Teaching

Due to a generous University Scholars Grant from the University of St. Thomas, my teaching load is cut in half for the 2023-4 to 2025-6 academic years.  I am teaching no classes in Spring 2025.  In the Fall of 2025, I expect to teach a section of Christian Mysteries.  In the Spring I expect to teach two sections of the Philosophy of God.  If you have any specific questions about course topics, feel free to email me. Please sign up for courses on the University website.  

Below I list some courses that I typically teach.  For more info on the philosophy classes offered at the University of St. Thomas, see the Philosophy section of UST's Curricular Catalog.

PHIL 110 - The Person and the Good

Using philosophical methodology, and with substantial attention to Catholic intellectual tradition, this course enquires into the foundations of ethics, including how our conception of the human person affects our understanding of the moral life.  It considers also the question of the rationality of belief in God and the difference (if any) God makes to our understanding of the person and the good.  In addressing these topics, the course develops and applies basic logic skills, introduced as an essential part of philosophical method and an indispensible tool of critical thinking. (Fulfills Philosophy Core requirement)

PHIL 250 - Christian Mysteries

Philosophers of religion have engaged in extensive analysis and debate regarding the rational coherence of central Christian doctrines.  While philosophical critics of the faith have argued that various Christian doctrines are impossible or contradictory, philosophical defenders of the faith have maintained, on the contrary, that such doctrines can withstand rational scrutiny, employing the resources of philosophy to show how.  This course will consider some of these discussions, focusing on such doctrines as the Doctrine of Creation; the Incarnation; the Trinity; the Eucharist; the Atonement; Providence, Grace, and Free Will; and the classical divine attributes (e.g., divine simplicity, immutability, and eternity).  Prerequisite: PHIL 110 or PHIL 115. (Fulfills third Philosophy or Theology requirement)

PHIL 365 - Natural Philosophy & Metaphysics

This course examines central topics in the philosophy of nature and in metaphysics.  Possible topics include substance and accident, change and the conditions of substantial generation, matter and form, causality, necessity and possibility, time and persistence through time, universals and particulars, essence and existence, and the transcendentals (unity, truth, goodness, beauty).  Attention will be paid both to classical and to contemporary authors.  Prerequisite: PHIL 220 (logic). 

PHIL 460 - Philosophy of God

Systematic treatment of philosophical arguments concerning the existence and attributes of God.  Prerequisite: PHIL 365 (metaphysics).