Whether in France, Japan or Senegal, Assistant Professor of Philosophy Erin McCarthy is helping students understand the world around them. Since joining the faculty in 2000, she has directed an international program that brings students to French-speaking communities in Canada, France and Senegal; taught in a three-week summer program in Japan and organized a community-based learning course in Senegal, Africa. Perhaps that's why she says the best thing about teaching at St. Lawrence is the strong ties between the students and faculty.

McCarthy has published articles in a number of journals and in the anthology Collateral Language: A User's Guide to America 's New War. Her work has also appeared in The ASIANetwork Exchange: A  Newsletter for Teaching about Asia, and Philosophy, Culture and Traditions.

McCarthy earned her bachelor's degree in French and philosophy at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, and the Ph.D. at the University of Ottawa. In her free time, McCarthy sings in the University Chorus and enjoys cross country skiing and hiking.

"I chose to teach at St. Lawrence partly because of the emphasis on teaching here. I like the small classes – which make it perfect for teaching philosophy where, in my approach, discussion is integral to learning," McCarthy says. "It's much more difficult to have a discussion-based class when you have, for example, 80 students," she explains.

She teaches courses on ethical theory, feminist philosophy, existential philosophy, Asian philosophy, and introduction to philosophy.