Assistant Provost for Academic Assessment and General Education and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Central Arkansas. Phone: Office: 501-450-5307 Address: Wingo Hall 215 University of Central Arkansas 201 Donaghey Ave Conway, AR 72035
With twenty-five essays, fourteen of which are new to this edition, this best-selling volume exam... more With twenty-five essays, fourteen of which are new to this edition, this best-selling volume examines the nature, morality, and social meanings of contemporary sexual phenomena. Topics include sexual desire, masturbation, sex on the Internet, homosexuality, transgender and transsexual issues, rape, and promiscuity. New chapters discuss polyamory, transgender issues, queer issues, paraphilia, drugs and sex, objectification, BDSM, cybersex, and sex and race. Updated and new discussion questions offer students starting points for debate in both the classroom and the bedroom.
Philosophy and Terry Pratchett is the first attempt by philosophers to explore themes in Sir Terr... more Philosophy and Terry Pratchett is the first attempt by philosophers to explore themes in Sir Terry Pratchett's writings. It will appeal to both specialists and fans of Pratchett with serious essays written in a manner accessible to anyone who enjoys, or is curious about, Pratchett's work.
James Bond 007 strode into the human imagination in the novel Casino Royale in 1953 and hit the m... more James Bond 007 strode into the human imagination in the novel Casino Royale in 1953 and hit the movie screens with Dr. No in 1962. He has become one of the best-known personalities, real or imagined, in global history. One out of every four people in the entire world has now seen a Bond movie, and every month thousands of new readers become addicted to Ian Fleming’s original Bond stories.
In James Bond and Philosophy, seventeen scholars examine hidden philosophical issues in the hazardous, deceptive, glamorous world of Double-0 Seven. Is Bond a Nietzschean hero who graduates "beyond good and evil"? Does Bond paradoxically break the law in order, ultimately, to uphold it like any "stupid policeman"? What can Bond’s razor-sharp reasoning powers tell us about the scientific pursuit of truth? Does 007’s license to kill help us understand the ethics of counterterrorism? What motivates all those despicable Bond villains—could it be a Hegelian quest for recognition?
Draft of front matter for the upcoming Wonder Woman and Philosophy book in the Wiley-Blackwell Ph... more Draft of front matter for the upcoming Wonder Woman and Philosophy book in the Wiley-Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series
Table of Contents for Stephen King and Philosophy, ed. Jacob M. Held. First book in new series, ... more Table of Contents for Stephen King and Philosophy, ed. Jacob M. Held. First book in new series, Great Authors and Philosophy (Rowman and LIttlefield)
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Roald Dahl and Absurdity: Children’s Literature and the Divorce b... more Acknowledgements
Introduction: Roald Dahl and Absurdity: Children’s Literature and the Divorce between the Mind that Desires and the World that Disappoints
Jacob M. Held
1 Epicurus and the Chocolate Factory
Benjamin Rider
2 On Getting Our Just Desserts: Willy Wonka, Immanuel Kant, and the Summum Bonum
Jacob M. Held
3 Matilda, Existentialist Super-Hero
Elizabeth Butterfield
4 The Existential Journey of James Henry Trotter: Kierkegaard, Freedom, and Despair in James and the Giant Peach
Matthew Bokma and Adam Barkman
5 Of Mice and (Posthu)Man: Roald Dahl’s The Witches and Ethics Beyond Humanism
Taine Duncan
6 “Who is this Crazy Man?”: Willy Wonka’s Uneasy Predicament
Cam Cobb
7 “He will be altered quite a bit:” Discipline and Punishment in Willy Wonka’s Factory
