My approach to teaching philosophy is rooted in why I decided to study philosophy in the first place. When I was an undergraduate, philosophy offered me a thoughtful, methodological way of exploring “big” questions such as: What does it mean to live well? When, if ever, is war justified? How do we know that we’re not living in the Matrix? As a bonus, philosophy classes encouraged me to make my answers to these big questions as rigorous as possible. More specifically, through engaging with the arguments of great historical thinkers, as well as my peers, I could see the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to these central questions and, on that basis, make informed judgments myself.
With this in mind, my pedagogy is rooted in three core practices:
Reading Full Texts
To help get a nuanced sense of the worldviews of great thinkers, students spend multiple weeks reading through their full texts. This patient and persistent engagement allows classroom discussion to reach a depth that, in my experience, is rarely possible with excerpts and articles. More specifically, through this extended process, students not only better appreciate of the subtlety of the individual ideas being expressed, they also can assemble these ideas into a broader framework for thinking about the world. These broader analytic frameworks are crucial, in my opinion, as they represent what students can develop for themselves through a liberal arts education.
Sustained Group Discussion
To help students become more comfortable sharing their ideas with each other and with me, I have them sit in consistent groups over the course of the semester. In assigning students to groups, I attempt to ensure a diversity of viewpoints. For instance, philosophy majors and mixed with engineering majors, those interested in business are mixed with those interested in the law, and sophomores and mixed with seniors. About halfway through the semester, groups are changed to expose students to even more of their peers’ viewpoints. During full-class discussions, when students are hesitant to share their own thoughts on a particular topic, they are often much more willing to talk about the ideas that were proposed in their groups. In addition, the bonds formed through consistent group work help students be more expressive of and receptive to contrarian views.
Opportunities for Autonomous Learning
One of the most satisfying parts of teaching undergraduates is working with those who seek to engage with class material on an even deeper level. With this in mind, every semester, I offer ample opportunities for extra credit-and take ideas for extra credit assignments from my students. For instance, for my AI ethics class last semester, students could earn extra credit by 1) following the news about the construction of data centers or budding efforts at legal regulation; 2) meeting with entrepreneurs, organizers, and community members shaping the spread or feeling the impact of AI; or 3) writing an in-depth research paper on how AI is shifting education, finance, law, or the military. I also offer extra credit for a signifiant commitment to community service, where such service is largely left up to the student to define.
Students can find additional resources here.