Dr. Chris Davidson Talks Philosophy (and Why He Chose the Mount)

Mount Saint Joseph University is home to some of the most talented Liberal Arts educators. I got to speak with Professor Chris Davidson, an assistant professor of philosophy, about what makes the Mount a captivating place to teach.

MARCUS WILLIAMS: How was your life as a child? Anybody that was influential to your choice in being a professor?

CHRISTOPHER DAVIDSON: All my family is sort of working class, so my dad's parents had been to college, but other than that, a lot of them had just not gone to college in any way. My parents, especially my mom, always encouraged me to read. They had me reading Stephen King, because that's what I wanted to read when I was in middle school, maybe younger. "He doesn't get nightmares, and reading's good, so all reading's good." My parents just sort of let me do my own thing, so I went to college and decided I'm going to study philosophy, and they said, okay, man. A lot of families would have tried to slow that, or say, "Please do something different," and they didn't. They said, okay, it's your major, study what you want.

MW: Did you choose philosophy when you were a younger child, or was it in middle school, high school?

CD: So, in an English class, we read Albert Camus' The Stranger.I just thought it was another book, and I loved it. It turns out that's philosophy. It's a novel, but it's also philosophy. So then I accidentally took philosophy in college, because I didn't know what it was, I wouldn't have taken it on purpose. It was part of a collection of pre-law classes. They said, hey, if you want to do pre-law, here's classes you should start with, and Philosophy 101 was part of it. So then I realized I didn't want to be a lawyer. I thought being a lawyer was just yelling at the jury.

MW: I thought the same thing, too.

CD: So then I just started taking more and more classes. Eventually I declared a major, then I got to get a job. I realized, wait a second, they're getting paid to do this. And then I understood I would need to go to grad school, etc. It was a very accidental path to philosophy.

MW: Did you ever feel like you wanted to switch or were you just like philosophy all the way through?

CD: Once I decided on it, I'm pretty sure I didn't waver at all. Even when I knew if you want to keep doing this as a job, you have to go to graduate school. And I was like, cool, what's that involve? I had to move all the way across the country to do it. I'm from Oregon originally. I went to Villanova in Philadelphia. That's literally like the far side of the country. I didn't know anyone out there, didn't have any family out there. So yeah, once I got the bug, I really got it.

MW: Did that experience shape how you teach currently?

CD: Yeah, I was really lucky. They had a teacher preparation program there. Some grad schools just have you write your dissertation, after course work. Then you immediately get a job and you might not have ever taught a day in your life. But Villanova, luckily, had us do a series of mentorships. And then we would teach one class the first term, and get some feedback. And then the next term, next year. And then the next year they ramped it up a little bit. And they would offer you as much teaching as they could until you got a job somewhere else. I probably taught there for almost 10 years before I got a job somewhere outside of Villanova. So they definitely shaped my way of teaching. John Immerwahr specifically, he's the one who led the teacher training program. He gets special credit for that.

MW: Were there obstacles when you were going through school that you had to push through? And if you did, how did you get through them?

CD: One was money. For many Ph.D. programs they give you a stipend. They actually pay you to go to school. How cool is that? But it's enough to live on. Philadelphia is a big city. It was expensive out there. And this is the first time I'd lived in a big city, so I was going through money quickly, traveling up to New York for the weekend and back. If it wouldn't have been for student loans and the stipend, I might have dropped out partway through. So I felt sort of blessed, like I enjoyed my graduate school experience more than some people do. I maybe had fewer crises or explosions, but also it was a grind that took a long time and could have come apart at almost any moment.

MW: What brought you to the Mount specifically, to teach here?

CD: So, philosophy is hard to get a job in. It's not growing at most universities. The Mount is the kind of school that is good for philosophy, because it's required of every student. I do think of myself as a teacher first, and then researcher second. I definitely spend more of my time on teaching, and I value it more than plenty of professors. So, the Mount values that as well. And in the ad, they'll tell you what classes they need taught. They're not just hiring a philosopher. I've taught some of those before. I've always wanted to teach the other ones.

MW: Are you able to make the lessons themselves? Or are they given to you like how in high school, where teachers are given specific things to teach?

CD: At the college level in general, and here at the Mount, teachers create the syllabus themselves. I teach a class called Perspectives on Human Nature. It's not quite an intro class, but it's basically intro. And I pick every reading on it. I think we should read Freud here because he explains how war happens. Humans are smart so why are we constantly fighting? Freud says we're a little crazy. But no, most other people wouldn't teach that in that class, but I think it fits. And I think he's on to something with part of it at least.

MW: Is there somewhere on campus that you like to go to, or specific events that you like to do or participate in?

CD: Anytime there's an event, I'm interested just to stay active and part of the Mount life. But things in the art gallery, I'm especially prone to go to. If it's arts-related, like a play, choir or bands, that's the stuff I'm most likely to go to and be extra, extra excited about. I like when there's stuff on the quad too. I think they're throwing pies at RAC.

MW: I saw that outside today.

CD: And I try to do fundraiser stuff too. So students are selling cookies or selling plants. That plant is from a student fundraiser. I always try to throw a little money their way. I bought a Rainbow Alliance t-shirt the other day. Stuff like that, help them out.

MW: I was about to say, I really like going to the art building sometimes. Just seeing what's there, because it cycles. So it's nice to see something new every week.

CD: And it's, even when there's not an event, right, we can just go in there and walk around.

MW: Are there any obstacles you've had while being a professor?

CD: A lot of terms, it's that things I planned to do in January get put off to March, April, May, maybe don't happen. Some of that's time management skills. Some of that is when push comes to shove, teaching comes first, so I'll just focus on teaching. I used to publish something about once a year, for multiple years straight, and I've barely published anything since I've been here, and this is my fourth year. So, it really slowed down once I started teaching here.

MW: Do you have any encouraging words for people who want to be a professor or study philosophy?

CD: Not everybody has to do their dream job for a living. We all have to pay rent, and not all of us have to be working a dream job to do that. But it is nice to work your dream job. I sort of think about it like it's difficult to be a professional musician or an artist. If it's something that really drives you, and something you feel like you're good at or want to get better at, as long as you know that it won't be easy, it doesn't have to be easy. So long as you know that and have a realistic idea of what you're getting into, I'd say, yeah, absolutely do it. And then ask people for advice and assistance. So I would say, do it if you have a passion for it. No, it won't be easy, but that's not a fatal flaw. And always, always ask others for help, advice, assistance, etc. It's... yeah, it's crucial.