Teaching

Teaching is a very important part of my life. My experiences in the liberal arts and graduate school have taught me the value of philosophical discourse. At its best, philosophy is an interactive group activity that involves critically evaluating positions in the collective pursuit of truth. In addition, critical examination of one's personal beliefs is a vital cornerstone of understanding one’s place in the world. Being able to give and receive these benefits is why I love having the opportunity to teach a wide range of areas in philosophy and am passionate about the value of philosophical education. Philosophy has changed my life in profound ways, and I embrace the opportunity to share that gift with others through teaching.

Current Courses:

Phil 120: Introduction to History and Philosophy of Scientific Thought

Scientific ideas and inferences have a huge impact on our daily lives and the lives of practicing scientists. But what is science, how does it work, and what does it enable us to know? In this introductory course, we will be surveying some traditional philosophical questions that have been applied to the foundations and practice of natural science. These questions may include the history of philosophical approaches in science, the nature of scientific knowledge, changes in scientific knowledge over time, how science provides explanations of what we observe, the justification of idealizing assumptions in science, the nature of scientific theories, and some questions about the role of ethics and values in scientific practice.

Phil: 527 Grad Seminar in Philosophy of Science (Communicating the role of Idealization, Values, and Social Structures in Science)

The goal of the course is for you to become familiar with the metaphysical, epistemological, and ethical views of several modern philosophers who structured the enlightenment period. We will discuss several contemporary philosophers as well, but the focus will be the modern era of philosophy and its influence on contemporary philosophical debates. We will place these philosophers in their historical context to better understand how their answers to questions regarding the nature of knowledge, the scientific method, God’s existence, freewill, and morality shaped the enlightenment period and our current views about these subjects.

Next Semester's Courses:

Phil 281: Models and Values in Philosophy of Science

This course focuses on the role of scientific models, theories, and research in democratic policy making. In particular, we will consider the epistemological and ethical questions surrounding the use of scientific models in conservation ecology, climate change, and other areas of biology. The goal of the course will be to focus on the interactions between value judgments and mathematical modeling decisions to better understand how scientific research ought to be funded, practiced and incorporated into policy within a democratic society.

Phil 120: Introduction to History and Philosophy of Scientific Thought

Past Teaching Projects:

Science, Power and Truth 360° Course Cluster:

My Theory of Knowledge course was clustered with an 'Ecology' course taught by Thomas Mozdzer (Bryn Mawr, Biology) and a 'Power and Resistance' course taught by Joel Schlosser (Bryn Mawr, Political Science). We will be offering this cluster again in the Fall of 2020.

Description: We currently live in a “post truth” era where it is often difficult to discern fact from “fake news”. Despite widespread consensus among the scientific community about issues such as evolution, climate change, and vaccines, among the public and politicians there is continual debate over the reliability of established scientific facts. In this information age, we can struggle to identify what the scientific truths are. Furthermore, once we identify these truths, it can be difficult to know how to effectively communicate them and rationally defend the value of using scientific results to inform policy decisions. How can we use science to respond to the criticisms of those in power that might disagree with our fundamental assumptions about the reliability of scientific facts? Anticipating and addressing these challenges requires an understanding of the fundamental connections between the three disciplines of this 360: Biology, Philosophy, and Political Science. This cluster incorporates a two-night trip to Washington DC and a nearby national research laboratory, a student-led symposium, and talks from three keynote speakers.

Mellon Grant for Faculty-Student Research:

During the Summer of 2015, I was awarded funds to support a faculty-student research project as part of Lycoming College's faculty-student research in the humanities grant. The project investigated the ability of science to discover real patterns of behavior despite the inherent subjectivity of observation and experimentation. The student researcher and I conducted a reading group throughout the summer and wrote a coauthored paper. I then traveled to the Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy to receive feedback on our work. I am currently continuing this work with some Bryn Mawr College students.

Previous Courses and Sample Syllabi:

Science and Morality in Modernity [syllabus]

Philosophy of Biology [syllabus]

Introduction to Philosophy of Science [Fall 2019 Syllabus]

Theory of Knowledge [syllabus]

Philosophy of Natural Science [syllabus]

Minds, Brains and Machines (Philosophy of Mind and Neuroscience) [syllabus] [reading schedule]

Science, Mind and Culture (Philosophy of Science and the Nature-Nurture Debate) [syllabus]

History of Ethical Theory: Aristotle, Mill, and Kant: [syllabus]

Symbolic Logic [syllabus]

Introduction to Philosophy [syllabus]

Introduction to Ethics

Logic and Reasoning [syllabus]

Links for Students:

Tips on writing philosophy papers (from Jim Pryor): http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/guidelines/writing.html

Why you should take notes by hand instead of with a laptop: http://www.vox.com/2014/6/4/5776804/note-taking-by-hand-versus-laptop