Clair Morrissey is a moral philosopher who specializes in practical ethics and political philosophy.
Professor Morrissey currently serves as Faculty Director for Partnerships with Los Angeles. She is a moral philosopher who specializes in practical ethics and political philosophy, with areas of interest in aesthetics. She teaches a wide range of courses in these areas. She is a recipient of Occidental's Linda and Tod White Teaching Prize (2017), the Donald R. Loftsgordon Award for Outstanding Teaching (2023), and the Janosik-Sterling Award for Distinguished Service to the College (2024).
Her research addresses how, in varied ways and across different contexts, institutions and practices manifest and promote respect for the value of persons as the individuals they are, as well as how we demonstrate and model or teach this valuing. Her book, was published with Bloomsbury Press in 2025, and her co-authored book with Aleksandra Sherman, is forthcoming with Cambridge University Press.
Morrissey served as the College's Undergraduate Research Center Faculty Director from 2020-2024. She also served as the Pacific Division Representative to the Executive Board of the American Philosophical Association from 2023-2026.