teaching
TagMoral Philosophy Courses Can Change Students’ Behavior
The share of meal plan expenditures on meat by students who took part in a philosophy class on the ethics of eating animals declined from 52% to 45%, with “no evidence that meat-eating rates went back up during the two months data was monitored,” according to a recent study whose authors believe it provides evidence for the claim that “ethics classes can influence s..
Teaching-Focused Philosophy PhD Programs
Which philosophy PhD programs focus on training students to teach and getting them placed into permanent teaching-oriented jobs (with some success)? (more…)
Representation at the APA
“41 of 45 the APA’s officers, or 91.1%, are from research universities. While I understand that research plays a central role in the discipline, this strikes me as potentially a missed opportunity in several respects.” (more…)
Reading Philosophy: Observations & Advice
“I didn’t know that there is a field of study that counted as sensible the questions that were always in my head. Even more amazing is that the type of thoughts I offered as answers, while ramshackle, were the same type of answers philosophers provide. I changed my major before the end of the semester. But I had a problem. I did not know how to read philosophy.” (mo..
Crash Course: Consequentialism & Deontology in Contemporary Normative Ethics
We’re going to try to solicit recommendations for a “crash course” on an aspect of contemporary ethics. (more…)
A New Kind of Critical Thinking Text (guest post by David Manley)
“What would it look like if we taught only the most useful skills from the toolkits of philosophy, cognitive psychology, and behavioral economics?” (more…)
David N. Mowry (1941-2019): “What does one say about the teacher who saved your life?” (guest post by Jack Weinstein)
David N. Mowry, professor emeritus of philosophy at the State University of New York (SUNY) Plattsburgh, has died. (more…)
Crash Course: Epistemology of Disagreement
Around four years ago, I had a short-lived “Crash Course” series of posts here at Daily Nous. (more…)
Grade Anarchy & Student Learning (guest post by Marcus Schultz-Bergin)
“My core hypothesis was that student learning would actually be improved by eliminating instructor grading from the course.” (more…)
Remixing the Open Logic Text
Have you checked out the Open Logic Project recently? Created a few years ago, it’s an open-source, collaborative logic text that has several nice features. One is that the material is modular: it can be “remixed” into individual open-source texts on specialized subjects. There are now a few examples of this. (more…)
How Early Modern Philosophy Courses are Taught
“Step aside and let philosophers do their job”
Elizabeth Oljar and David Koukal (University of Detroit Mercy) have penned a spirited case for universities entrusting the teaching of critical thinking to departments of philosophy in The Chronicle of Higher Education (may be paywalled). (more…)
An Approach to Teacher Training in Philosophy Departments (guest post by Colin Heydt)
“This is not revolutionary stuff. But it is important. And it is stuff I wish I’d known about early in my teaching career.” (more…)
Did I Miss Anything? On Attendance
“Did I miss anything?” It’s a common question from students.
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How To Write A Philosophy Paper: Online Guides
Some philosophy professors, realizing that many of their students are unfamiliar with writing philosophy papers, provide them with “how-to” guides to the task. (more…)
It’s Complicated
I’ve been criticized for saying that the issue behind the attempt of some students at Oxford to stop having John Finnis teach required courses* is “morally and practically complicated.” How strong a criticism is this? (more…)
Harrell Wins 2018 Prize for Excellence in Philosophy Teaching
The 2018 Prize for Excellence in Philosophy Teaching, sponsored jointly by the American Philosophical Association (APA), the American Association of Philosophy Teachers (AAPT), and the Teaching Philosophy Association*, has been awarded to Maralee Harrell, Teaching Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in Philosophy at Carnegie Mellon University. (more…)..
Writing Philosophy and Developing Curricula with Undergrads
Some professors see their students, at least sometimes, as partners in education, but Matthew Slater, professor of philosophy at Bucknell University, does impressive work to make that partnership a reality.
Empirical Support for a Method of Teaching Critical Thinking
A few years ago, a meta-analysis of studies about whether colleges do a good job of teaching critical thinking revealed “no differences in the critical-thinking skills of students in different majors.” (more…)
A Way Professors Make a “Real World” Difference
Amidst all the talk about public philosophy, let’s not forget a more traditional way philosophers have an impact on the world: by teaching well, encouraging inquiry and achievement, and helping students develop intellectual virtues. (more…)
Philosophy as a Way of Life Project Launched with $800K Grant
“Philosophy as a Way of Life ” is a new project led by Meghan Sullivan, a professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. Launched with an $806,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the project will collaborate with universities across the United States to “imagine new and higher impact ways” to introduce students to philosophical traditions focus..
How Is Your Teaching Evaluated?
It seems that every few months a new study is published demonstrating some kind of problem with student evaluations of teaching. Recently I’ve seen one going around that confirms that students who had access to free chocolate cookies while being taught evaluated their teachers “significantly better” than the control group. (more…)
What Should Philosophers Teach in Quantitative Reasoning Courses? (guest post by Landon D.C. Elkind)
The following is a guest post* by Landon D.C. Elkind (University of Iowa) about the content of philosophy courses that satisfy general education requirements in quantitative or formal reasoning. It originally appeared on his blog. (more…)
Teaching Philosophy as the Search for Complication
Most students in philosophy classrooms in the United States are taking their first and only philosophy course. Why is it their only one? (more…)
New and Unusual Philosophy Courses
I’ve been hearing about some unusual and interesting philosophy courses that are currently being taught or developed. (more…)
A Philosopher’s Experiment Teaching Math and the Arts (guest post by Yann Benétreau-Dupin)
The following is a guest post* from Yann Benétreau-Dupin, a lecturer in philosophy at San Francisco State University, about an interesting and innovative response to the California State University system’s change to its general education requirements: a course on math and the arts, taught in the philosophy department. (more…)
Diverse Teaching Experiences and the Philosophy Job Market
Graduate students in philosophy usually can teach in their own departments, but also sometimes have the opportunity to teach at other schools nearby, including schools very different from the one they’re currently attending. (more…)
Why To Discourage Laptops in Class (with slides you can show your students)
You may have seen various articles about how computers and phones in the classroom affect student performance. (more…)