Category: Teaching
-
“Brain Hurt” and Other Student Descriptions of Philosophy
Every once in a while a student will make some remark about philosophy (or about reading or writing philosophy, or about a philosophy course)…
-
Teach Everyone Logic?
[William] Clifford argued that we are morally responsible not merely for what we do and say, but also for what we believe… When we…
-
Service Learning in Philosophy Courses
A reader has asked for suggestions about how to incorporate service learning into undergraduate philosophy courses. “Service learning” is a combination of learning and…
-
A Philosopher’s Key To Grading Papers Quickly
Nick Byrd, a philosophy PhD student at Florida State University, has created a shorthand that he uses for commenting on his students’ papers. He…
-
Philosophy Syllabus As Infographic
“It’s in the syllabus,” we tell our students—so often there should be a t-shirt. Oh wait, there is. But perhaps we could make that…
-
Launching a PPE Program
A philosopher writes in seeking advice on starting a new program at his college: I teach at a Catholic small liberal arts college. My…
-
Expertise And What Students Owe Their Professors
A new school term will be starting soon. Perhaps it is a good time to share with students the following account of their obligations to…
-
Philosophy Music Videos
Can you get your students to sing about philosophy? Sara Bernstein, associate professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, can. With a…
-
The Effective Altruism Challenge (guest post by Holly Lawford-Smith)
The following is a guest post* by Holly Lawford-Smith, lecturer in philosophy at the University of Sheffield (and soon-to-be senior lecturer in philosophy at…
-
Summer 2017 Philosophy Programs for Undergraduates
Are you organizing a philosophy program for undergraduates for the Summer of 2017? If so, please share information—dates, location, theme, website or email contact,…
-
Post-Election Changes To Philosophy Curriculum By Subject: Philosophy of Religion
We continue our series of suggestions for reading materials and lessons for various philosophical subfields in light of Donald Trump’s victory in the recent…
-
Post-Election Changes To Philosophy Curriculum By Subject: Political Philosophy
Last week we began soliciting suggestions for reading materials and lessons for various philosophical subfields in light of Donald Trump’s victory in the recent election.…
-
Post-Election Changes To Philosophy Curriculum By Subject: Critical Reasoning / Informal Logic
Continuing in our series of posts about changes to teaching materials and lessons for particular philosophical fields in light of the 2016 U.S. election…
-
Post-Election Changes To Philosophy Curriculum By Subject: Language
Yesterday I published the first in a series of posts about subfield-specific changes to philosophy curriculum in light of the 2016 U.S. election. That post…
-
Post-Election Changes To Philosophy Curriculum By Subject: Epistemology
The shock of the 2016 presidential election is still being felt keenly by educators, many of whom see in its victor, Donald Trump, the…
-
Teaching Under Trump: A Writing Exercise
This is what author and professor of literature and creative writing Melissa Febos (Monmouth University) did with her students the day after the election:
-
Preparing Teaching Assistants
Many graduate programs in philosophy provide funding for their students in exchange for their labor as teaching assistants (TAs). The job of a TA…
-
Applied Philosophy Courses Outside Value Theory
Philosophy departments face increasing pressure to demonstrate their value to their universities. One type of response is to attempt to increase enrollment in philosophy…
-
A Surprisingly Overlooked Gap in Philosophy (guest post by Bob Fischer)
Bob Fischer is an assistant professor of philosophy at Texas State University. In a brief conversation over the summer, he shared with me an observation about a…
-
Improve Your Philosophy Teaching With This One Weird Trick
What if I told you there was an easy, scientifically-proven, five-minute method for improving your teaching? Just five-minutes, and your teaching ratings go up. No, I’m not talking…