Molly Kelly
![Molly Kelly](/sites/g/files/upbtqy111/files/styles/square_250x250/public/2024-07/Molly-Kelly-2024.jpg?h=b044a8f9&itok=-5MQ007v)
Molly Kelly is an interdisciplinary philosopher whose research explores questions of place, politics and power within phenomenal experience. Specifically, she explores how experiences of sounding, listening and silence can provide philosophers and artists alike with rich resources for thinking through questions of oppression and conformity, as well as resistance and transformation. In her recent work, for example, Molly investigates the rise of bimbocore as a feminist orientating device on TikTok. Her work has been published in Continental Philosophy Review, Puncta: Journal of Critical Phenomenology and Theory & Psychology.
As an educator, Molly approaches philosophy as a way of thinking that extends beyond the classroom into students’ lives. Her teaching style encourages students to think about philosophical concepts as they appear in everyday contexts, and to question the social, cultural and historical conditions that frame them. As a first-generation college student and graduate, Molly is committed to making her classroom a safe community space for all students.
Outside of teaching and research, Molly enjoys sewing, quilting, weightlifting and spending time with her dog and two cats. If she’s not in the classroom or her office, you can likely find her in the RISD Nature Lab, telling everyone about the tragic history of pigeons.
Academic areas of interest
Critical Phenomenology; Social and Political Philosophy; Feminist Philosophy; Sound Studies and the Philosophy of Sound; Aesthetics; 20th-Century Continental Philosophy
Courses
Fall 2024 Courses
HPSS S251-01
CRITICAL HISTORY OF POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
SECTION DESCRIPTION
In this course, students will explore canonical texts in Western political thought as well as political works borne of (but not limited to) feminist philosophy, philosophy of race, queer theory, and crip theory. In conversation with these varying perspectives, students will grapple with questions concerning equality, opportunity, rights, and justice. By investigating and destabilizing the canon, this class will offer students a critical history of Western political philosophy, with an emphasis on thinkers often overlooked within the field. The course will include lectures, discussions, student presentations, and long and short form writing assignments.
Elective
HPSS S272-01
PHENOMENOLOGY AND ART
SECTION DESCRIPTION
What is phenomenology, and why does it matter for art? This course will serve as an introduction to phenomenology and some of its central methods, themes, and questions. Working within and between philosophy, art, and design, we will explore how phenomenology can enliven and enrich artistic practices, and how artistic practices can broaden and enrich our understandings of perception, sensation, and embodied experience. We will consider a range of philosophical views, from canonical figures in the field (Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger, Maurice Merleau-Ponty) to key insights from critical phenomenologists (Alia Al-Saji, Mariana Ortega, Lisa Guenther) who question how socially and historically contingent systems of power shape our experiences in and of the world. Students will be required to complete weekly readings and participate in class discussions. The course will also include long and short form writing assignments as well as student presentations.
Elective