BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University's High Country Humanities—in collaboration with the Department of Philosophy and Religion—is pleased to present the second “Philosophy and Religious Studies in the Contemporary World” series, scheduled for the Spring 2026 semester. The series will explore philosophical questions relevant to our daily lives.
The first event, “Mindfulness and Mental Health” with Dr. Cuong Mai and Dr. Matt Ruble, will take place on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Turchin Center for the Visual Arts 1102, located at 423 West King Street in Boone.
The second event, “Environment and Sustainability” with Dr. Conrad (Ozzie) Ostwalt and Dr. Kirstin Waldkoenig, will take place on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Belk Library and Information Commons 114, located at 218 College Street in Boone.
This series is free and open to the public. Attendees may use the College Street Parking Deck next to the Belk Library and Information Commons free of charge beginning at 5 p.m.
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Wednesday, January 28, 2026, from 6:30-7:30 p.m.
“Mindfulness and Mental Health" with Dr. Cuong Mai and Dr. Matt Ruble
Dr. Cuong Mai, associate professor of religious studies, specializes in the religions of Asia, particularly the history of Chinese and Vietnamese Buddhism. Dr. Mai's research focuses on the comparative study of conceptions of the afterlife and the history of mortuary rituals around the world. He is the author of journal articles such as “The Karma of Love: Buddhist Discourse in Confucian and Daoist Voices in Vietnamese Tales of the Marvelous and Strange” and “How Not to Become a Ghost: Tales of Female Suicide Martyrs in Sixteenth-Century Vietnamese Transmission of Marvels,” among other publications. In his talk for this series, he will speak on the question, “Is Mindfulness Buddhist?”
Dr. Matt Ruble, senior lecturer in philosophy, specializes in medical ethics and the philosophy of mental health. Dr. Ruble’s research interests include ethics, neuroethics, medical ethics, philosophy of psychiatry, and Nietzsche. He is the author of “Must Motivation be Endogenous?” and “Philosophers, Psychopaths and Neuroethics.” His talk for this series is titled “Philosophy of Mental Health.” It will examine how philosophy contributes to our understanding of mental health and mental illness.
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Wednesday, April 8, 2026, from 5:30-6:30 p.m.
“Environment and Sustainability” with Dr. Conrad (Ozzie) Ostwalt and Dr. Kirstin Waldkoenig
Dr. Conrad (Ozzie) Ostwalt, professor of religious studies, studies the relationship between religion, culture, and society. Most recently, his interests have been focused on popular culture, and his writing and teaching have engaged movies, popular and classic literature, art, and music. Dr. Ostwalt has authored four books, including Secular Steeples: Popular Culture and the Religious Imagination (Trinity International Press, 2003) and After Eden: The Secularization of American Space in the Fiction of Willa Cather and Theodore Dreiser (Bucknell University Press, 1990). The title of his talk for this series is “Spiritual Ecology and the Nonhuman World.”
Dr. Kirstin Waldkoenig, assistant professor of philosophy, specializes in the philosophical traditions of environmental, feminist, and indigenous thought. Her publications include “Resisting Anthropocentrism with Barred Owls,” “The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality, K.P. Harden, 2021,” co-authored with Asher Brandon Caplan, and “Can Moral Enhancement Address Our Environmental Crisis? A Call for Collective Virtue-Oriented Action,” co-authored with Brooke Burns, Rebekah Sinclair, and Nicolae Morar. The title of Dr. Waldkoenig's talk for this series is “Reestablishing Responsible Relationships with Nonhuman Others.”
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For more information, visit hchumanities.appstate.edu or contact Dr. Darci Gardner, director of High Country Humanities, by email at gardnerdl1@appstate.edu or by phone at (828) 262-2928.
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About High Country Humanities
High Country Humanities at Appalachian State University aims to foster a greater understanding and appreciation of the humanities across the High Country region of North Carolina. The program supports faculty in their scholarly activities, promotes their collaborations with community partners, and organizes events that help their expertise reach the wider public. High Country Humanities is an initiative of App State’s College of Arts and Sciences, with support from the Division of Academic Affairs. Learn more at hchumanities.appstate.edu.
About the Department of Philosophy and Religion
The Department of Philosophy and Religion invites students to explore the world, examine beliefs, understand a diversity of worldviews, and challenge the ideas and values that instruct our lives. The department offers a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and a Bachelor of Arts in religious studies, as well as a minor in both of these areas. Learn more at philrel.appstate.edu.
Dr. Cuong Mai (top left), Dr. Matt Ruble (top right), Dr. Ozzie Ostwalt (bottom left), and Dr. Kirstin Waldkoenig (bottom right) will present as part of the second “Philosophy and Religious Studies in the Contemporary World” series, scheduled for the Spring 2026 semester.
Dr. Cuong Mai (top left), Dr. Matt Ruble (top right), Dr. Ozzie Ostwalt (bottom left), and Dr. Kirstin Waldkoenig (bottom right) will present as part of the second “Philosophy and Religious Studies in the Contemporary World” series, scheduled for the Spring 2026 semester.