Cochise Newsroom

Roman Briggs, Ph.D., instructor of philosophy and humanities and chair of arts and humanities at Cochise College, feels that teaching has been a rewarding career for him. He said, “I was sold on [teaching] because I could see the same excitement on the faces of my students that I had. That was a home run for me.”  

 

Dr. Briggs has taught for around 17 years and has been at Cochise College for the past 15. He teaches humanities and philosophy courses at the college, like Humanities in Contemporary Life, Introduction to Ethics, and his favorite so far, Introduction to Eastern Philosophy. He said he loves researching and teaching practical theories like the ones found in Eastern philosophy.  

 

After completing his secondary education and teaching at colleges in Arkansas, Briggs accepted an offer to teach in Sierra Vista and Douglas. “I had never been to Arizona before,” he said. “When I came here, I loved it. I loved the students that I encountered, and I loved the communities—I still do.”  

 

Briggs did not immediately attend college after graduating from high school. “I was just working,” he said. “Through conversations I was having with people, I got interested in Karl Marx. Then, through Karl Marx, I got interested in philosophy and various disciplines that were friendly with that. It was a different kind of way to come to it.”

 

Because of his interest in philosophy and related topics, Briggs decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree in psychology with minors in philosophy and sociology. That led to him earning a master’s and a doctorate degree in philosophy. He then taught at the University of Arkansas and Northwest Arkansas Community College before moving to Arizona, where he taught at the University of Arizona South and Cochise College. Now, Briggs teaches exclusively at Cochise College so he can devote his time to those courses.

 

His favorite part about being an instructor at the college has been working with the students. “[I like to work with] super bright, enthusiastic students,” said Briggs. “But I also like to work with anyone, because there was a time, before I went to college, when I wasn’t motivated at all.” His personal experiences allow him to relate to both passionate and hesitant students.

 

Briggs added, “I’ll have students who come into philosophy not really knowing what it is, and they’ll say, ‘well, I want to pursue this and see where it takes me.’ It’s always fun to have students take more [philosophy] classes.” According to Briggs, studying philosophy helps students learn how to process information in new ways and how to consider many different perspectives.

 

Overall, he has had a positive experience at the college. Briggs said the entire southern part of the county, including Douglas, Bisbee, and Sierra Vista, has welcoming communities. He said, “There are very lovely people here.”

 

Briggs enjoys working with students to help them discover new interests and continue their education.

 

For more information about the Arts and Humanities program visit www.cochise.edu/programs/liberal-studies .

 

About the author: This article was written by Sofia Snyder, a Liberal Arts student majoring in journalism. She currently serves as a Marketing and Communications intern at Cochise College and is set to graduate in December 2025.