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Rush

Curriculum Vitae

Rajka Rush, Ph.D.

(a.k.a., formerly, Rajka Zaninovic; presently, anglicized as Rayka Rush)

E-mail:

Education

Ph.D. in Comparative Religion; Western Michigan University (WMU), Kalamazoo, MI, September 2006.

  • Dissertation Title: Religion and the Semiosphere: From the Religious to the Secular and Beyond.
  • Mentor and Chairperson of Dissertation Committee: Dr. Rudolf J. Siebert, WMU;
  • Committee Members:
  • Dr. Thomas E. Lawson, Emeritus (formerly the chairperson of the Comparative Religion Department at WMU), presently Research Scientist at the Institute of Cognition and Culture, School of History and Anthropology, Queen’s University of Belfast, Northern Ireland.
  • Dr. Brian C. Wilson, Chairperson of the Comparative Religion Department, WMU.
  • Dr. Michael R. Ott, Sociology Department at Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, MI.

Master of Arts in Philosophy: Department of Philosophy, University of Zagreb, Republic of Croatia, School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences;

  • Field of study: Contemporary and Continental Philosophy; Master’s Thesis (157 pages): The Epistemological Problem in Nicolai Hartmann’s New Ontology.
  • Mentor and Committee Chairperson: Dr. Professor Danilo Pejović, University of Zagreb.
  • Committee members:
  • Dr. Professor Branko Despot, Chairperson of the Philosophy Department at Zagreb University,

Republic of Croatia.

  • Dr. Professor Nikola Skledar, Croatia, the Director of the Institute for Social Research, Zagreb, Republic of Croatia.
  • Graduate Research Scholarships
  • Scholarship for a German language course (4th level, advanced) at the University of Vienna (1993).
  • Scholarship from the Ministry of Science, Republic of Austria, for research related to my M.A. thesis in the Department of Philosophy, University of Vienna (1994).
  • Summer; specialization: Phenomenological Philosophical Methods and Study of Modern Hermeneutics, Tubingen, Germany (1995).
  • Bachelor of Arts (two majors) Philosophy and Comparative Literature; specialization in teaching (pedagogy) in cooperation with the Department of Education (diploma: Professor of Philosophy and Comparative Literature) University of Zagreb, Croatia.
  • B.A. Thesis in Philosophy: The Problem of Hegel’s Philosophical System (120 pages);
  • In the Croatian university system a student can choose either to write a B.A. thesis or to give an oral explication in the form of a final exam. The thesis promotes the future M.A.
  • Two teaching certificates issued by the Ministry of Education, Republic of Croatia: Methodology of Teaching Philosophy and Logic at the Gymnasium level.
  • Certificate issued by WMU in the International Teaching Assistant Training Program (1999).

Employment and Teaching Experience

  • Full-time faculty, Instructor of Philosophy, Metropolitan Community College, (MCC) Omaha, Nebraska, 2005—present.
  • Lecturer, Philosophy and Religion Department at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), Fall 2008--present.
  • Instructor in Comparative Religion (graduate assistantship 2000--Spring 2004), WMU:
  • Responsibilities: Teach 200 level classes, Introduction to Religion. Prepare and conduct the review of traditional approaches in the study of religion.
  • Teach 100 level class World Religions, offering the review of five or six different religious traditions: indigenous religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Chinese Religions, Christianity, and Islam.
  • Part-time Instructor at Kalamazoo Valley Community College (KVCC) in Philosophy and Humanities;, 2000--2005:
  • Research Assistant in The Croatian Lexicographic Institute Miroslav Krleža on the project “The Basics of the Encyclopedic Lexicography,” led by Dr. Antun Vujić, 1993--1997;
  • of the encyclopedic lexicography, and semiotics.
  • Executive Secretary on the two volumes encyclopedic edition: The Croatian Lexicon, Zagreb: EP 64. vol. 1. 1995; vol. 2. 1998, and the author of lexicon and encyclopedic articles in philosophy, sociology, renaissance culture/literature, and avant-garde Croatian literature.
  • Part-time employment at the Croatian Radio Third Program, 1990--1992: The Protocol of the Century, Book Shop, Meetings on Saturday.
  • Part-time employment at the Croatian Television 1991--1994, in the TV broadcast Ex Libris. Responsibilities: philosophical book reviews and conducting interviews with scholars in Philosophy.
  • 1992—1999.
  • Freelance for the magazine of Matica Hrvatska Kolo (The Circle) and the philosophical journalFilozofska Istraživanja (The Philosophical Research). I have published around ten publications in these two journals, predominantly book reviews, and articles.

