I roughly sort pedagogical issues into two broad categories: engagement and mastery. By “engagement” I mean roughly discussion and reflection on teaching methods that increase students’ motivation to learn the course material. By “mastery” I mean roughly discussion and reflection on teaching methods that improve students’ ability with respect to course objectives. Much has been ..read more

Dr. LaRose T. Parris, originally from Jamaica in the West Indies, and shaped by the diverse cultural landscape of New York City, is Associate Professor and Chair of Africana Studies at Lehman College in the Bronx. Holding degrees from New York University (NYU), City College of New York, and the CUNY Graduate Center, Parris is ..read more

It’s well known that Søren Kierkegaard was quite worried about the trends of the “present age.” He thought that individuals were losing themselves to abstractions, aestheticizing self-conceptions, and ambivalent comparisons with others. In Two Ages, he called his a “reflective” and “passionless” age. Kierkegaard intended his pseudonymous intellectual project—itself chock-full of abstraction, aesthetes, and ambivalences—to get ..read more

Two things seem true about modern professional life. One, most professional activities nowadays (legal ones, anyway) are backed by a code of conduct—roughly, a set of written guidelines instructing participants how to behave to realize certain values their professional institution accepts. Professional societies like the American Philosophical Association have a Code of Conduct. Universities and colleges have codes ..read more

“Refusal is simultaneously a negation of access to information and resources, as well as an affirmation of sovereignties.” Rachel Flowers I am an Indigenous philosopher, and my research explores the various types of relations between Indigenous people and those who claim to be their allies. Relations are significant to many Indigenous communities. Not only do we ..read more

Comedian Dusty Slay tells a story about trying to purchase some DVDs at a flea market. The DVDs are cheap: three for five dollars. He selects six DVDs. Unfortunately, the person running the store is not very good at basic math. Dusty gets into an awkward exchange trying to convince her that he isn’t trying ..read more

The origin story for this course is a bit unusual. State law in California requires students in the California State University system to engage in “comprehensive study” of American history and government, including “the historical development of American institutions and ideals.” Courses meeting this requirement are usually structured like surveys in American history: Instructors have ..read more

When preparing my poster for the AAPT/APA conference in New York in January 2024, I had to consider not only what topics would interest fellow educators but also what might be aesthetically appealing to spark curiosity and conversation. I try to incorporate the same factors in planning my syllabi and individual classes. Including what appeals ..read more

Ideas about technological knowledge (in contrast to technical knowledge and to scientific knowledge) in philosophy of technology provide a powerful lens through which to consider the relationship between engineering and embodiment. For some philosophers of technology, technology is defined as extensions to one’s body (Brey 2000). But not all bodies are the same, nor do ..read more

Were I writing this essay a year or two ago, I’d have started it this way: When disagreements arise, the first impulse for many of us is to give direct arguments in favor of our own viewpoint. In other words, you give reasons directly for some conclusion in the expectation that the audience will share ..read more