Marc Napolitano
8 Matilda and the Philosophy of Education, or What’s an Education For?
John V. Karavitis
9 Shattering the Glass Elevator: Authenticity and Social Order in the Works of Roald Dahl
Joseph J. Foy and Timothy M. Dale
10 The Fantastically Just Mr. Fox: Property and Distributive Justice According to Foxes and other Diggers
Jacob M. Held
11 Willy Wonka and the Imperial Chocolate Factory
Ron Novy
12 George’s Marvelous Medicine, or: What Should We Do About Global Hunger?
Janelle Pötzsch
13 Crodswoggle, Flushbunking, and All Things Friendship in the BFG
Chad Kleist
14 Charlie and the Nightmare Factory: The Art of Children’s Horror Fiction
Greg Littman
15 Brimful of Buzzburgers: A Human Bean’s Wild Possibilities
Miranda Nell
16 Dewey, Negative Capability, and the Wonder of Roald Dahl
Tanya Jeffcoat
Twits, Witches, and Dirty Beasts: Author Bios
This chapter rehearses the historical discourse over pornography with the intent of orienting the... more This chapter rehearses the historical discourse over pornography with the intent of orienting the reader to the discourse and motivating a more constructive approach to dealing with pornography. Topics covered include pornography and obscenity law in the context of First Amendment protections to freedom of speech, pornography as harmful, including the arguments that pornography causes sexual violence or foments discrimination, the value of pornography, and whether pornography in general, and pornographic films in particular are art. The overall approach to this chapter is exploratory and the conclusions offered are tentative. The goal of this piece is simply to motivate a more robust understanding of pornography, its place in society, and its place in the artworld.
Draft of front matter for the upcoming Wonder Woman and Philosophy book in the Wiley-Blackwell Ph... more Draft of front matter for the upcoming Wonder Woman and Philosophy book in the Wiley-Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series
Page 1. PART IV TALKING DIRTY Legal Issues and Free Speech Page 2. JACOB M. HELD CHAPTER 9 ONE MA... more Page 1. PART IV TALKING DIRTY Legal Issues and Free Speech Page 2. JACOB M. HELD CHAPTER 9 ONE MAN'S TRASH IS ANOTHER MAN'S PLEASURE Obscenity, Pornography, and the Law If the First Amendment guarantee ...
This is an update of the chapter published several years ago. It includes updated info on the sta... more This is an update of the chapter published several years ago. It includes updated info on the status of marriage rights in the country, legal trends, and minor alterations making it, I think, better.
Page 1. Page 2. Page 3. Dr. Seuss and Philosophy Page 4. Page 5. Dr. Seuss and Philosophy Oh, the... more Page 1. Page 2. Page 3. Dr. Seuss and Philosophy Page 4. Page 5. Dr. Seuss and Philosophy Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! edited by Jacob M. Held Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, inc. Lanham • Boulder • New York • Toronto • Plymouth, UK Page 6. ...
With twenty-five essays, fourteen of which are new to this edition, this best-selling volume exam... more With twenty-five essays, fourteen of which are new to this edition, this best-selling volume examines the nature, morality, and social meanings of contemporary sexual phenomena. Topics include sexual desire, masturbation, sex on the Internet, homosexuality, transgender and transsexual issues, rape, and promiscuity. New chapters discuss polyamory, transgender issues, queer issues, paraphilia, drugs and sex, objectification, BDSM, cybersex, and sex and race. Updated and new discussion questions offer students starting points for debate in both the classroom and the bedroom.
Philosophy and Terry Pratchett is the first attempt by philosophers to explore themes in Sir Terr... more Philosophy and Terry Pratchett is the first attempt by philosophers to explore themes in Sir Terry Pratchett's writings. It will appeal to both specialists and fans of Pratchett with serious essays written in a manner accessible to anyone who enjoys, or is curious about, Pratchett's work.
James Bond 007 strode into the human imagination in the novel Casino Royale in 1953 and hit the m... more James Bond 007 strode into the human imagination in the novel Casino Royale in 1953 and hit the movie screens with Dr. No in 1962. He has become one of the best-known personalities, real or imagined, in global history. One out of every four people in the entire world has now seen a Bond movie, and every month thousands of new readers become addicted to Ian Fleming’s original Bond stories.
