Embedded Files
I love teaching. I've adopted what I call an open source approach to teaching. There's a lot to this, but it ultimately means that students (end users) are actively encouraged to tweak and revise the class content (code) and activities (user interface) as we go.
Probably my favorite example is adding the option for students to design a course playlist. They identify eight songs and write liner notes explaining how each relates back to a topic or paper we covered in class.
In practice, this means I don't really lecture anymore. Instead, students actively build the class around a highly structured but flexible core, using a free-flowing format. This gives students a lot of ownership of the class and creates a lot of memorable moments as they develop a very specific and transferable set of skills.
If you'd like to learn more, check out this primer on keyword discussions or explore some of my syllabi below.
Recent and upcoming courses:
PHIL 3200 Deductive Logic
PHIL 3200 Deductive Logic
I teach Paul Teller's "A Modern Formal Logic Primer." It's exceptionally clear and accessible. Bonus: Paul has made it available for free (click here).
Syllabus (most recent).
Paul Teller taught me how to teach this class. Like him, I've made all the tests optional. To learn more, see the syllabus.
U of U Course Page (Link to Canvas).
You'll find all my old exams and other useful documents on the course page.
PHIL 3520 Bioethics
PHIL 3520 Bioethics
Syllabus (most recent).
The grading system I use is kind of a mix between specification and mastery grading. Demonstrating mastery of the four basic categories of assignments earns students a 'B'. Earning an 'A' requires completing a selection of the advanced assignments.
U of U Course Page (Link to Canvas)
Rather than covering some of the classics, this course aims to engage with current topics in medical and biomedical ethics.
PHIL 6/5200 Advanced Deductive Logic
PHIL 6/5200 Advanced Deductive Logic
Syllabus (most recent).
I tried an experiment while teaching this class. No exams; no homework sets. Instead, students were required to show up to class with one easy, one medium, and one hard problem for the topic of the day. Collaboratively working through those was a great way to learn the material--and to see what people were finding easy, medium, and hard about modal and advanced logic.
U of U Course Page (Link to Canvas)
I made lots of different texts available to students, in recognition that people learn this material in very different ways. A great resource is the Open Logic Project.
PHIL6/5370 Topics in Philosophy of Biology
PHIL6/5370 Topics in Philosophy of Biology
Coming soon!
In the meantime, here's an older version of the course, which I called "How to Make a Mammoth and Engineer a Dinosaur." This was taught in the paleontology seminar room in Utah's Natural History Museum. Instead of writing a term paper, students constructed research posters. During finals week we held a poster session in the lobby of the museum where students interacted with museum guests, encouraging them to explore philosophical issues while they visited the exhibits.
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