Teaching Philosophy Papers

Students in my metaphysics class should understand the merits of different accounts of personal ontology.And all my students should be able to appreciate the motivations behind views that oppose their own and provide thoughtful responses to related challenges.

Students in my metaphysics class should understand the merits of different accounts of personal ontology.And all my students should be able to appreciate the motivations behind views that oppose their own and provide thoughtful responses to related challenges.

I learn whether students feel safe participating in my classes and whether the environment is conducive to their learning by collecting student feedback several times during the semester.

The feedback helps me address students’ concerns and interests while upholding my pedagogical goals (so, no, we won’t watch a movie every day) and encouraging a responsive classroom.

We then critically evaluate both sides and connect students’ views with views of like-minded philosophers.

Beyond opportunities to express opinions, I provide other means of investment through media like movies and comics. to launch a discussion about whether we should eat meat, a decision we face at every meal.

To ensure that my courses promote student engagement, I regularly seek student feedback.

Offering feedback is itself a concrete way for students to exercise ownership by shaping the course.When my students take ownership of their learning experience in the philosophy classroom, they not only learn about significant views in, for instance, epistemology or philosophy of religion.They also become better reasoners and problem solvers, comfortable engaging with new or unfamiliar lines of reasoning.Students also take ownership of their learning by drawing personal connections with philosophical content.I assign reflection papers that prompt students to connect course material to their lives: Would Kant approve of your weekend plans?Finally, we all construct the argument together and evaluate the most plausible version.This activity requires students to identify lines of reasoning that are merely implicit and offer reflective critique.Since both methods involve ownership of learning, I am happy to modify activities to promote ownership in different ways, even if it means structuring various sections of the same course in the same semester differently.My students report that the classroom environment is “fun” and “safe” but also “thought-provoking” and “challenging.” When many students from semester to semester volunteer these particular adjectives about my courses, I am increasingly confident that I create successful learning environments.This enables them to better retain the ideas we discuss, which, in turn, equips them to hold well-reasoned opinions and live more reflective lives.Students in my ethics class should leave with a informed opinions about theories of right behavior.