In James Bond and Philosophy, seventeen scholars examine hidden philosophical issues in the hazardous, deceptive, glamorous world of Double-0 Seven. Is Bond a Nietzschean hero who graduates "beyond good and evil"? Does Bond paradoxically break the law in order, ultimately, to uphold it like any "stupid policeman"? What can Bond’s razor-sharp reasoning powers tell us about the scientific pursuit of truth? Does 007’s license to kill help us understand the ethics of counterterrorism? What motivates all those despicable Bond villains—could it be a Hegelian quest for recognition?
Draft of front matter for the upcoming Wonder Woman and Philosophy book in the Wiley-Blackwell Ph... more Draft of front matter for the upcoming Wonder Woman and Philosophy book in the Wiley-Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series
Table of Contents for Stephen King and Philosophy, ed. Jacob M. Held. First book in new series, ... more Table of Contents for Stephen King and Philosophy, ed. Jacob M. Held. First book in new series, Great Authors and Philosophy (Rowman and LIttlefield)
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Roald Dahl and Absurdity: Children’s Literature and the Divorce b... more Acknowledgements
Introduction: Roald Dahl and Absurdity: Children’s Literature and the Divorce between the Mind that Desires and the World that Disappoints
Jacob M. Held
1 Epicurus and the Chocolate Factory
Benjamin Rider
2 On Getting Our Just Desserts: Willy Wonka, Immanuel Kant, and the Summum Bonum
Jacob M. Held
3 Matilda, Existentialist Super-Hero
Elizabeth Butterfield
4 The Existential Journey of James Henry Trotter: Kierkegaard, Freedom, and Despair in James and the Giant Peach
Matthew Bokma and Adam Barkman
5 Of Mice and (Posthu)Man: Roald Dahl’s The Witches and Ethics Beyond Humanism
Taine Duncan
6 “Who is this Crazy Man?”: Willy Wonka’s Uneasy Predicament
Cam Cobb
7 “He will be altered quite a bit:” Discipline and Punishment in Willy Wonka’s Factory
Marc Napolitano
8 Matilda and the Philosophy of Education, or What’s an Education For?
John V. Karavitis
9 Shattering the Glass Elevator: Authenticity and Social Order in the Works of Roald Dahl
Joseph J. Foy and Timothy M. Dale
10 The Fantastically Just Mr. Fox: Property and Distributive Justice According to Foxes and other Diggers
Jacob M. Held
11 Willy Wonka and the Imperial Chocolate Factory
Ron Novy
12 George’s Marvelous Medicine, or: What Should We Do About Global Hunger?
Janelle Pötzsch
13 Crodswoggle, Flushbunking, and All Things Friendship in the BFG
Chad Kleist
14 Charlie and the Nightmare Factory: The Art of Children’s Horror Fiction
Greg Littman
15 Brimful of Buzzburgers: A Human Bean’s Wild Possibilities
Miranda Nell
16 Dewey, Negative Capability, and the Wonder of Roald Dahl
Tanya Jeffcoat
Twits, Witches, and Dirty Beasts: Author Bios
This chapter rehearses the historical discourse over pornography with the intent of orienting the... more This chapter rehearses the historical discourse over pornography with the intent of orienting the reader to the discourse and motivating a more constructive approach to dealing with pornography. Topics covered include pornography and obscenity law in the context of First Amendment protections to freedom of speech, pornography as harmful, including the arguments that pornography causes sexual violence or foments discrimination, the value of pornography, and whether pornography in general, and pornographic films in particular are art. The overall approach to this chapter is exploratory and the conclusions offered are tentative. The goal of this piece is simply to motivate a more robust understanding of pornography, its place in society, and its place in the artworld.
Draft of front matter for the upcoming Wonder Woman and Philosophy book in the Wiley-Blackwell Ph... more Draft of front matter for the upcoming Wonder Woman and Philosophy book in the Wiley-Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series
Page 1. PART IV TALKING DIRTY Legal Issues and Free Speech Page 2. JACOB M. HELD CHAPTER 9 ONE MA... more Page 1. PART IV TALKING DIRTY Legal Issues and Free Speech Page 2. JACOB M. HELD CHAPTER 9 ONE MAN'S TRASH IS ANOTHER MAN'S PLEASURE Obscenity, Pornography, and the Law If the First Amendment guarantee ...
