McKenna, Thomas

Professor McKenna is an interdisciplinary scholar in the history of philosophy, religion, and the arts. He began his career as a musician. He is also a poet and has edited the short run journal Holler: A Journal of Poetry and Prose, now part of the permanent collection of the West Virginia Culture Center in Charleston, West Virginia. As a professor, Dr. McKenna says his goal is to help students understand that the answers to life’s big questions vary, but that it is important to understand everyone else’s answers to better grasp the rich diversity of our world our place in it. Whether it be Language, Literature, History, Philosophy, or Religion, the Department of Humanities will prepare you for success in any field you choose by teaching you how to listen more carefully, to read with greater understanding, and how to write more effectively, all while acquiring a better understanding of the language, literature, history, philosophy and religion of the wider world. “We live in a rich and diverse world. The more we know about the people in it, what they think about it, and why they think so, the better we’ll do…no matter what we choose to do for a living.”