Ali Beheler has been teaching at Hastings College since 2014 and is currently the co-chair of the Department of History, Philosophy, & Religion (HPR), and the Program Director of Philosophy. She teaches most of the philosophy courses at HC. Whether teaching courses in ethics, feminist philosophy, or art theory, Dr. Beheler approaches philosophy as a way of life and a practice of critical questioning, emphasizing how it can impact our lives for the better.
Dr. Beheler was drawn to philosophy for the endless possibilities it provides for deeply examining oneself and the dominant ideologies of one’s society. After training in the History of Philosophy and Contemporary European Philosophy, followed by a dissertation on the work of Friedrich Nietzsche and language, her current work engages with the intersections of poetry, philosophy, and feminist theory. She has published in both philosophy and poetry. Most recently, she won the Milton J. Kessler Memorial Prize in Poetry at Harpur Palate Literary Review (2025), the Editor’s Prize at Spoon River Poetry Review (2024), and honorable mention in the Rash Poetry Awards (2024). Her lyric essay about philosophy and poetry–”Red thread of no: On lyric/(k)not/philosophy”–will be published as a chapter in Feminist Making, Doing, and Sensing by Duke University Press in 2025.
Dr. Beheler teaches courses in a wide range of topics, including introductory philosophy and ethics; feminist and gender theory; art theory; ancient philosophy; existentialism; and many more courses at all levels. She is a faculty co-sponsor of the student group Seeking Understanding, and in the past has been faculty advisor of other feminist and gender-affirming student groups.
When she is not working, writing, or heading to Colorado for music, Dr. Beheler is probably being led around by her best girl doggie, sweet Emmylou.
Education
- PhD Philosophy (DePaul University, Chicago, IL)
- MA Philosophy (Penn State University, State College, PA)
- BA Philosophy (St. Mary’s College of Maryland, St. Mary’s City, MD)
- BA English (St. Mary’s College of Maryland, St. Mary’s CIty, MD)