This is an update of the chapter published several years ago. It includes updated info on the sta... more This is an update of the chapter published several years ago. It includes updated info on the status of marriage rights in the country, legal trends, and minor alterations making it, I think, better.
Page 1. Page 2. Page 3. Dr. Seuss and Philosophy Page 4. Page 5. Dr. Seuss and Philosophy Oh, the... more Page 1. Page 2. Page 3. Dr. Seuss and Philosophy Page 4. Page 5. Dr. Seuss and Philosophy Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! edited by Jacob M. Held Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, inc. Lanham • Boulder • New York • Toronto • Plymouth, UK Page 6. ...
During the past decade there has been a significant resurgence of interest in just war theory, te... more During the past decade there has been a significant resurgence of interest in just war theory, terrorism, and related issues. Much of this work has focused on how the war on terror has come to shape policy and test traditional just war thinking. In this regard, the war on terror marks ...
pornography and law yale law school obscenity, pornography, and the law in japan regulation of po... more pornography and law yale law school obscenity, pornography, and the law in japan regulation of pornography on the internet in the united anti-pornography laws as a claim for equal respect the limits of child pornography maurer law defining child pornography: law enforcement dilemmas in the limits of free speech, pornography and the law virtual child pornography laws and the constraints imposed united states sentencing commission internet crimes against children: a matrix and summary of pornography and law bepress wisconsin child pornography laws wisconsin coalition refining child pornography law project muse the evolution of pornography law in canada refining child pornography law project muse pornography and the law justinshingles guide to u.s. federal law on child pornography an introduction to child pornography sentencing famm pornography: definitions and laws pornography & the law centre for internet and society pornography and the law snowlog child pornography, the internet, and harvard law review reporting of child pornography le.utah pornography and the law studiokdev pornography and the law khbd internet pornography and child exploitation justice copyright law and pornography freud on the court: re-interpreting sexting & child law of obscenity and pornography koins pornography and the law pnelist pornography and the law avkp pornography, law and moral theory common law section pornography, the internet and the law aberystwyth university initial report of the united states of america to the un copyright law and pornography understanding pornography law in india: a paradox the harms of child pornography law york university sexting legislative services the blurring line between victim moritz college of law english 5th edition national center for missing child pornography and the law in canada how many is any: interpreting sec. 2252a's unit of crying over the cache: why technology has compromised the pornography, obscenity, and the law lawyers civil rights
Although there has been consistent interest in Marx and Marxism there has been little sustained i... more Although there has been consistent interest in Marx and Marxism there has been little sustained interest in the origins of Marx's ethical thought and his relation to the German philosophical tradition as a whole. Work has been done linking Marx to Fichte, and a great deal more linking him to Hegel. However, the fundamental concept joining them all is recognition, or interpersonal relations in general. In this regard, none of the German thinkers can be understood without first grasping their understanding of the human person as one among many. This article begins this process for Marx. Although some literature has been devoted to the explication of Marx's notion of species-being it is sparse and dated. In this article I proceed to reiterate how important species-being is as the foundation to Marx's ethical philosophy. However, my main focus is on simply how to understand the concept itself. I, therefore, devote the majority of the article to an analysis of Marx's use of the concept in his early work as well as his critique of Ludwig Feuerbach's use of it. This account provides the basis for understanding Marx's concept of human essence and is the beginning of a project of rephrasing Marxian ethics around the concept of recognition thus reconnecting him to the German philosophical tradition.
Discussion of general trends and ideas related to sex, gender, and sexual orientation using the M... more Discussion of general trends and ideas related to sex, gender, and sexual orientation using the Mad Max film franchise as the basic interpretative frame.
