Christina Smerick

Chair, Philosophy and Religion Department; Shapiro Chair of Jewish-Christian Studies; Associate Professor of Philosophy

What's your favorite thing about working at Greenville College?

My favorite thing about working at Greenville College is the camaraderie that exists between faculty, staff, and students. The community is close-knit-I worship with those I teach; my children go to school with my colleagues' children. There's a strong sense that we're all in this together, and we work hard to maintain a feeling of consensus and love, even when we disagree.

What attracted you to the Philosophy Department, and how do you use it outside of the classroom?

What attracted me to philosophy was simply that I could not master it-it sounds stuck-up, I know! Philosophy kept me up at night with questions that wouldn't stop coming; philosophy keeps me humble by constantly reminding me how little I know or can know. It encourages me to think critically and historically about situations, rather than just taking them at face value. Whether it's a social problem like poverty, or a political issue, or my daughter's behavior, my discipline points me in the direction of asking questions rather than assuming I have all the answers.