John K. Roth
Named the 1988 U. S. National Professor of the Year by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, John K. Rothis the Edward J. Sexton Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Claremont McKenna College (CMC) in Claremont, California, where he taught from 1966 through 2006. He joined the economist Gordon Bjork and the political scientist Ward Elliott in 1985 to found CMC’s signature tutorial program in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE). In 1993, Roth became the founding director of the Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights (now the Mgrublian Center for Human Rights). In 2007–2008, he served as the Robert and Carolyn Frederick Distinguished Visiting Professor of Ethics at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana.
Roth was born in Grand Haven, Michigan, on September 3, 1940. He received his BA from Pomona College in 1962, graduating magna cum laude and with honors in philosophy and membership in Phi Beta Kappa. He joined the CMC faculty after taking his MA and PhD in philosophy at Yale University. Four times his CMC faculty colleagues voted him the recipient of the Crocker Award for Excellence. In 1987 he received the first Claremont McKenna College Presidential Award for Merit, which was given to him again in 2004, and he also received the Glenn R. Huntoon Award for Superior Teaching and the G. David Huntoon Senior Teaching Award at CMC. Roth holds honorary membership in the Claremont McKenna College Alumni Association, which also gave him its highest award, the George C. S. Benson Distinguished Achievement Award, in 2004. In addition, Roth has been awarded the Doctorate of Humane Letters (Honoris Causa) by Indiana University, Grand Valley State University, Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion, Western University of Health Sciences, and Transylvania University. In 2012, the Holocaust Educational Foundation gave him its Distinguished Achievement Award for Holocaust Studies and Research. In 2022, Roth received the Blaisdell Distinguished Alumni Award from Pomona College, and in 2024, Claremont McKenna College honored him with the Donald C. McKenna Humanitarian Award. He was inducted into the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athletics Hall of Fame in 2026
Roth’s expertise in Holocaust and genocide studies, as well as in philosophy, ethics, American studies, and religious studies, has been advanced by postdoctoral appointments as a Graves Fellow in the Humanities, a Fulbright Lecturer in American Studies at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, and a Fellow of the National Humanities Institute, Yale University. He used a Demonstration Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to develop two model interdisciplinary courses: “Perspectives on the American Dream” and “The Holocaust.” Roth has served as Visiting Professor of Holocaust Studies at the University of Haifa, Israel, and as Visiting Professor of Philosophy at Franklin College, Lugano, Switzerland, and Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan. With Professor Kenji Yoshida of Doshisha University, Roth received the first Faculty Pairing Grant awarded by the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission. In 1995-96, Roth was a Fulbright Lecturer in American Studies attached to the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Education, Research, and Church Affairs, Oslo, Norway. In 2001, he held the Koerner Visiting Fellowship for the Study of the Holocaust at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies in England. In 2004-5, Roth was the Ina Levine Invitational Scholar at the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC.
In addition to lecturing widely throughout the United States and around the world, Roth has authored or edited more than sixty books, and he has published hundreds of articles and reviews. His books include: Ethics During and After the Holocaust: In the Shadow of Birkenau (Palgrave Macmillan); The Oxford Handbook of Holocaust Studies (Oxford University Press), The Failures of Ethics: Confronting the Holocaust, Genocide, and Other Mass Atrocities (Oxford University Press), Sources of Holocaust Insight: Learning and Teaching about the Genocide (Cascade/Wipf and Stock), Advancing Holocaust Studies (Routledge), Warnings: The Holocaust, Ukraine, and Endangered American Democracy (Cascade/Wipf and Stock), Stress Test: The Israel-Hamas War and Christian-Jewish Relations (iPub Cloud International), This Time: Teaching the Holocaust Today (iPub Cloud International), and Saving the American Dream: Meditations for Dark Times (Cascade/Wipf and Stock).
Roth has been a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, Washington, DC, and he served for many years on the church relations committee at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. He is a former chair of the California Council for the Humanities (now Cal Humanities) and trustee of Humanities Washington, both affiliates of the National Endowment for the Humanities. From 2010 to 2015, he served on the board of the Federation of State Humanities Councils, chairing that board from 2011 to 2013. In addition, Roth has chaired the reading committee for the Elie Wiesel Essay Prize in Ethics and has served on the editorial boards of the International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, American Journal of Theology & Philosophy, and Holocaust and Genocide Studies. He also is editor of the Issues in Philosophy Series and the Holocaust and Genocide Studies Series published by Paragon House and the Stephen S. Weinstein Series in Post-Holocaust Studies, published by the University of Washington Press.
