Teaching
Teaching Statement
Summary
I believe that the practice of doing philosophy equips us with conceptual toolboxes and invaluable critical thinking skills that, to quote an end-of-semester email from a former student, "are really important just for existing as a human."
If philosophy is fundamentally a matter of considering reasons for and against a view, I believe that discussion is perhaps the best way to introduce students to the subject. For that reason, my approach to teaching is designed to engage students in the kinds of discussions that will have a lasting impact on the way they think, both inside and outside of the classroom.
My teaching strategies are based on a combination of personal experience, feedback from students, and research in educational and cognitive psychology.
Student Evaluations
Summary
I worked as a teaching assistant (TA) for five semesters, from Spring 2020 - Spring 2022. Since Fall 2023, I've been designing and teaching my own courses as an Assistant Instructor (AI) at UT Austin, including Introduction to Logic, Introduction to Philosophy of Religion, and most recently Contemporary Moral Problems.
Common themes in student evaluations include my abilities to explain difficult topics in simple terms and to create engaging discussion environments where everyone feels comfortable participating. My average rating as an instructor is 4.56 out of 5 and has been trending upward as I gain more experience; most recently it was 4.93.
Sample Syllabi
Summary
My areas of specialization make me well-equipped to teach courses on the ethics of belief as well as ethics, philosophy of mind, and epistemology.
In addition, I have longstanding interests in social epistemology, free will, and nearly every area of applied ethics, and would be happy to teach a course on any of these topics. I also have interest and experience in teaching logic and the philosophy of religion, and of course, I would enjoy teaching just about any philosophical subject at an introductory level.
To the left are sample syllabi for classes in the ethics of technology, medical ethics, applied ethics broadly construed, social philosophy, philosophy of religion, and the ethics of belief.