Teaching Overview:

From my experiences teaching in the U.S. and China, I know some of the significant differences of culture, religion, economy, language, and identity that can lie between people, and this awareness inspires how I approach teaching courses in philosophy and religions.

Two things stand out to me regarding what perhaps all undergraduates would benefit from learning, whatever their academic major or professional goals: a better sense of how to question, construct, and communicate their own views and the skills to better understand people who may think or live differently than them. This is as true of students preparing for a career in nursing in Boston as it is of those studying computer science in Shenzhen.

From conducting interviews with fellow students on ethical case studies, to stepping into a museum and effectively becoming a member of the “artworld” by philosophically analyzing a painting, to observing and analyzing material culture and liturgical performance at a Buddhist temple or Christian church, students in my courses are challenged to develop skills that will aid them in better knowing themselves and their world.

I generally emphasize two types of knowledge acquisition in my teaching: (1) theoretical knowledge about philosophy, the diversity of religions in the world, and/or contemporary issues in ethics, and (2) practical knowledge about how to critically read challenging texts and present interpretations in oral presentations or written essays. I believe students benefit immensely from learning and applying the skills of abstract and practical reasoning in their interpretations of philosophical and religious texts or analyses of ethically confusing situations. Learning how to interpret worldviews—a student’s own as well as the worldviews of others’—and to respond incisively and constructively to ethically challenging situations are skills that are critically relevant for students today.

Courses:

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen)

In Dialogue with Humanity (General Education Humanities Core Texts course)

In Dialogue with Nature (General Education History and Philosophy of Science course)

Philosophy and Cross-Cultural Communication

Philosophy of Religion

Technology and Ethics

World Religions

Shanghai Jiao Tong University-University of Michigan Joint Institute

Global Engineering Ethics

Shanghai Xing Wei College

Aesthetics

Applied Ethics

First Year Writing Seminar

Logic

Philosophy of Religion

Philosophy of Science

Virtue Ethics

World Religions

Mount Ida College

Aesthetics

Ethics

Introduction to Philosophy

Boston University

Existentialism

Philosophy of Religion

Religion and Culture

Religious Ethics

Technology and Ethics