Mia Wood is a professor at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, CA, where she is privileged to work with a diverse array of students preparing for transfer to a four-year institution. She conducts a range of introductory courses, including Symbolic Logic, Ancient Greek Philosophy, and Early Modern Philosophy. She is the series editor for the Undergraduate Philosophy Club Series.
What excites you about philosophy?
The most exciting aspect of teaching philosophy is observing class members find themselves in the text. Whether feeling the thrill of a new idea or resonating with a thinker who gives them a voice, it’s exciting to share in discovery.
What are you working on right now?
I spend a lot of time working at the intersection of philosophy and everything else. I’m a freelance writer for MagellanTV and Labroots.com, for example, and I work on other non-fiction projects.
I’m also spending some time thinking about how to approach what I believe is a novel research topic. We’ll see how that goes. I don’t have the opportunity to “do” the sort of scholarly work I’d like, but I’m hoping to make some progress this summer. Short of that, I’m going to return to some fiction projects that have been set aside for far too long.
What do you like to do outside work?
I recently moved to Rhode Island, where I have the luxury of walking in the woods or on the beach with my dogs. (I loved hiking in the mountains or walking on the beach with my pups when I lived in L.A., but I didn’t much care for the hassle of getting there. Where I am in Rhode Island allows me to move about with ease, for which I am grateful.) I treasure solitude.
When did you last sing to yourself, or to someone else?
If you call what I do singing, then it was yesterday, when I made like Weird Al Yankovich and sang to my salad: “Romaine! You don’t have to put on the dressing tonight. Romaine! You don’t have to sell your croutons to the night.” Yes, I totally missed my calling.
Who is your favorite philosopher and why?
My favorite philosopher is whoever I’m currently reading. OK, so that’s not entirely true, but it’s closer to truth than would be the case were I to pick a name. That’s because each philosopher tends to be a wonderful writer and a better philosopher than I could hope to be, so I learn something new each time I begin to read.
If you were an ice cream what flavor would you be?
Garlic. Don’t judge.
What’s your poison? (Favorite drink.)
That’s a toss-up between coffee, which is air, and dark beer, which is consolation.
If you were a brick in the wall which brick would you be?
Well, if ‘all in all I’m just another brick in the wall,’ then one is as good as another.
What advice do you wish someone had given you?
Learn the Kenny Rogers Principle.
This section of the APA Blog is designed to get to know our fellow philosophers a little better. We’re including profiles of APA members that spotlight what captures their interest not only inside the office, but also outside of it. We’d love for you to be a part of it, so please contact us via the interview nomination form here to nominate yourself or a friend.
Dr. Sabrina D. MisirHiralall is an editor at the Blog of the APA who currently teaches philosophy, religion, and education courses solely online for Montclair State University, Three Rivers Community College, and St. John’s University.
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