Welcome to my homepage. I am Eric Thomas Weber, assistant professor of Public Policy Leadership at the University of Mississippi. Since June of 2010 I am also a freelance columnist for The Clarion Ledger, Jackson, MS's major newspaper. I earned my Ph.D. in Philosophy in 2007 and have been teaching since 2002. I serve as Executive Director of the Society of Philosophers in America, whose Web site you can visit by clicking here. I am also Associate Chair of the American Philosophical Association's Committee on Public Philosophy, whose Web site you can visit here.
As a scholar, teacher, and citizen, I make the greatest use I can of philosophical inquiry and clear, persuasive communication for the advancement of freedom, opportunity, and respect for my fellow citizens in a number of areas. These include quality public education and life opportunities for poor and disabled persons. I study and write about intelligent, democratic inquiry into the practices and principles of ethical and visionary leadership. My writing, teaching, and public engagements all relate to these goals in one way or another.
I have put this site together in order to post information for students, scholars, news writers, and community leaders. Information about my research can be found under the "Writings" link on the left side of the screen. For my curriculum vitae, visit the "Biography" page. For information about my teaching experience, current courses, and students' success, visit the "Teaching" link.
RECENT NEWS
In August of 2010, the Mehr News agency of Iran published an announcement about my first book, Rawls, Dewey, and Constructivism. The announcement is in Persian here. For an English translation of the article, visit my writings page where the book and promotional information is posted.
After this first announcement, the same agency interviewed me for a piece that was released in the Tehran Times, the main English language newspaper of Iran. The interview article was titled "Rawls revived idea of social contract theory: professor." You can click on the title here to read the article in PDF format or you can click on the photo on the right hand side.
At the end of July of 2010, my publisher, Continuum International Publishing Group of London, put out a blog post to announce the upcoming release of my first book, Rawls, Dewey, and Constructivism. My editor, David Avital, has some very encouraging things to say about the project. He has been a pleasure to work with on this first book.
In July of 2010, I wrote an article for The Oxford Eagle on the local effects of cuts to Medicaid on persons with disabilities. The subject was addressed masterfully at the national level in The Wall Street Journal by Clare Ansberry here. To read an Adobe PDF scan of my article, "Disability's Financial Crisis," click here or on the photo on the right hand side.
I am presently writing a piece for The Clarion Ledger on the subject of civility. That piece should come out in July of 2010. I am also developing a grant proposal for the Kellogg Foundation with College of Liberal Arts Assistant Dean Stephen Monroe. Finally, I am working with a number of people on the creation of a radio show to serve as a forum for intelligent discussion about policy concerns for the nation and Mississippi especially. The show would feature faculty from the university and members of the surrounding community. More on this as it develops will be posted here soon.
In June of 2010, I put out an article in The Clarion Ledger, Jackson, MS's major newspaper, called "Cultural Divides: Barriers Remain to Educational Attainment." You can visit the newspaper's HTML version of the article here or click here to read a scanned Adobe PDF version of the printed article.This article is a short introduction to a large project that I am developing for the next few years. I am working to establish what I am tentatively calling the Mississippi Expectations Project, an initiative that will examine and address cultural barriers to educational and economic attainment in poor regions of Mississippi. I will post more on this project as it progresses. For now, click on the photo on right or on one of the links I have just listed to read about the project. If you have comments, questions, or support you care to offer for this program, contact me at the addresses listed below.
My second book, Morality, Leadership, and Public Policy, is under contract with Continuum Books of London. It will be released in 2011. For more information about the book, visit the Writings page.
If you have any questions for me, feel free to email me (etweber@olemiss.edu) or to call me at 662.915.1336. My full contact information is as follows:
