Portrait of Evan Schmiedehaus

Evan Schmiedehaus

  • Asst Professor of Instruction at Philosophy, College of Liberal Arts

Biography

Evan Schmiedehaus is an Associate Professor of Instruction in the Texas State University Philosophy Department. He also conducts psychology research on an interdisciplinary research team at Texas State University.

Philosophy courses include: Ethics & Society, PHIL 1320, and Philosophy & Critical Thinking, PHIL 1305.

Professor Schmiedehaus is also an Adjunct Psychology Professor at Austin Community College. Psychology courses taught include: Social Psychology, PSYC 2319 and Human Growth and Development, PSYC 2314, Introduction to Psychology, 1301

In addition to serving as a full time faculty member at Texas State University, Professor Schmiedehaus also taught leadership and organizational development at the University of Texas, LBJ School of Public Affairs, Governor's Center, through the Fall 2023 term. Professor Schmiedehaus has provided organizational and leadership consulting services across industry, and has also worked with executives, leaders, and diverse teams, within the non-profit and governmental sectors since 2012.

Professor Schmiedehaus is currently completing a PhD in Applied Social and Health Psychology at Colorado State University, researching how stress informs ideological certitude. Additionally, he is also a Psychology Fellow at Colorado State University, currently teaching Introduction to Psychology. At present, Professor Schmiedehaus is assisting with the development of the CSU SPUR Campus, in Denver, Colorado, as the first psychology instructor.

Research Interests

I am interested in a broad range of philosophical topics and am particularly focused on social & political philosophy ideas, like individual rights and accompanying duties and responsibilities. In recent months, I have concentrated my efforts on examining individual, organizational, and societal well-being.

As a psychology researcher, I am currently examining various theories related to social ordering and stratification, especially social dominance theory, which is the central theme of a forthcoming publication associating social dominance theory with the psychological affectations of political decision-making.

In all instances, regardless of discipline, I attempt to deepen and share my understanding of the various metacognitive processes that inform our lived experiences.

Teaching Interests

Normative ethics
Value ethics and axiology
Metacognition
Decision-making
Agency and change processes
Well-being: Individual, organizational, and societal
Change: Individual & ​organizational
Ideological certitude