Select Curriculum Vitae
JOHN K. ROTH Born: September 3, 1940, Grand Haven, Michigan, USA
Education
Pomona College, B.A., 1962 (magna cum laude), with a major and honors in philosophy.
Yale University Divinity School, 1962–63 (no degree).
Yale University Graduate School, M.A., 1965, Ph.D., 1966, both degrees in philosophy.
Honorary Degrees
L.H.D. (Doctor of Humane Letters), Indiana University, 1990.
L.H.D. (Doctor of Humane Letters), Grand Valley State University, 1998.
L.H.D. (Doctor of Humane Letters), Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion, 1999.
L.H.D. (Doctor of Humane Letters), Western University of Health Sciences, 1999.
L.H.D. (Doctor of Humane Letters), Transylvania University, 2006.
Major Awards
U.S. National Professor of the Year, Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 1988.
Donald C. McKenna Humanitarian Award, Claremont McKenna College, 2024.
Blaisdell Distinguished Alumni Award, Pomona College, 2022.
Distinguished Achievement Award for Holocaust Studies and Research, The Holocaust Educational Foundation, 2012.
George C. S. Benson Award, Claremont McKenna College Alumni Association, 2004.
Roy P. Crocker Award for Excellence, Claremont McKenna College, 2004.
The Glenn P. Huntoon Award for Superior Teaching, Claremont McKenna College, 2006.
Claremont McKenna College President’s Award, 2004.
The G. David Huntoon Senior Teaching Award, Claremont McKenna College, 1995.
Roy P. Crocker Award for Excellence, Claremont McKenna College, 1991.
Honorary Lifetime Membership, Claremont McKenna College Alumni Association, 1990.
Roy P. Crocker Award for Excellence, Claremont McKenna College, 1989.
Claremont McKenna College President’s Award, 1987.
Roy P. Crocker Award for Excellence, Claremont McKenna College, 1980.
Major Fellowships and Grants
Ina Levine Invitational Scholar in Residence, Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC, 2004–05.
Koerner Visiting Fellowship for the Study of the Holocaust, Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, Oxford, England, 2001.
Fulbright Lectureship in American Studies, The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Education, Research, and Church Affairs, Oslo, Norway, 1996–96.
Faculty Pairing Grant, Japan–U.S. Friendship Commission, 1981–83.
Demonstration Grant (“The Pursuit of Happiness: Two Courses), National Endowment for the Humanities, 1978–79.
Fellow, National Humanities Institute, Yale University, 1976–77.
Fulbright Lectureship in American Studies, University of Innsbruck, Austria, 1973–74.
Graves Award in the Humanities (used for post-doctoral research, Harvard University), 1970–71.
Danforth Graduate Fellow, 1962–66.
Rockefeller Brothers Theological Fellow, 1962–63.
Academic Positions
Edward J. Sexton, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, 2007– ), Claremont McKenna College.
Robert and Carolyn Frederick Distinguished Visiting Professor of Ethics (2007–08), DePauw University.
Edward J. Sexton Professor of Philosophy (2003–07), Claremont McKenna College. (I also have held appointments in the Departments of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Claremont Graduate University.)
Founding Director, Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights (now the Mgrublian Center for Human Rights), Claremont McKenna College (2003– ).
Russell K. Pitzer Professor of Philosophy (1976–2003) and Director, Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum (1985–87), Claremont McKenna College.
Fulbright Lecturer in American Studies. The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Education, Research, and Church Affairs, Oslo, Norway, 1995–96.
Visiting Professor of Holocaust Studies, University of Haifa, Israel, Spring Semester, 1981–82.
Visiting Professor of Philosophy, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan, Fall Semester, 1981–82.
Fulbright Lecturer in American Studies, University of Innsbruck, Austria, 1973–74.
Visiting Professor of Philosophy, Franklin College, Lugano, Switzerland, Spring Semester, 1972–73.
