The discipline of philosophy is something to be held inviolate; the classroom likewise. One might be inclined to ask, what is the function of teaching provocative material to an introductory level philosophy class? There wouldn’t be, if the material didn’t have philosophical import. If the material does have philosophical import, then why chose, at the very least, something that is provocative? One important quality that philosophy is supposed to instill in intellectual thought, itself, is a dispassionate nature, whether in judgment or analysis. Continue reading
Monthly Archives: December 2014
December 21, 2014 · 1:22 pm
Reflection on a First-Year Professorship: An Experiment in Allowing Students to Choose Texts
This is the first of a number of reflections I hope to do on my first year as a professor of philosophy. As of right now, I am through the first semester. It’s been an interesting experience, to say the absolute least. I don’t mean that simply in terms of outcomes of pedagogical experiments or common experiences of student discontent with grades, but also political and administrative stuff in addition. Continue reading →
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