Phone: (540) 568-6394

Fax: (540) 568-8072

Office: Cleveland Hall 320

Education:

Ph.D. in Philosophy, Temple University

M.A. in Philosophy, Colorado State University

B.A. in Philosophy and Art, Manchester University

Research:

Dr. Brelje's current research occurs within feminist philosophy and environmental ethics, focusing on care ethics and plant life.  Engaging interdisciplinary plant studies work (e.g., Robin Wall Kimmerer, Monica Gagliano, Paco Calvo, Matthew Hall, and Michael Marder) and mainstream feminist philosophers (e.g., Nel Noddings, Eva Feder Kittay, and Hilde Lindemann), she uses the tools of contemporary philosophy to examine claims about the capabilities, identities, and value of plants.  She is also very interested in animal ethics, aesthetics, and philosophy of mind.  She recently published "More than Humans: A case for the inclusion of non-human persons in care ethics" in Essays in Philosophy 24:1 (2023): 86-101 and "The Complexity of Play" in Play, Philosophy and Performance, edited by Wendy Russell, Emily Ryall, and Malcolm McLean (New York: Routledge, 2021). 

Teaching: 

At JMU, Dr. Brelje teaches Philosophy 120: Critical Thinking and Philosophy 315: Logic and Legal Reasoning.  Courses taught at other institutions include Environmental Ethics, Introduction to Feminist Philosophies, Evil and Good, Philosophies of the Good Life, Meaning of the Arts, and Introduction to Social and Ethical Philosophy.