Teaching

At the University of Michigan, I’ve had the pleasure of working as both a philosophy instructor and as a teaching mentor and consultant. Below I’ve included descriptions of my teaching experience (along with sample materials) as well as my teaching and consulting experience through UM’s Center for Research on Learning and Teaching.

For more information about my teaching experience, interests, and philosophy, please see my teaching portfolio (linked).

For more information about my commitment to promoting equity in philosophy through my teaching and service, please see my diversity statement (linked).

As instructor of record:

PHIL 387: Early Modern Feminist Philosophers, Fall 2023

Though there were many women philosophers doing important work during the 17th and 18th centuries, their work has been largely neglected. Only recently has there been a significant effort by feminists to incorporate the work of these women into the philosophical canon. The first aim of this course is to study the work of women philosophers during the early modern period. Some of the philosophers whose work we will discuss may include: Princess Elisabeth, Margaret Cavendish, Anne Conway, Emile du Chatelet, Marie de Gournay, Anna Maria van Schurman, Mary Astell, and Mary Wollstonecraft. Topics will range from metaphysics and epistemology to moral and political philosophy. The second aim of this course is to critically engage with important questions about the feminist project of re-envisioning the philosophical canon. How is the study of early modern philosophers a feminist project, even if these philosophers were not all themselves feminists? How ought we to situate the work of early modern women philosophers in the philosophical canon? How can re-envisioning the philosophical canon disrupt harmful assumptions (which are still present today!) about who can and cannot be a philosopher?
Here is the syllabus for the course.
Here is an example of a handout from the course, including comprehension questions and discussion questions.
Here are the instructions and rubric for a writing assignment for the course.

PHIL 154: Sci-Fi and Philosophy: Identity, Oppression, and Resistance, Spring 2022

This course will focus on themes of oppression and resistance in science fiction. We will set aside some of the standard sci-fi and philosophy fare – time travel, free will, AI – to instead explore terrain that’s less traveled but just as philosophically rich. Throughout the course, we will read texts that make the complexities of our identities more vivid; that illustrate the nuances of power and oppression; and that imagine freer worlds and the paths of resistance that might bridge our world to them. We’ll get a chance to read and watch some truly great works of fiction while using that work as a springboard for studying the philosophical ideas that arise in those works.
Here is an example of a reading guide assignment from the course.
Here is a handout reviewing the skills and content covered in the course.

As a graduate student instructor (GSI):

PHIL 110: Introduction to Ethics for Anna Edmonds, Winter 2021 (virtual)

Here is an argument worksheet I developed for my students.
Here is an example of a student-facing agenda* for a class on meat consumption.
*During this semester, I used student-facing Google Doc agendas to supplement each of our Zoom discussion section meetings. Each day’s agenda included discussion questions and activity instructions; live discussion notes taken by students in class (on a rotating basis); and “discussion starter”/”discussion builder” posts (reflection posts on the reading completed by students on a rotating basis; these students would start off our Zoom discussions each day).

PHIL 101: Introduction to Philosophy for Maegan Fairchild, Fall 2020 (virtual)

Here is a handout on how to read philosophy that I adapted for my section.
Here is a participation rubric and discussion guidelines that I used for my section.

PHIL 355: Contemporary Moral Problems for Dan Lowe, Winter 2020 (in person/virtual)

Here is an argument worksheet that I developed (focused on arguments about meat consumption).

PHIL 356: Bioethics for Sarah Buss, Fall 2019 (in person)

Here is an example of in-class debate activity I developed for this class.
Here is an example of a handout I created for a class on autonomy.

Consulting and Mentorship

As a GSIC, I work with the University of Michigan’s Center for Research on Learning and Teaching to provide constructive feedback to instructors across the University. The services I provide include: classroom observations, midterm student feedback sessions (where I gather feedback from students, consolidate this feedback into an anonymous report, and provide suggestions to the instructor based on this feedback), one-on-one consultations about specific teaching challenges, and review of teaching materials (eg, teaching statements and student evaluations). Across these services, I aim to facilitate forward-looking, reflective discussions with my clients so that they can better articulate and implement their teaching values.
Each year, the University of Michigan’s Center for Research on Learning and Teaching provides orientations for new graduate student instructors. As part of this orientation, new instructors are asked to prepare and give a practice lesson for their peers. As a practice teaching facilitator, I facilitated several of these practice teaching sessions, providing constructive feedback to instructors to improve their lesson design and delivery and guiding instructors on how to provide effective feedback to their peers.
Many departments at the University of Michigan employ experiences graduate student instructors as GSMs who serve as mentors for other graduate student instructors in the department. As a GSM for the Philosophy department, I co-facilitated orientation sessions for new Philosophy GSIs, developed and conducted pedagogy workshops, consulted with Philosophy GSIs about teaching practices, and observed Philosophy GSI discussion sections to provide constructive feedback.
Here is a handout from a workshop on course design that I co-facilitated with Sumeet Patwardhan and Mara Bollard in Winter 2022.
During my time as a GSM, I also created a shared Google Drive for UM Philosophy GSIs to share teaching materials with one another. My hope is that GSIs will continue to use this resource long after I’ve left UM!