SUMMARY
A welcoming classroom can still be demanding.
My classroom priorities are rapport, collaboration, and structured discussion toward mutual—even when critical—understanding.
Students need room to think honestly.
I teach philosophy as a practice rather than a museum of positions. Students should learn what arguments say, but also how to locate the difficult point, articulate competing reasons fairly, and understand why intelligent people disagree.
I use check-ins, collaborative close reading, focused prompts, and carefully staged discussions to make participation less performative and more intellectually useful. When consensus comes too easily, I may argue the less popular side—not to “win,” but to make the class test its own reasons.
Clarity. Charity. Cogency.
These “Three Cs” organize my feedback on student writing: Is the claim understandable? Is the opposing view treated fairly? Does the argument hold together without gaps or distractions?
Experience
4
courses as sole instructor
5 years
college teaching experience
9+
portfolio-ready course designs
- Philosophy & the Environment — Spring 2024 and Fall 2023; lecture courses of 39 and 37 students
- Environmentalism & Extremes — Spring 2023; competitively vetted 16-student seminar
- Business & Morality — Fall 2022; 37-student lecture course
- Earlier assisting — introductory philosophy, ethics, biomedical ethics, and environmental ethics, 2019–2022
Courses designed, available in Portfolio
INTRODUCTIONS
Western Philosophy
Ethics & Political Philosophy
Critical Thinking & Formal Logic
TOPICS
Environmental Ethics
Business Ethics
Biomedical Ethics
Technology & AI Ethics
Epistemology
Seminars
Philosophy & Criminal Law
Jurisprudence
For secondary schools
My training in law, politics, writing, and intellectual history supports courses in U.S. government, civics, history, religion, and interdisciplinary humanities. The common thread is helping students read critically, handle disagreement constructively, and connect abstract frameworks to institutions and events.
While I am not currently pursuing secondary teaching opportunities, do feel free to reach out if you are interested.
What evaluations show
Across independently taught courses, student feedback consistently emphasizes enthusiasm, openness, accessibility, and the quality of discussion. Quantitative measures in Spring 2024 averaged roughly 0.3 points above department and college comparisons on a four-point scale. Full tables and selected comments appear in the Teaching Portfolio.
