New Faculty Joining the Department!

The Department of Philosophy is delighted to announce that Marie Jayasekera will be joining us this coming FA23 as a new Assistant Professor of Philosophy.

Dr. Jayasekera earned a Bachelor’s of science degree in biology from Yale University. She went on to earn an MA in Philosophy from Tufts. She took her PhD from Michigan, which is one the most distinguished doctoral programs in Philosophy in the United States. Before arriving here in Long Beach, Dr. Jayasekera taught at Colgate University and was a visiting researcher at the University of California Irvine.

Dr. Jayasekera’s primary areas of expertise are in the history of early modern period (esp. Descartes) and applied metaphysics (esp. free will and agency). Secondarily, she also does research in moral psychology as well as the history of political philosophy and normative ethics. Among her most recent publications is  “All in Their Nature Good’: Descartes on the Passions of the Soul’, which was published in volume 58 of the Journal of the History of Philosophy. This past spring, she presented new work on the Hobbes vs. Bramhall debate on liberty here at CSULB and at the APA.

This FA23, students are in for a special treat, as Dr. Jayasekera will be teaching a course on John Stuart Mill’s Moral and Political Philosophy (PHIL496/596). Previously, she has also taught Political Philosophy (PHIL351), Social Contract Theory (PHIL491/591), Moral Responsibility (PHIL496/596), and Free Will in Early Modern Philosophy (PHIL491/591). Some students have also been able to work with her as a summer research assistant, too.

Welcome, Professor Jayasekera!