Department of Philosophy

2017 Master's Cohort

2017 master's cohort

The following students entered the master's in philosophy program in fall 2017:

peter carmack, 2017 master's cohort
Peter Carmack
Master's Student, 2017 Cohort

Peter Carmack graduated magna cum laude in philosophy and humanities from Brigham Young University, where he later served as an adjunct professor of philosophy. His philosophical interests include the history of philosophy, philosophical pedagogy, epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, religion, political theory and science. He aspires to one day teach philosophy and theology at the university level. Outside the classroom, Peter is an accomplished entrepreneur, an avid reader and is trained in the martial arts.

lia curtis-fine, class of 2017 cohort
Lia Curtis-Fine
Master's Student, 2017 Cohort
Course Assistant, PHIL 110a (Meaning In Life)
Rabb Graduate Center, 357
Office Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 12:00pm - 1:00pm

Lia Curtis-Fine graduated from UNC Asheville with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and a minor in psychology, focusing on cognitive science. Her main research interests are in philosophy of mind, moral psychology, early modern philosophy, and the places where these fields interact with the cognitive sciences. When she is not doing philosophy, Lia can be found cooking, reading, exercising, or watching stand-up comedy.

daniel c friedman, 2017 master's cohort,
Daniel C. Friedman
Master's Student, 2017 Cohort, Grad Student Representative


Daniel Friedman, originally from Budapest, Hungary, received a BA/MA in philosophy from Johns Hopkins University. His research interests are in epistemology, early modern philosophy, and metaphysics. Outside the classroom, Daniel enjoys opera, traveling, cooking, and following his beloved Chelsea F.C.

william grogan, 2017 master's student cohort
William Grogan
Master's Student, 2017 Cohort
Course Assistant, PHIL 123a (Existentialism)
Rabb Graduate Center, 326
Office Hours: Fridays, noon-1 p.m. (and by appointment)

William Grogan graduated from Southeastern University with bachelor's degree in practical ministries and a minor in Greek. His primary research interests include epistemology, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, existentialism and ethics. Apart from academics, William enjoys music, reading and debate; he is an ENFP according to Myers-Briggs typology and a patterned sock enthusiast.

nicholas hanson-holtry, 2017 cohort student
Nicholas Hanson-Holtry
Master's Student, 2017 Cohort
Course Assistant, PHIL 23b (Biomedical Ethics)
Rabb Graduate Center, 314
Office Hours: Fridays, 2-4 p.m. (and by appointment)


Nick grew up in Portland, Oregon, before earning a BS in computer science at Rice University in Houston, taking a gap year in Miami and eventually coming to philosophy, and to Brandeis. Nick is interested in a wide range of philosophical topics — basically anything except normative ethics. For more information about Nick, check out their website.

shay henckel, class of 2017 master's cohort
Shay Henckel
Master's Student, 2017 Cohort
Course Assistant, PHIL 1a (Introduction to Philosophy)
Rabb Graduate Center, 326
Office Hours: Fridays, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (and by appointment)


Shay graduated summa cum laude from the UMass Boston with a BA in philosophy and sociology. In philosophy, their primary areas of interest are epistemology (particularly rationality), analytic social and political theory (particularly crime, justice, punishment, and rights), and the philosophy of law. They are especially interested in exploring projects where these areas overlap.

jeremy mele, 2017 master's cohort
Jeremy Mele
Master's Student, 2017 Cohort

Jeremy Mele graduated from Salem State University with bachelor's degrees in English and philosophy and a minor in history. His main areas of philosophical interest are in ethics, particularly in the nature of right action, and political philosophy. Outside the classroom, he is involved social activism — he is currently running for state representative in his home city of Sanford, Maine — and enjoys reading superhero comics and taking his chihuahua, Luna, to the dog park.

evan welchance, 2017 master's cohort
Evan Welchance
Master's Student, 2017 Cohort

A native of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Evan Welchance earned his BA in philosophy and BS in mathematics from Middle Tennessee State University. His primary research interests are in metaphysics, philosophy of mathematics, philosophy of language, and their intersections. In his free time, he makes rock music, watches movies and looks for old books.

quentin williams, 2017 master's cohort
Quentin Williams
Master's Student, 2017 Cohort

Quentin Williams graduated summa cum laude from Appalachian State University with a bachelor's degree in Philosophy and a minor in English. His philosophical interests are primarily in epistemology and philosophy of mind. He is particularly interested in topics on the content and phenomenal character of experience. In his free time, Quentin struggles to attempt to brew a beer that actually kind of tastes good.

maisie wiltshire-gordon, 2017 master's cohort
Maisie Wiltshire-Gordon
Master's Student, 2017 Cohort

Maisie Wiltshire-Gordon graduated with honors from Swarthmore College with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and literature. Her primary academic focus is philosophy of language and aesthetics; she is particularly interested in the ways we negotiate the gap between what we hope our words can do and what we find them doing. When she's not doing philosophy, Maisie enjoys running, talking to strangers and trying to bake cakes without following a recipe.

minghui yang, 2017 cohort student
Minghui "Clark" Yang
Master's Student, 2017 Cohort

Ming Yang "Clark" is from Tianjin, China. He got his B.A degree in philosophy from Peking University in 2017. He is enthusiastic about inquiring into various topics in epistemology, logic and metaphysics, for instance the philosophical significance of higher order evidence, the impacts of Bayesianism epistemology and the nature of causal laws. Besides philosophy, he has a longstanding enthrallment for reading Dostoevsky, and a relatively recent interest in photographing clouds which emerges during his stay at Brandeis.

2016 Master's Cohort

The following student entered the master's in philosophy program in fall 2016:

casey rufener, 2016 master's cohort
Casey Rufener
Master's Student, 2016 Cohort
Grading Assistant, PHIL 106b (Mathematical Logic)