Courses Taught at Notre Dame
Ethics of Sustainability - FALL 2017
Syllabus (.pdf)
Course Description: this course introduces philosophical ethics through an engagement with sustainability issues, which are at the intersection of environmentalism, social justice, and economic equality. We will cover issues such as the value of the environment, non-human animal welfare, food ethics, environmental justice, sustainable economy, and human-made global climate change. There are two central goals of this course. First, to engage students into ethical reflection regarding environmental and sustainability issues, and how these issues intersect with their lives and local communities. Second, to provide students with a sophisticated conceptual vocabulary to evaluate and generate ethical arguments both in general and applied to specific situations. This course will be heavily based on student participation, with an emphasis on class discussions. Students will also develop specific projects targeted to apply the conceptual tools presented in the course to specific issues salient in the local community. No prior experience with philosophy or environmental science is required.
Ethics of Sustainability - FALL 2017
Syllabus (.pdf)
Course Description: this course introduces philosophical ethics through an engagement with sustainability issues, which are at the intersection of environmentalism, social justice, and economic equality. We will cover issues such as the value of the environment, non-human animal welfare, food ethics, environmental justice, sustainable economy, and human-made global climate change. There are two central goals of this course. First, to engage students into ethical reflection regarding environmental and sustainability issues, and how these issues intersect with their lives and local communities. Second, to provide students with a sophisticated conceptual vocabulary to evaluate and generate ethical arguments both in general and applied to specific situations. This course will be heavily based on student participation, with an emphasis on class discussions. Students will also develop specific projects targeted to apply the conceptual tools presented in the course to specific issues salient in the local community. No prior experience with philosophy or environmental science is required.
Philosophy of Science - FALL 2015
Syllabus (.pdf)
Course Description: scientific inquiry is often considered the method par excellence of acquiring knowledge about the world. What is it about science and its method that gives it this reputation? Is this reputation justified? In this introductory course to the Philosophy of Science we will explore these questions among others in an attempt to understand the relationship between scientific knowledge and the world. By the end of the course you will have the tools to critically reflect on whether it is possible to demarcate science from other human activities, the nature of the relationship between scientific theories and evidence, what the content of scientific theories is, how scientific models represent reality, the surprising fact that mathematics provide accurate descriptions of the world, and the role of sociopolitical values in science in relation to the possibility of objective scientific knowledge. This course is self-contained; no previous familiarity with particular scientific or mathematical theories is required.
Syllabus (.pdf)
Course Description: scientific inquiry is often considered the method par excellence of acquiring knowledge about the world. What is it about science and its method that gives it this reputation? Is this reputation justified? In this introductory course to the Philosophy of Science we will explore these questions among others in an attempt to understand the relationship between scientific knowledge and the world. By the end of the course you will have the tools to critically reflect on whether it is possible to demarcate science from other human activities, the nature of the relationship between scientific theories and evidence, what the content of scientific theories is, how scientific models represent reality, the surprising fact that mathematics provide accurate descriptions of the world, and the role of sociopolitical values in science in relation to the possibility of objective scientific knowledge. This course is self-contained; no previous familiarity with particular scientific or mathematical theories is required.
Courses on the Back-burner (with Sample Syllabi)
Introduction to Philosophy - a topic-based general introduction to philosophy
Science, Technology, and Democracy (to be taught at ND during Spring 2018) - interdisciplinary seminar accessible to all students
Big Questions in Metaphysics: Minds, Machines, Persons, and Freedom - discussion seminar targeted towards philosophy majors/minors
Metaphysics of Science - discussion seminar targeted towards advanced philosophy majors or graduate students
