolina Dance Association 2006 Annual Showcase Concert, Wakeforest University (for choreographer Joan Nicholas Walker)
On March 1st 2005, Asma interviewed Robert Thurman for Chicago Public Radio’s “848” program. Professor Robert Thurman (aka Uma’s dad) is Columbia University’s Chair of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies. Dr. Thurman, who was the first Westerner ordained by the Dalai Lama, is the critically acclaimed author of many popular and scholarly books, including translations of sacred Tibetan scriptures such as the Tibetan Book of the Dead.
Provided soundtrack music for PBS television program Artbeat Chicago, January 2005.
Ongoing contributing cartoonist for Skeptic magazine (edited by Michael Shermer) since 1/99.
Illustrator for Cambodian Association of Illinois’s “Campaign for Renewal” fundraiser (“Dancing Apsaras”), Fall 2002.
Commisioned to write the catalog essay for traveling art exhibit “Nature as Metaphor.” A collection of paintings, wood-cuts, and found-object constructions by 3 Midwestern artists; first exhibited in Columbus Ohio in Summer 1998, then DeKalb IL in early 1999. Essay included on “Nature as Metaphor” webpage.
Currently recording and playing live jazz with musical groups “Peking Turtle” and the “Academy of Fists.” Recent performances include the “Taste of Chicago” festival, “Evanston Street Festival” various Chicago nightclubs including “Elbo Room,” “Blue Note,” “Martyr’s,” etc.
Self employed as professional musician in Chicago area Jazz/Blues quartet, 1988-1995. (Performed with B.B. King, Bo Diddly, and others. Midwest tour with Grammy winner Buddy Guy in Spring 1995). Internationally released compact disc entitled “Strung Out on the Blues” with “Howard & the White Boys” on Mighty Tiger Records, 1995.
Professional illustrator of book Buddha For Beginners (Writers & Readers Publ.) 1996.
Awards
2006-2008 Appointed first Distinguished Scholar of Columbia College by the Provost. Award has two-year tenure.
Nominated by Provost of Columbia College for Carnegie National “Teacher of the Year” Competition, 2004
Awarded Faculty Development Research Award by Columbia College Chicago 2001/2002.
Awarded Faculty Development Research Award by Columbia College Chicago 1996/97.
Nominated for “Teacher of the Year” award at Columbia College Chicago 1993/94.
Awarded the Dissertation Research Award by Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Graduate School, 1991-1992.
Professional Affiliations
American Philosophical Association since 1989 (Central Division).