UMI, ProQuest ® Dissertations & Theses. The world's most comprehensive collectio... more UMI, ProQuest ® Dissertations & Theses. The world's most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses. Learn more... ProQuest, Is there a future for Marxist humanism? by Held, Jacob M., PhD, MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY, 2005, 0 pages; 3201923. ...
Book review of Carolyn Cocca, Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel -Militarism in Comics and Film (Rou... more Book review of Carolyn Cocca, Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel -Militarism in Comics and Film (Routledge, 2021) produced for Hypatia Online Reviews
Review of Michael L. Gross's: Moral Dilemmas of Modern War: Torture, Assassination, and Blackmail... more Review of Michael L. Gross's: Moral Dilemmas of Modern War: Torture, Assassination, and Blackmail in an Age of Asymmetric Conflict.
A discussion of authenticity and the value of art looking at Robert Jordan's the Wheel of Time se... more A discussion of authenticity and the value of art looking at Robert Jordan's the Wheel of Time series.
A guide to help students better understand and use the essay assessment rubric. (The less snarky ... more A guide to help students better understand and use the essay assessment rubric. (The less snarky version)
Revised assessment rubric. Cut down the number of SLOs. Also severed it from grading since the po... more Revised assessment rubric. Cut down the number of SLOs. Also severed it from grading since the points didn't line up with letter grades and expectations. I will accompany this with an interpretative guide in the near future.
The most recent syllabus for Political Philosophy. Noticeable changes include course objectives w... more The most recent syllabus for Political Philosophy. Noticeable changes include course objectives written using Bloom's taxonomy and aligned to an assessment rubric for the assigned essays.
This packet contains the basic materials I developed in creating an internship program for my dep... more This packet contains the basic materials I developed in creating an internship program for my department's philosophy program/majors and minors. The program has proven quite successful leading to many internships, but also successful job placements after graduation. It is an invaluable experience for philosophy students to show them rewarding professions outside of graduate school or law school.
This presentation addresses how assessment is managed on campus to improve our general education ... more This presentation addresses how assessment is managed on campus to improve our general education curriculum through both evaluation of student work and curricular revisions. The primary focus is on how this process played out recently within the diversity competency of our general education program.
Draft of the UCA Core handbook and assessment plan. The full, final handbook and assessment plan ... more Draft of the UCA Core handbook and assessment plan. The full, final handbook and assessment plan can be located here: http://uca.edu/core/for-faculty/
On Developing a Comprehensive, Assessable General Education Program
A Brief, Selective History fr... more On Developing a Comprehensive, Assessable General Education Program A Brief, Selective History from the University of Central Arkansas AALHE: Summer 2017. A presentation covering the development and implementation of the UCA Core as an outcomes based general education program as well as our plans to assess it.
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Books by Jacob Held
In James Bond and Philosophy, seventeen scholars examine hidden philosophical issues in the hazardous, deceptive, glamorous world of Double-0 Seven. Is Bond a Nietzschean hero who graduates "beyond good and evil"? Does Bond paradoxically break the law in order, ultimately, to uphold it like any "stupid policeman"? What can Bond’s razor-sharp reasoning powers tell us about the scientific pursuit of truth? Does 007’s license to kill help us understand the ethics of counterterrorism? What motivates all those despicable Bond villains—could it be a Hegelian quest for recognition?
Introduction: Roald Dahl and Absurdity: Children’s Literature and the Divorce between the Mind that Desires and the World that Disappoints
Jacob M. Held
1 Epicurus and the Chocolate Factory
Benjamin Rider
2 On Getting Our Just Desserts: Willy Wonka, Immanuel Kant, and the Summum Bonum
Jacob M. Held
3 Matilda, Existentialist Super-Hero
Elizabeth Butterfield
4 The Existential Journey of James Henry Trotter: Kierkegaard, Freedom, and Despair in James and the Giant Peach
Matthew Bokma and Adam Barkman
5 Of Mice and (Posthu)Man: Roald Dahl’s The Witches and Ethics Beyond Humanism
Taine Duncan
6 “Who is this Crazy Man?”: Willy Wonka’s Uneasy Predicament
Cam Cobb
7 “He will be altered quite a bit:” Discipline and Punishment in Willy Wonka’s Factory
