Should Robots Have Rights? Lt. Commander Data v. The United Federation of Planets
In the following clip from “The Measure of a Man,” episode nine of the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1989), we...
Syllabus Showcase: Rethinking Introduction to Philosophy, Brynn Welch
As I suspect is often the case, most of my students in Introduction to Philosophy are there to fulfill a general education requirement rather...
Reading the Room
In the world of business, those who understand the opinions and attitudes of others are said to know how to “read the room.” Every...
Graduate Student Reflection Series: Deliberation in the Classroom
During the fall of 2021, I was fortunate enough to teach three courses at Rosemont College in Montréal. Rosemont College is part of the...
Syllabus Showcase: Proseminar, Daniel Wodak
In many respects, the way I taught Proseminar – the first-year graduate seminar – in Fall 2020 was very down the line. We read...
Why Philosophers Should Become Academic Leaders
The department chair is one of the most maligned and misunderstood positions in academia. Department chairs are university leaders but they can also experience...
Professors as Teachers
When elementary and secondary school teachers are asked what they do for a living, they typically reply, “I’m a teacher.” The usual follow-up, “What...
Is it Better to Be Socrates Dissatisfied or Homer Simpson Satisfied? Higher and Lower...
A clip from The Simpsons Emmy-award winning episode HOMR (Season 12, Episode 9) provides a vivid illustration—and critique of—the contrast between higher and lower...
Syllabus Showcase, Philosophy of Women, Soon-Ah K. Fadness
One of the joys of teaching at San Diego City College, the oldest community college in San Diego, is the lived experience the students...
A College Teacher’s Mission
A few decades ago I served on the jury in a highly publicized, double-murder case. The woman who was charged admitted the crimes but...