As an undergraduate, I fell in love with philosophy because it takes seriously, and inquires rigorously into, the deepest, most difficult, and (in my view) most interesting questions about the nature of reality and our place in it.
So, my two primary goals as a philosophy teacher are, first, to show my students how interesting and valuable philosophy is, whether inside or outside of the academy; and, second, to help my students develop the intellectual skills and virtues central to thinking, conversing, and writing philosophically.
Because I believe philosophy ought to be made as clear as possible, my students and I engage philosophical questions by building and working with philosophical arguments.
Because I believe philosophy is in large part a social activity, my students and I spend a lot of time doing philosophy together, both in class discussions and in small working groups.
And because I believe great teachers make themselves so over time and with effort, I work to improve my teaching by evaluating the effectiveness of my pedagogical methods, by trying fresh approaches whenever fruitful, and, of course, by listening to my students and colleagues.
Finally, and frankly, I care a lot about my students -- who are, after all, whole persons, not merely butts in seats -- and so I see myself as partnering with them in working toward their overall well-being and success as persons.
I'd be happy to share more about my teaching upon request.
As part of some of my courses, students band together in small groups to produce philosophical podcasts, which are then published online. You can find these here.
@ Wake Forest University
Special Topics in Ethics: Technology Ethics
Ethical Theory
Contemporary Moral Problems
History of Modern Philosophy
Ancient Greek Philosophy
Philosophy of Human Nature (i.e., basically philosophy of mind)
@ University of Notre Dame
Robot Ethics
Minds, Brains, Persons
Philosophy and Technology
Ethics, an Introduction
@ Indiana University, South Bend
Critical Thinking and Applied Ethics
Introduction to Philosophy