brophyheadshotI am Assistant Professor of Political Science at Providence College and the Director of the Center for Catholic and Dominican Studies. My interests are in political theory, broadly conceived. The questions that have always driven my passion for philosophy are: “Who am I?,” “What does it mean to be human?,” and “What is the nature of human freedom?”

My teaching and research interests include Ancient and Contemporary Political Theory, Philosophical Conceptions of the Human Psyche, the Human Psyche and Modern Society, Philosophy of Education, American Political Thought, Plato, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche and Freud. I seek to explore the questions surrounding modern identity and the concept of authenticity. In order to best answer my questions about human existence, I draw also from the riches of the modern Catholic intellectual tradition, especially Romano Guardini, Josef Pieper, Henri De Lubac, Gabriel Marcel, Walker Percy, Charles Taylor, and Alasdair MacIntyre.

My current projects are focused around the pedagogy of Plato’s Symposium and its reception by Freud, Nietzsche, and Kierkegaard. I am also interested in the “two voices” of American political thought as expounded by Wilson Carey McWilliams.

I am an active preacher. Over the course of the past few years I have given talks or retreats at the University of Maryland Catholic Center, Dartmouth College, Boston University, University of Notre Dame Law School, and the Diocese of Providence.

A native of Northern New Jersey, I am a fan of the New York Mets, New York Giants, and, perhaps ironically, the New Jersey Devils. I also enjoy watching GAA sports: hurling and Gaelic football. Most of all, I am an avid follower of all Notre Dame sports, especially Irish football. I also bowl competitively, both in league and tournament play, and am eagerly striving for that 300 game. I am a Level I certified coach by the United States Bowling Congress.