Cynthia Coe has been at Central since 2003, and she specializes in contemporary European philosophy (especially the work of Emmanuel Levinas), feminist theory, 19th century philosophy, critical race theory, and the philosophy of history. She received her PhD from the University of Oregon and her BA from Middlebury College, where she majored in Philosophy (what else should you major in?) and minored in Russian History and Russian Language (somewhat randomly).

She is primarily interested in a range of issues around subjectivity: who counts as a subject? what is responsibility? what is the role of memory in identity and epistemic authority? how have interpretations of gender, race, and animality been used to define the ideal subject in modern thought? She has published numerous articles on these ideas, as well as two books: The Fractured Self in Freud and German Philosophy (co-authored with Matthew Altman, Palgrave Macmillan, 2013), and Intrigues of Time: Levinas and the Trauma of Responsibility (under contract with Indiana University Press).

Dr. Coe served as Director of the Women's and Gender Studies program from 2007 until 2014, and she was named the University Distinguished Professor of Service in 2015. She has also received the College of Arts and Humanities Outstanding Faculty Research Award, the College of Arts and Humanities  Outstanding Faculty Service Award, and the CWU Alumni Association Excellence in Teaching Award.