By Jocelyn Visnov, Web Editor/Asst. Production Editor
Jordan Pascoe, Ph.D., combines her love of philosophy and flair for social justice to challenge social norms and facilitate change on campus. Since joining the Jasper community in 2012, Pascoe has made lasting contributions within the philosophy department and beyond.
As an associate professor of philosophy at MC, Pascoe teaches courses which analyze aspects of race, gender, politics and history through the lens of philosophical thinking. She also currently serves as the interim director of critical race and ethnicity studies.
While the majority of her teaching revolves around philosophical thinking, her teachings also extend into other academic departments including women and gender studies, labor studies and peace and justice studies. This semester, Pascoe taught philosophy of sex, love and Friendship, as well as Roots: Philosophy.
“I teach a lot of classes in feminist philosophy and philosophy of race, as well as philosophy of law,” Pascoe said.
Pascoe has extended her interest in philosophy and social justice beyond the classroom. In 2016, Pascoe assisted two students in the early stages of creating what is now known on campus at the Lasallian Women and Gender Center.
“My role was primarily really like bringing people together, facilitating conversations, figuring out what kinds of institutional support we would need to do this,” Pascoe said.
The LWGRC celebrated its fifth birthday this year, and has become an inclusive space for students and faculty to discuss topics around race, sex and gender in a safe and judgement-free environment.
Within her involvement with the LWGRC, Pascoe has lead activities including the Love in the Dark series and a collaborative student-faculty reading group where they analyzed the works of Jean Baptiste De LaSalle in terms of race, sex and gender, furthering the Lasallian mission at Manhattan College.
“If you say Lasallian values are solidarity with the most vulnerable, then you’re going to need intersectional frameworks to analyze vulnerability so you can figure out how to organize your solidarity, right?” Pascoe said. “So I’m sort of like ‘How do we how do we get the like radical feminism and the Lasallian brothers to like, talk to each other?’ That’s kind of my jam.”
In addition to teaching, Pascoe also does her own independent academic research and has had multiple essays published. Pascoe is also soon to become a published co-author, with her first book scheduled for release this summer.
“It’s on labor in Kant’s philosophy, which no one’s really looked at before,” she said. “And part of what I’m doing in this book is developing an intersectional account of Kant which no one has really done before. So you know, it’s doing a lot with both a feminist takes on Kant, but also with the role of race and slavery. And I’m looking in particular at the role of domestic labor and the way that domestic labor intersects with slave labor.”
She explained how much she enjoys working with others and collaborating with different fields of research.
“It’s something I think that Manhattan College does really well because we’re small and the faculty really like each other so we all want to work together,” she said. “Yeah, I just really love getting to work collaboratively.”
Along with the LWGRC, Pascoe has also been involved with the LGBTQ+ Student Association and the Pre-Law society. Pascoe facilitates conversations around sensitive subjects which students may not feel comfortable addressing otherwise. By opening conversations and challenging social norms, she has been able to make a lasting impact on campus.