Marc Napolitano
8 Matilda and the Philosophy of Education, or What’s an Education For?
John V. Karavitis
9 Shattering the Glass Elevator: Authenticity and Social Order in the Works of Roald Dahl
Joseph J. Foy and Timothy M. Dale
10 The Fantastically Just Mr. Fox: Property and Distributive Justice According to Foxes and other Diggers
Jacob M. Held
11 Willy Wonka and the Imperial Chocolate Factory
Ron Novy
12 George’s Marvelous Medicine, or: What Should We Do About Global Hunger?
Janelle Pötzsch
13 Crodswoggle, Flushbunking, and All Things Friendship in the BFG
Chad Kleist
14 Charlie and the Nightmare Factory: The Art of Children’s Horror Fiction
Greg Littman
15 Brimful of Buzzburgers: A Human Bean’s Wild Possibilities
Miranda Nell
16 Dewey, Negative Capability, and the Wonder of Roald Dahl
Tanya Jeffcoat
Twits, Witches, and Dirty Beasts: Author Bios
Papers by Jacob Held
In James Bond and Philosophy, seventeen scholars examine hidden philosophical issues in the hazardous, deceptive, glamorous world of Double-0 Seven. Is Bond a Nietzschean hero who graduates "beyond good and evil"? Does Bond paradoxically break the law in order, ultimately, to uphold it like any "stupid policeman"? What can Bond’s razor-sharp reasoning powers tell us about the scientific pursuit of truth? Does 007’s license to kill help us understand the ethics of counterterrorism? What motivates all those despicable Bond villains—could it be a Hegelian quest for recognition?
Introduction: Roald Dahl and Absurdity: Children’s Literature and the Divorce between the Mind that Desires and the World that Disappoints
Jacob M. Held
1 Epicurus and the Chocolate Factory
Benjamin Rider
2 On Getting Our Just Desserts: Willy Wonka, Immanuel Kant, and the Summum Bonum
Jacob M. Held
3 Matilda, Existentialist Super-Hero
Elizabeth Butterfield
4 The Existential Journey of James Henry Trotter: Kierkegaard, Freedom, and Despair in James and the Giant Peach
Matthew Bokma and Adam Barkman
5 Of Mice and (Posthu)Man: Roald Dahl’s The Witches and Ethics Beyond Humanism
Taine Duncan
6 “Who is this Crazy Man?”: Willy Wonka’s Uneasy Predicament
Cam Cobb
7 “He will be altered quite a bit:” Discipline and Punishment in Willy Wonka’s Factory
Marc Napolitano
8 Matilda and the Philosophy of Education, or What’s an Education For?
John V. Karavitis
9 Shattering the Glass Elevator: Authenticity and Social Order in the Works of Roald Dahl
Joseph J. Foy and Timothy M. Dale
10 The Fantastically Just Mr. Fox: Property and Distributive Justice According to Foxes and other Diggers
Jacob M. Held
11 Willy Wonka and the Imperial Chocolate Factory
Ron Novy
12 George’s Marvelous Medicine, or: What Should We Do About Global Hunger?
Janelle Pötzsch
13 Crodswoggle, Flushbunking, and All Things Friendship in the BFG
Chad Kleist
14 Charlie and the Nightmare Factory: The Art of Children’s Horror Fiction
Greg Littman
15 Brimful of Buzzburgers: A Human Bean’s Wild Possibilities
Miranda Nell
16 Dewey, Negative Capability, and the Wonder of Roald Dahl
Tanya Jeffcoat
Twits, Witches, and Dirty Beasts: Author Bios
A Brief, Selective History from the University of Central Arkansas
AALHE: Summer 2017. A presentation covering the development and implementation of the UCA Core as an outcomes based general education program as well as our plans to assess it.