University of Nebraska at Omaha, Philosophy Department

  • Introduction to Philosophy PHIL-1010

Professional Field Work

  • Participation in various international courses at the Inter-University Center for Graduate Studies in Dubrovnik, Croatia (IUC); 7 years active participant in the course, “Future of Religion” led by Dr. Rudolf Siebert; 2 years participant in the course, “German Idealism,” led by Dr. Damir Barbarić; 2 years participant in the course “Social Aspects of Science” led by Dr. Morriz Eple.
  • Participation in the international course “Workshop—K. R. Popper” led by R. Notturno at the Central European University (CEU), Budapest, 1996.
  • Participation in the Midwest American Academy of Religion conference in Chicago 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2004.
  • Lecturer in the Comparative Religion Studies (WMU), Student Organization, March, 2000.

Conference Papers

  • Inter-University Center, Dubrovnik:
  • “Jacques Maritain’s Ethical Order and the New Humanism,” 1994, The Future of Religion.
  • “Modern and Post-Modern Critique of Religion,” 1996, The Future of Religion.
  • “Ethical Aspects of the Three Dominant World-Views in Western Civilization,” 1998, The Future of Religion.
  • “Three Theories of the Modern Philosophy of History,” 1997, The Future of Religion.
  • “Ethics and Religion—A Few Critical Questions,” 1999, The Future of Religion.
  • “Scientific Philosophy and Philosophy of Science (N. Hartman and K. R. Popper),” 1997, Social Aspects of Science.
  • “Critique of K. R. Popper’s Falibilistic Theory,” 1998, Social Aspects of Science.
  • Others:
  • “Analysis of Nikola Gucetic’s Dialogs,” Cres, 1995, the yearly symposium of the Croatian Philosophical Society.
  • “Renaissance Mannerism and Vetranović’s Pilgrim,” Cres, 1996, the yearly symposium of the Croatian Philosophical Society.
  • “N. Hartmann’s Interpretation of Platonic Ideas,” Cres, 1997, the yearly symposium of the Croatian Philosophical Society.
  • “Conversion or Re-Conversion: The Croatian Case,” American Academy of Religion (AAR) Conference, Midwest Division, Chicago, March, 2000.
  • “Semiotic and Communicative Theory of Religion,” AAR Conference, Midwest Division, Chicago, March, 2001.
  • “Popularizing Mysticism: Rhyzomatic Syncretism in Faucault’s Pendulum,” AAR Conference, Midwest Division, Chicago, April, 2002.
  • “U. Eco’s Deconstruction of the Medieval Religious Imagination in Baudolino,” AAR Conference, Midwest Division, Chicago, April, 2004.
  • Participation at the National Conference of Community College Humanities Association (CCHA), Boston 2005, November 25-27, 2005.
  • Paper Presentation at the Central Division CCHA conference “Creating Communities”: “Silent Rebellion: Syncretism among American Slaves,” November, 2006, Chicago, CCHA.
  • Paper Presentation at the National Conference CCHA “Re-Thinking Humanities”: “Religion and Semiosphere: Re-Thinking Religious Changes,” San Antonio, October 25-28, 2007.
  • Paper Presentation at the National Semiotic Society of America (SSA): Semiosphere: Functionalism or a New Critical Theory of Culture? Huston, October, 2008.
  • Paper Presentation at the Regional CCHA Conference: Assessing Discursive Arguments in the Classroom: The American Holocaust” Omaha, November, 2008.
  • University of Nebraska at Omaha, Philosophy Department, Lecture: Nicolai Hartmann’s Critique of Old Ontology and Metaphysics (scheduled for February 18, 2010).
  • CCHA, Central Division, Iowa City, October 2012: “Presinger’s Deux ex Machina: The Twilight Zone of the Numinous Brain” (the article

submitted for CCHA publication, Community College Humanities Review, article review in a process).

