Chair and Professor, Philosophy
- PhD, University of Colorado, Boulder; Philosophy
- MA, University of Colorado, Boulder; Philosophy
- BA, Minnesota State University at Moorhead, Philosophy
- Certificate in Environmental Policy, University of Colorado, Boulder
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Ethics Center at the University of South Florida
Mark Woods, PhD, has been teaching at USD since 1997. He became the Chair of USD’s Department of Philosophy in June 2020. In addition to teaching undergraduate philosophy courses. He is currently an affiliate of USD’s Department of Environmental and Ocean Sciences, and co-chaired USD’s Gender Studies Program for four years. During the academic year 2008-09, he coached a USD team of undergraduate students that took first place in the California Regional Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl Competition. Originally from North Dakota, Professor Woods discovered philosophy while serving in the United States Marine Corps.
Scholarly Work
Woods’ research focuses on environmental philosophy, philosophical issues of war and peace, and the intersection of these two areas. His book Rethinking Wilderness (2017) is an interdisciplinary defense of the concept of wilderness and the philosophy of wilderness preservation that responds to a variety of critiques of wilderness from philosophy and other humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, environmental management, and environmentalism. He has published articles in numerous academic journals and anthologies. His current research project is focused on armed conflicts and the environment. Following the lead of the United Nations International Law Commission that divides this topic into three temporal phases, Woods is writing a book trilogy with one book on militaries and the environment during peacetime, a second book on active armed conflicts and the environment, and a third book on post-conflict and the environment. While grounded in political philosophy and normative ethics, the trilogy incorporates concerns from the ecology of war and peace, the environmental history of war and warfare, and international law (humanitarian, environmental, human rights, and criminal). The trilogy ultimately develops new accounts of green just war theory and ecologically liable pacifism.
Areas of Interest
Woods has taught over twenty different undergraduate courses at USD. His recent teaching has been mostly in practical ethics (especially Ethics of War and Peace, Environmental Ethics, and Environmental Justice) and philosophy of natural science. He has team-taught study-abroad courses with members from other USD departments in the Dominican Republic, India, and, currently, Bali, Indonesia.