Julinna Oxley, assistant professor of philosophy, has been appointed director of the Women's and Gender Studies Program, an interdisciplinary program that is dedicated to promoting gender equality, social consciousness and citizenship among all Coastal Carolina University students.

As director, Oxley will administer and develop the program's curricula across the University's disciplines, advise and mentor students, plan and organize campus wide activities and events, and stimulate community outreach and activism among students, faculty and staff.

She earned a Ph.D. in philosophy from Tulane University, a master's degree from Boston College, and a bachelor's degree from Wheaton College. Oxley's research focuses on the role of emotions in moral deliberation. She has published articles on feminist moral and political theory and conducted research on moral education, legal theory, and women and the family. Before coming to Coastal Carolina University, she served as the managing editor for the journal Politics, Philosophy, and Economics.

Oxley has served as co-director of Coastal Carolina University's Jackson Center for Ethics and Values' Summer Ethics Academy. She has also sponsored the University's ethics quiz bowl team.