  1. Rayka Rush, Blog

Professional Membership

  • Member of the Croatian Philosophical Society, 1993--present.
  • Member of the Central Croatian Cultural Organization "Matica Hrvatska” established in 1848 in Zagreb, Croatia, 1995—present.
  • Member of the editorial board in Personalist Studies in Philosophy, Literature, and Religion; a publisher project led by Steven Schroeder, Chicago Roosevelt University, 2001--2004.
  • CCHA (Community College Humanities Association), 2005--present.

Community Service

  • Innocence Project Iowa/Nebraska 2006--2007
  • Croatian Society of Omaha, Nebraska, Language and Cultural History Lecturer,and Instructor, 2006--present.
  • Project Interfaith, a member of Advisory Council, 2007--present.
  • University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) Service Learning Community Health Project, “Finding a Voice,” a member, present.

Award:

  • Western Michigan University, Graduate College, The Teaching Award—Department Outstanding Graduate Teacher, April 04, 2002.
  • Promotion MCC, 2009
  • Service Award, Metropolitan Community College, Omaha, 2010.

Rajka Rush, Ph.D. (formerly known as Rajka Zaninović)

6364 S. 140th Cir.

Omaha, NE 68137

Phone: home: 402-620-2138

E-mail:

Publications:

  1. “Maritain’s Integral Humanism,” Philosophical Research, Zagreb: Croatia, 1989, vol. 3.
  1. “Kant’s Idea of Physics,” (Expert text, broadcast TV program), Ex Libris, April, 1989.
  1. “T. Aquinas’ Ontology,” (Expert text, broadcast TV program), Ex Libris, November, 1989.
  1. “Mannerism: Poetics or Style?” (Expert text, broadcast TV program), Ex Libris, January, 1990.
  1. Interviews with the main scholars in theology, philosophy, and literature (12), (Radio Program III, editor: Gordana Crnkovic), Protocol of the Century, from 1990 – 1991.
  1. “Postmodernism as the Mannerism of the XX Century,” (essay, Expert text for Radio Program III, editor: Kiril Miladinov), Special Saturday Program, February, 1990.
  1. “The End of History?” (essay, Expert text for Radio Program III, editor: Kiril Miladinov), Special Saturday Program, June, 1990.
  1. “The Problem of Kant’s Idea of Religion,” Philosophical Research, Zagreb: Croatia, vol. 2., 1990.
  1. “The Critique of Cynical Reason by P. Sloterdyk,” Philosophical Research, Zagreb: Croatia, vol. 3, 1992.
  1. “Philosophy of Language by P. Sloterdyk,” Voices of Zadar, Zadar: Croatia, vol.2 1994.
  1. “The Knight, Two Gracies and Plato/Renaissance Dialogues by N. Gučetić” (also known as Nicollo di Guzze), Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik, Croatia, vol. 6, 1995.
  1. “Intermediality and the Croatian Avant-Garde in the European Context,” The Circle, Zagreb, Croatia/the publication by the “Matica Hrvatska” – the central cultural institution in Croatia/ vol. 1, 1996.
  1. “Baroque Poetic in Dubrovnik,” The Circle, Zagreb, Croatia, vol. 3, 1996.
  1. “Middle Age Poetics,” The Circle, Zagreb, Croatia, vol. 3, 1996.
  1. “The Crises of History—Francis Fukuyama,” The Circle, vol. 4, 1997.
  1. “Censors of F. Petrić (also known as Francisco de Petricci) and Torquato Tasso,” The Republic /a prestige literary journal in Croatia/, vol. 4., 1997.
  1. Croatian Lexicon, vo1. 1, 1996, vol. 2, 1998, (I am noted as the executive secretary of the whole edition, and Expert collaborator for philosophy, Middle Age literature, and the Croatian Avant-Garde).
  1. Problem Spoznaje u Novoj Ontologiji Nikolaja Hartmana, Nacionalna i Sveučilišna Biblioteka: Zagreb, 1998, signatura: DCR-ZG-376/99, book, epistemology. (Translation of the published book title: The Epistemological Problem in Nicolai Hartmann’s New Ontology)
  1. Religion and Semiosphere:From the Religious to the Secular and Beyond, UMI Press: Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2006.

Links to the Croatian publications and the research project:

This web-site connects with the publish sources by Rajka Zaninović available in the National Library of the Republic of Croatia:

Present Publications by Rajka (Anglicized Rayka) Rush blog with students contributors:

Poetry: (2011, 2012)

Essays: (2011, 2012)

Articles: (2012)