Associate Professor of Philosophy, Claremont McKenna College, 1971–76.
Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Claremont McKenna College, 1966–71.
Teaching Assistant, Yale University, 1965–66.
Memberships
Phi Beta Kappa
United States Holocaust Memorial Council (1994–98)
Federation of State Humanities Councils Board (2010–15; Chair 2011–13)
California Council for the Humanities Board (1990–96, 2004–06; Chair 1992–94)
Humanities Washington Board (2010–16)
Editorial Boards: Holocaust and Genocide Studies, American Journal of Theology & Philosophy, International Journal for Philosophy and Religion
Chair, Reading Committee for the Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics (1989–2023)
Vice-Chair, Remembering for the Future 2000
Bingham Board of Trust, Transylvania University
Board of Directors, The Chambon Foundation
Founding Member, Stephen S. Weinstein Holocaust Symposium, Wroxton, England
American Philosophical Association and American Academy of Religion
Books in Holocaust and Genocide Studies
A Consuming Fire: Encounters with Elie Wiesel and the Holocaust, John Knox Press, 1979, reprint Wipf and Stock, 2016.
Approaches to Auschwitz: The Holocaust and Its Legacy (with Richard L. Rubenstein), Westminster John Knox Press, 1987.
Holocaust: Religious and Philosophical Implications (ed. with Michael Berenbaum), Paragon House, 1989, 30th anniversary printing, 2018.
Ethics: An Annotated Bibliography, Salem Press, 1991.
Memory Offended: The Auschwitz Convent Controversy (ed. with Carol Rittner), Praeger Publishers, 1991.
Different Voices: Women and the Holocaust (ed. with Carol Rittner), Paragon House, 1993.
From the Unthinkable to the Unavoidable: American Christian and Jewish Scholars Encounter the Holocaust (ed. with Carol Rittner), Greenwood Press, 1997.
Private Needs, Public Selves: Talk about Religion in America, University of Illinois Press, 1997.
The Death of God Movement and the Holocaust: Radical Theology Encounters the Shoah (ed. with Stephen R. Haynes), Greenwood Press, 1999.
Ethics after the Holocaust: Perspectives, Critiques, and Responses, (ed.), Paragon House, 1999.
The Holocaust Chronicle (with Marilyn Harran et al), Publications International, 2000.
Remembering for the Future: The Holocaust in an Age of Genocide, 3 vols. (ed. with Elisabeth Maxwell), Palgrave Macmillan, 2001.
“Good News” after Auschwitz? Christian Faith within a Post-Holocaust World (ed. with Carol Rittner), Mercer University Press, 2001.
Holocaust Politics, Westminster John Knox Press, 2001, reprint Wipf and Stock, 2016.
American Dreams and Holocaust Questions, Doshisha University, 2002.
Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust (ed. with Carol Rittner), Continuum, 2002, reprint Bloomsbury, 2016.
Will Genocide Ever End? (ed. with Carol Rittner and James M. Smith), Paragon House, 2002.
Approaches to Auschwitz: The Holocaust and Its Legacy (revised, second edition with Richard L. Rubenstein), Westminster John Knox Press, 2003.
After-Words: Post-Holocaust Struggles with Forgiveness, Reconciliation, Justice (ed. with David Patterson), University of Washington Press, 2004.
Genocide in Rwanda: Complicity of the Churches? (ed. with Carol Rittner and Wendy Whitworth), Paragon House, 2004.
Genocide and Human Rights: A Philosophical Guide (ed.), Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.
Gray Zones: Ambiguity and Compromise in the Holocaust and Its Aftermath (ed. with Jonathan Petropoulos), Berghahn Books, 2005.
Fire in the Ashes: God, Evil, and the Holocaust (ed. with David Patterson), University of Washington Press, 2005.
Ethics During and After the Holocaust: In the Shadow of Birkenau, Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.
Holocaust Literature, 2 vols. (ed.), Salem Press, 2008.
Anguished Hope: Holocaust Scholars Confront the Palestinian–Israeli Conflict (ed. with Leonard Grob), Eerdmans, 2008.
The Double Binds of Ethics after the Holocaust: Salvaging the Fragments (ed. with Jennifer L. Geddes and Jules Simon), Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.
