Janet Wesselius, PhD (Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam), MPhilF (Institute for Christian Studies), BAHons, First Class (University of Alberta)
Contact
Professor of Philosophy, Vargo Teaching Chair, Augustana Campus
- jcw3@ualberta.ca
- Phone
- (780) 679-1517
Overview
Area of Study / Keywords
feminist epistemology philosophy of science Canadian philosophy social and political thought philosophy of religion Program: Ethics and Global Studies Program: BA/BEd
Research
My research explores thought, knowing, and ideas especially pertaining to science, technology, and sustainability; religion; Canadian philosophy; and the Canadian social and political landscape, often through a feminist framework. Recently, my edited book, Consumption and the Literary Cookbook, received the South Atlantic Modern Language Association Studies Book Award 2021, and I served as the guest co-editor for the American Review of Canadian Studies; and was the Scholar-in-Residence-for-Arts-Research-in-Nanotechnology.
Teaching
In addition to teaching the core philosophy courses on Ethics and Epistemology, I am currently the Director of the Semester Abroad in Cuba. I am also a recipient of the Rutherford Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
Featured Courses 2025/2026:
- AUPHI 210 Epistemology: Study of such central topics in epistemology as foundationalism, truth and rationality, skepticism and the limits of knowledge, relativism and the objectivity of knowledge, evidence and verifiability, and belief and justification.
- AUPHI 260 Ethics: Examination of questions of right and wrong, good and evil, and reasons for action, through study of ethical theories of philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and Mill.
Courses
AUIDS 101 - First Year Seminar
Selected topics that highlight the interdisciplinary nature of the Liberal Arts and Sciences. This seminar-style class is the first course in Augustana's Core. The focus and content of each course are determined by faculty interests, and vary from year to year.
AUPHI 102 - Introduction to Western Philosophy II: Modern Philosophy
Continuation of an introduction to the main problems and theories that have dominated philosophical thought, through study and critical discussions of selected classics of modern philosophy.
AUPHI 200 - Metaphysics: Theories of Reality
Examination of traditional and contemporary topics such as Being and Nonbeing, the nature of time, freedom, appearance and reality, persons, and the mind-body problem.
AUPHI 260 - Ethics
Examination of questions of right and wrong, good and evil, and reasons for action, through study of ethical theories of philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and Mill.
AUPHI 345 - Philosophy in Canada
Study of texts by historical or contemporary philosophical figures in Canada, centred on a chosen theme, in relation to the Canadian cultural and institutional context, and drawing from a multidisciplinary perspective on philosophy.
AUPHI 351 - Thinking About Sex: Philosophy, Science, and the Construction of Sex
Examines philosophical issues raised by scientific research into sex, sexual orientation, and gender.
Featured Publications
The Spy, the General, and the Storyteller: Winthrop Pickard Bell, Roméo Dallaire, and Harold R. Johnson on the Development of Canada.
Wesselius, Janet
Dialogue: Canadian Philosophical Review . 2026 April;
Wesselius, Janet
2021 October; 10.1080/02722011.2021.1943693
New Perspectives in Canadian Philosophy
Wesselius, Janet; Elizabeth Trott; Robert Timko
American Review of Canadian Studies . 2021 October; 51 (3):365-377
Not That Grateful: Survivor Resistance in Rape Culture.
Girlhood Studies. 2021 March; 14 (1):139-141
Consumption and the Literary Cookbook. Routledge, 2020
Wesselius, Janet; Roxanne Harde
Routledge. 2020 November;
Janet Wesselius
2017 January;
‘A matter of bones and feathers, and wishful thinking’: Science and the Marginalization of Religion.
Wesselius, Janet
The Toronto Journal of Theology. 2014 January; 10.3138/tjt.2853
Philosophy as Responsibility: A Celebration of Hendrik Hart’s Contribution to the Discipline.
Wesselius, Janet; Ronald A. Kuipers
University Press of America. 2002 October;
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