Dr. Dorothy Dean joined the Department of History, Philosophy, and Religion in 2021, where she teaches a range of courses on topics such as Christian thought, gender in Abrahamic traditions, and ethics and social justice in world religions.
She previously taught at Berea College and the University of Houston. She holds a PhD from Vanderbilt University, an MA from Drew University, and a BA from Oberlin College. Her scholarly interests include ecofeminism, radical theology, and the intersections of philosophy, religion, and climate change. She has been a member of the American Academy of Religion since 2009, and is on the steering committees for the Feminist Theory and Religious Reflection Unit and the Religious Reflections on Friendship Seminar. Some of her work on the problem of human exceptionalism in Christian ecotheology may be found in the Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture. She is currently working on a project that explores the connection between human exceptionalism and Christian concepts of the divine and writing a chapter (for an edited volume on religion and friendship) about the theological significance of human/animal relationships.
In her free time, she enjoys practicing yoga, reading fiction, and exploring outdoors with her family.
