Teaching
Teaching
In all my teaching, my primary aim is to bring out the best in students through discussion, assessment, and participation. I am guided by three objectives: develop students’ ability to think analytically and critically, facilitate meaningful discussions, and foster curiosity and creativity. It is wonderful when students decide to continue with philosophy, but of course many are just curious about what some of the best proposed answers to some of life’s most difficult questions are. I hope to nurture this curiosity in all students and to encourage and to help students think through some of these perplexing questions in a clear and careful manner. I'm delight when students finish the course or module with a clear sense of the transferable skills they have learned and desire to learn more philosophy.
Courses Descriptions
CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY: OPPRESSION, INEQUALITY, AND THE ENEMIES OF DEMOCRACY
Description: In this wide-ranging module, with an emphasis on contemporary political philosophy, we will explore some of the most important concerns for society. We will ask questions such as: What aspects of modern life threaten democracy? How should we theorise about justice? What is the relation between law and philosophy? What is wrongful discrimination? Is justice a local or global concern? How should we balance loyalty to our own state with concerns for global justice?
Level: Second year in philosophy
THE HISTORY OF ETHICS
Description: This module will introduce students to the works of some key figures in philosophy from 18th century up to mid-20th century and will explain the influence of their work on contemporary moral theory. In this module, we explore debates about a range of ethical questions, such as the nature of rationality, moral objectivity, virtue, and obligation. Philosophers studied include figures such as Hume, Kant, Mill, Sidgwick, G.E. Moore, and W.D. Ross, among others.
Level: Second year module in philosophy
THE MORALITY OF ABORTION
Description: In this module we will look at both sides of the debate over the morality of abortion. We will consider different approaches to the issue of the moral permissibility of abortion, e.g., rights-based, value-based, reasons-based, feminist arguments, etc, read the core literature for each approach, and assess the various arguments. Authors to be considered include Boonin, Marquis, Tooley, Thomson, Greasley, Kamm, and McMahan. Assessing these arguments will not only take us into more general issues, such as what makes killing (innocent) adult humans wrong, the conditions of having rights, but also certain issues outside of moral philosophy, such as the nature of personhood, personal identity, the identity conditions of organisms, philosophy of mind, philosophy of biology, and metaphysics.
Level: Third year module in philosophy
HAPPY, GOOD, AND MEANINGFUL LIVES
Happiness and well-being are not only important from the agent’s point of view, but are essential to many moral debates. In this module we will analyse the key notions of happiness, a good life, and a meaningful life to gain a better understanding of each. We will also consider various views on what things make for a happy life, a good life, and a meaningful life. The module will look at both historical and current views on these issues.
Level: Third year module in philosophy
THE RIGHT AND THE GOOD
Description: In this module we will go through the arguments and positions of W. D. Ross’s The Right and the Good. This will involve a close reading of Ross’s seminal book to get clear on what Ross’s view was, and how defensible it is. This will cover areas such as first order normative theory, moral epistemology, and moral realism. We will assess his methodology, the historical context of the book, and its philosophical reception.
Level: Advanced first year in philosophy
REASON AND ARGUMENT
Description: This module enhances students’ ability to understand and construct complex arguments through the study of logic and the psychology of human reasoning.
Level: First year in philosophy
PERSPECTIVES IN THE HUMANITIES
Description: One of the key features of the Humanities is the willingness and ability to understand any given problem, event, object, or text from a variety of perspectives, e.g. historical, moral, self-reflective. Each week the module will introduce students to new case studies that extend their appreciation of these different points of views, and the techniques needed to identify, analyse, and compare different perspectives.
Level: Foundations (non-philosophic audience)