Lessons and Legacies IX: Memory, History, and Responsibility; Reassessments of the Holocaust, Implications for the Future (ed. with Jonathan Petropoulos and Lynn Rapaport), Northwestern University Press, 2010.
The Oxford Handbook of Holocaust Studies (ed. with Peter Hayes), Oxford University Press, 2010, paperback edition, 2012.
Encountering the Stranger: A Jewish, Christian, Muslim Trialogue (ed. with Leonard Grob), University of Washington Press.
Rape: Weapon of War and Genocide (ed. with Carol Rittner), Paragon House, 2012.
Teaching about Rape in War and Genocide (ed. with Carol Rittner), Palgrave Macmillan, 2015.
The Failures of Ethics: Confronting the Holocaust, Genocide, and Other Mass Atrocities, Oxford University Press, 2015, paperback edition, 2018.
Losing Trust in the World: Holocaust Scholars Confront Torture (ed. with Leonard Grob), University of Washington Press, 2017.
Sources of Holocaust Insight: Learning and Teaching about the Genocide, Cascade/Wipf and Stock, 2020.
Advancing Holocaust Studies (ed. with Carol Rittner), Routledge, 2021.
The Memory of Goodness: Eva Fleischner and Her Contributions to Holocaust Studies (ed. with Carol Rittner), Seton Hill University, 2022.
Warnings: The Holocaust, Ukraine, and Endangered American Democracy (with Leonard Grob), Cascade/Wipf and Stock, 2023.
Pluralizing Dialogue: Insights, Actions, and Implications in Eva Fleischner’s “Judaism in German Christian Theology Since 1945” (ed. with Carol Rittner), Seton Hill University, 2024.
Stress Test: The Israel-Hamas War and Christian-Jewish Relations (ed. with Carol Rittner), iPub Cloud International, 2025.
This Time: Teaching the Holocaust Today (ed. with Carol Rittner), iPub Cloud International, 2026.
Saving the American Dream: Meditations for Dark Times, Cascade/Wipf and Stock, 2026.
Other Books in Philosophy, American Studies, and Religious Studies
Freedom and the Moral Life: The Ethics of William James, Westminster Press, 1969.
The Moral Philosophy of William James (ed.), Thomas Y. Crowell, 1969.
Problems of the Philosophy of Religion, Chandler/Intext, 1971.
The Philosophy of Josiah Royce (ed.), Thomas Y. Crowell, 1971.
The Moral Equivalent of War and Other Essays (ed.), Harper Torchbooks, 1971.
The American Religious Experience: The Roots, Trends, and the Future of American Theology (with Frederick Sontag), Harper and Row, 1972.
American Dreams: Meditations on Life in the United States, Chandler, 1976.
God and America’s Future (with Frederick Sontag), Consortium, 1977.
The American Dream (with Robert H. Fossum), British Association of American Studies, 1981.
The Defense of God (ed. with Frederick Sontag), Paragon House, 1985.
Ideology and American Experience: Essays on Theory and Practice in the United States (ed. with Robert C. Whittemore), Washington Institute Press, 1986.
The Questions of Philosophy (with Frederick Sontag), Wadsworth, 1988.
American Ground: Vistas, Visions & Revisions (ed. with Robert H. Fossum), Paragon House, 1988.
The Politics of Latin American Liberation Theology: The Challenge to U.S. Public Policy (ed. with Richard L. Rubenstein), Washington Institute Press, 1988.
Rights, Justice, and Community (ed. with Creighton Peden), Edwin Mellen Press, 1992.
Ethics: Ready Reference, 3 vols. (ed.), Salem Press, 1994.
American Diversity, American Identity (ed.), Henry Holt, 1995.
Encyclopedia of Social Issues, 6 vols. (ed.), Marshall Cavendish, 1997.
Inspiring Teaching (ed.), Anker Press, 1997.
World Philosophers and Their Works, 3 vols. (ed.), Salem Press, 2000.
Ethics: Ready Reference (ed.), revised edition, Salem Press, 2005.
Masterplots II: Christian Literature (ed.), Salem Press, 2007.
Ethics: Questions & Morality of Human Action, 4 vols. (ed., with George R. Lucas, Jr.), Salem Press, 2019.
John K. Roth 