Layla Saatchi
Biography
Soraya (Layla) Saatchi earned her MA in Near East Studies in 2007 and her PhD in Philosophy in 2020. Layla is a King Chavez Parks Future Faculty Fellow and has received several grants and awards for her graduate research. Layla published the article Law: Women’s Legal Thought and Jurisprudence in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in Islam and co-authored a chapter titled Ali and Nino: Identities and Information Literacy. As a philosopher, Layla specializes in critical theories and methods that cross disciplinary boundaries. She is currently working on two projects: First, as a fellow of the WSU Academic Leadership Academy, Layla aims to create a student-led Center for Civil Discourse wherein students can engage in controversial discussions with the aim to advance knowledge and understanding across social and political divides. The second project begins from the observation that there is a concomitant epistemic fragility that accompanies white fragility and argues that color-blind reasoning is an instance of epistemic fragility — the dismissal of, or the inability to consider, evidence inconsistent with their present complex and contextual racist ideology. Since 2007, Layla has taught courses in Islamic and Middle East history, Islamic law, comparative religion, introduction to logic and philosophy as well as bioethics at Wayne State University, Eastern Michigan University and Oakland University.
Courses taught by Layla Saatchi
Winter Term 2025 (future)
- HON2000 - Foundation Seminar
- HON4260 - Seminar in Foreign Culture
- PHI1110 - Ethical Issues in Health Care
- NE5220 - Muslim Personal Law
Fall Term 2024 (current)
Winter Term 2024
- PHI1110 - Ethical Issues in Health Care
- ELR4500 - Applied Labor Studies
- HON4280 - General Honors Seminar
Fall Term 2023
Winter Term 2023
- PHI1110 - Ethical Issues in Health Care
- HON2000 - Foundation Seminar
- HON4260 - Seminar in Foreign Culture
- NE5220 - Muslim Personal Law