Faculty
Mavis Biss, Ph.D.
“The Jesuit tradition is known for providing students with an excellent foundation in the history of philosophy,” says Mavis Biss, Ph.D., professor of philosophy. Biss, who has taught at Loyola since 2011, is originally from Upstate New York. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Swarthmore College and both a Master of Arts and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In her classroom, she focuses on Ignatian practices that combine historical theories with contemporary issues to foster students’ independent and critial thinking. Biss says Loyola’s philosophy department is distinctive when it comes to undergraduate programs because of the diverse course offerings—which allow students to participate in service-learning courses and community-engaged education. Her scholarship focuses on Kantian ethics and conceptions of moral creativity. Biss believes in sharing her past failures with her students, because she believes dealing with failure is a part of professional and personal success.
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I really appreciate being at an institution that values and supports excellence and innovation in teaching, and I am continually inspired by my colleagues to try new approaches in the classroom.