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Teaching

I do my best to make sure that students who take my courses become stronger and more confident readers, writers, and speakers. There are a number of strategies I use for helping them do so. All of the courses that I teach that involve writing assignments (so, basically, all except courses in formal logic), incorporate scaffolded writing assignments, and I provide detailed feedback at each stage of the process. I typically begin each class by asking students which themes, concepts, and terms seemed most important to understanding the text we've read. I then write them on the side of the board, briefly explain their significance, and incorporate them into lectures and discussions, referring to the student who mentioned it. A number of students have said that my courses have helped them become more confident speaking in class, and I chalk that up, in part, to this kind of early low-stakes participation. I also dedicate at least a few days per semester to close reading exercises. I select a short stretch of the assigned text (typically a page at most), and we spend the whole period going through it sentence by sentence as a class. 

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Below is a list of the courses that I've taught. I've linked to the syllabi that I've used where I'm pretty happy with them, and I've omitted links where I'd like to substantially change the syllabi that I have. And further below that you can find links to some syllabi for courses that I'm hoping to teach soon. Anyone who finds these syllabi helpful in planning their own courses is welcome to draw from them or make use of them. 

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Courses Taught at The University of Memphis:
 

  • Elementary Logic (two sections) Fall 2024; Spring 2024

  • Introduction to Ethics (one section) Fall 2023

  • History of Modern Philosophy (online; one section) Summer 2023

  • Introduction to Philosophy (two sections) Fall 2022; Spring 2022

  • Biomedical Ethics (online; one section) Summer 2022
     

Courses Taught at Georgia State University:
 

  • Introduction to Philosophy (two sections); Critical Thinking (three sections) Fall 2019

  • Critical Thinking (three sections) Spring 2019

  • Introduction to Philosophy (three sections) Fall 2018; Summer 2018

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Some Courses I'd Like to Teach (with links to proposed syllabi):

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