Professor of Philosophy Department of Philosophy 562.907.4200, ext. 4436 mswitzer@whittier.edu
B.A., Oberlin College M.A., Ph.D., University of Toronto
Value Theory, Social & Political Philosophy
Moral Philosophy
Professor Switzer is Professor of Philosophy at Whittier College where she has taught since 1998. At the University of Toronto, where she earned her M.A. and PhD, she was trained in the Anglo-Analytic tradition of Philosophy, specializing in theories of human interests. Switzer was a Visiting Professor in Philosophy at UCLA in 2004. Switzer teaches a range of political theory courses in moral, social, and political philosophy. Her courses focus on the study of “big ideas.”
At Whittier College, Professor Switzer received grants for curricular development in 2006 and again in 2013. Switzer presents regularly at both local and national conferences, including at the American Philosophical Association Meetings. She brings prominent influential Philosophers and Political Scientists to campus, and has served as advisor and mentor for many students earning fellowships and scholarships.
Professor Switzer contributes to Political Science, and to interdisciplinary programs, including Gender Studies and Environmental Studies. Switzer has served in many faculty administrative capacities, as Department Chair of Philosophy, Coordinator of two interdisciplinary programs, Gender Studies, and Environmental Studies, as Chair of the Educational Policies Committee during a Strategic Review of new faculty positions.
