Curtis Peters, Philosophy, IU Southeast

As a teacher, Peters infuses hope for a better society in his manner of teaching. “I try to make my teaching a philosophy relevant to issues important to people’s personal lives and our society,” Peters said. This is one reason he introduced a course that portrays the philosophies of two prominent men in U.S. civil rights—Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

“The ideas of these two great men are little known and very misunderstood. Many students say this course changed their lives and their attitudes,” Peters said. Peters’ course helped to earn him IU Southeast’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 1999 and the Metroversity Award for Instructional Development in 1998.

Peters has been with IU Southeast since 1976 and served as dean of humanities (now the School of Arts and Letters) for 10 years. He also has served as director of IU Overseas Study, one year in Hamburg, Germany, and two summers in Graz, Austria.

As a researcher, Peters immerses himself into each project. A follower of philosopher Immanuel Kant, Peters was one of the first Western philosophers to visit Kant’s native city of Kaliningrad, Russia, in 1993. That same year, Peter Lang Publishing Inc. published Peters’ Kant’s Philosophy of Hope. He is currently completing a book examining Kant’s theory of Biblical interpretation and assisting his daughter, linguist Stephanie Carlson, in translating another book about Kant.

In his role as a Lutheran minister, Peters regularly visits people in hospitals and nursing homes to comfort them, instill spiritual hope and to offer communion. After serving 19 years as an assistant minister at Grace Lutheran Church in New Albany, Peters became an assistant pastor at Concordia Lutheran Church in Louisville five years ago. “It is an extremely important part of my life,” he said.

He also is tireless in his role in civic and community activities, having served on numerous community boards. He is currently on the board of Camp Cedarbrook, which sponsors camps through the Lutheran church for people of all ages and denominations, and formerly served on the Floyd County Council for the Arts and ARS Femina, which sponsors research and programs highlighting the works of female composers.