College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences > Academics > Catholic Studies > Faculty > Rocco Sacconaghi

Rocco Sacconaghi


  • r.sacconaghi@depaul.edu
  • Assistant Professor
  • ​​PhD, University of Calabria​​​​​
  • Catholic Studies
  • Faculty
  • ​​Phenomenology, Science and Theology, Philosophical Anthropology

  • 773-325-7041
  • ​SAC 584​

I am a philosopher with a focus on phenomenology and the philosophical implications of Catholic faith. I am from Italy, where I received my BA and MA at the State University of Milan, and my PhD at the University of Calabria, with a dissertation on Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology. Before joining the Department of Catholic Studies at DePaul University (Fall 2017), I had various teaching and research experiences in Europe, the USA, and Israel. During my PhD, I had an opportunity to study in Germany, at the Husserl Archives in Freiburg and Cologne. After graduating, I spent two years at Boston College, first as a post-doctoral fellow at the Lonergan Institute, and then as a lecturer in the Philosophy Department. Just prior to joining the DePaul faculty, I lived for three years in Jerusalem, teaching at the Studium Theologicum Jerosolymitanum.

Research

My current research is devoted to issues arising from the relationships among philosophy, science, and Catholic theology – issues that I approach from a phenomenological perspective. In particular, my research is based on the work of Edmund Husserl, Max Scheler, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and other phenomenologists – as well as thinkers outside the phenomenological milieu, including Michael Polanyi, Bernard Lonergan, and others. The leading questions of my research revolve around two distinct – though intertwined – philosophical issues: the problem of the relationships between different forms of knowledge and the question of the nature of the human being.

Teaching

I believe that teaching is a wonderful job and a big responsibility. Teaching is the best way to make my research fruitful, putting it to the test in a continuous dialogue with colleagues and students. My activity as a teacher has greatly informed and inspired my research. At DePaul University, I have the opportunity to incorporate in my courses all the aspects of culture that interest me the most, including philosophy, science, and Catholic theology, exploring them and making connections among them for my students.