Rate My Professor R. Dillon Emerick

Professor R. Dillon Emerick is a full-time faculty member and primary contact for the Philosophy program in the Behavioral Sciences Division at Palomar College, San Marcos, California. He has served as Department Chair for the Philosophy Department. Dr. Emerick holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of California, Riverside, awarded in 2005, with a dissertation titled "Critical Theory, Critical Subjects," chaired by Georgia Warnke. Upon completing his doctorate, he joined Palomar College as a tenured instructor and has contributed to the program offering an AA-T degree in Philosophy along with courses in philosophy and religious studies.

Dr. Emerick's scholarly work builds on critical theory and explores communicative ethics, reason exchange, and practical applications of philosophy. A sabbatical project expanded dissertation research by investigating parallels between commodity exchanges in markets and reasons in communication, drawing on informal logic, commodification theory, and mediation training at North County Lifeline to create new writing assignments, class activities, and a draft scholarly article. Another sabbatical included studying Ancient Greek and Latin at San Diego State University to deepen understanding of historical philosophical texts; consulting with local law enforcement on reasoning, evidence description, and courtroom argumentation; and analyzing cooperative games simulating criminal investigations to develop engaging critical thinking exercises. Professionally active, he has chaired American Philosophical Association sessions on Phenomenology and Ethics, Philosophy and Happiness, Searle's Social Ontology, Perspectives on Solidarity, and Philosophy and Technology in Dialogue. His presentations include "Torture and Talk: The Communicative Ethics of Interrogation" at the 2008 APA Pacific Division meeting and "Politicizing 'Torture'" at an Eastern Division meeting, as well as "Practicing Diagnostic Articulation and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."