Teaching
Honors and Awards Related to Teaching
2020 Finalist - American Philosophical Association Prize for Excellence in Philosophy Teaching
2017 Last Lecturer, Senior Convocation
Chosen by members of the graduating class to deliver their “last lecture” in college, the night before Commencement.
2016 Homer L. Dodge Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Junior Faculty Member
Awarded every other year to recognize excellence in teaching by a junior faculty member.
2015 Omicron Delta Kappa Inductee
2015 Last Lecturer, Senior Convocation
2015 40 Under 40: Professors Who Inspire
National award recognizing teaching excellence among younger faculty
2013 Andy Kozak Faculty Contribution to Student Life Award
Awarded annually to recognize faculty who dedicate themselves to students through active community engagement.
2008 Graduate Student Teaching Excellence Award (University of Colorado Boulder)
Publications Related to Teaching
“Trust in the Classroom,” The Art of Teaching Philosophy, edited by Brynn Welch, Bloomsbury, forthcoming.
“Making the Most of the Time We Have Together,” Daily Nous: Philosophers On How the Pandemic Has Changed Us, November 22, 2021.
“Writing for My Students,” Blog of the APA, November 8, 2017.
Courses Taught
PHIL 120: Introduction to Ethics
PHIL 321: Environmental Ethics
PHIL 323: Bioethics
PHIL 325: Feminism and Philosophy
PHIL 380 (topics): Philosophy and Race
PHIL 380 (topics): Love, Compassion, and Empathy
PHIL 380 (topics): Responsibility and Reparation
PHIL 380 (topics): Resistance and Revolution
PHIL 380 (topics): The Ethics of Tech and AI
PHIL 430: Ethical Theories
CORE 101: Race and Racism in the United States
CORE 101: How to Be a Good Person
ENST 350: Saving the Bay: Science and Justice for the Chesapeake (with Dr. Emily Rauschert, Biology)
Undergraduate Thesis Supervision
I have supervised 35 “St. Mary’s Projects,” which are ambitious, independent capstone projects that are worth 8 credits and typically range in length from 60-80 pages.
2023 “Care and Empathy in Response to the Oppression of People with Rare Diseases and Disabilities”
2022 “Loving Nature: Love as a Foundation for Ethical Relations with the Environment”
2022 “Constructing Identities Through Rap Music: A Philosophical Take on the Music of Rico Nasty and Megan Thee Stallion”
2022 “Gender: A Conversation”
2021 “Defending Black Women’s Anger: An Intersectional Approach to Understanding the Oppressive Effects of the Angry Black Woman Stereotype”
2021 “Who Fits into Sport? The Impact of the Gender Binary on Those Who May Not Have a Place”
2020 “Western and Indigenous Agriculture: An Ecofeminist Perspective” (co-mentored with Prof. Argelia González Hurtado, Spanish)
2020 “Using and Empathizing with Animals: An Ecofeminist Critique of Western Ethical Theories”
2020 “Identity-Terms and Creating Counterstories” (co-mentored with Prof. Jennifer Cognard-Black, English)
2020 “The Psychology of Oppression: How Sexism Creates Gender”
2019 “Autonomous Eating Under an Industrial Food Regime”
2019 “Human Identity and the Environment: The Value of Place and Context in the Formation of Human Identity and Progressive Environmentalism”
2019 “Rethinking the Boundaries of our Moral Sphere: An Argument for Moral Consideration for Animals”
2019 “Social Epistemology, Propaganda, and Democracy”
2017 “Oppression, Speciesism, and the Racialization of Pit Bulls”
2017 “The Ethical and Epistemological Effects of Sexual Violence”
2017 “Zines: Acts of Feminist Resistance”
2017 “Work and Leisure: Balancing Productivity with the Other Fruits of Life”
2016 “Exploitation in the Organization of Zoos”
2016 “Sexual Violence and Oppression: A Feminist Analysis Of Sex, Gender, And Power”
2016 “Ethical, Nutritional, and Environmental Justifications for Veganism”
2016 “‘Every little thing wants to be loved’ - A Discussion of Animal Rights and Its Direct Connection to Systematic Oppression”
2015 “The More You Know, the Less You Oppress: A Philosophical Argument for the Introduction of Social Justice Courses in Public High School”
2015 “Surviving Sexual Assault: Reclaiming and Rebuilding a Shattered Identity”
2015 “The Importance of Authentic Interaction with Nature”
2015 “Girls Who Are My Friends: An Exploration of Female Friendship through Philosophy and the Media”
2015 “Teaching for Social Justice: How Education Can Dismantle Stigma about Poverty Inside and outside the Classroom”
2015 “What about Love? An Analysis of Intimate Partner Violence, Gendered Experiences of Love, and the Possibility for Authentic Autonomy in Heterosexual Relationships”
2015 “Buddhist Feminism: How a System-Oriented Ethics Can Promote Social Justice”
2014 “Overcoming Ignorance: Race, Gender, and the Imperative of Epistemic Interaction”
2014 “Think Inside the Box: American Media and Society”
2014 “Showing Signs and Feeding Friction”
2013 “The Role of Suffering in the Meaningful Life”
2012 “Revisiting Friendship”
2012 “Flourishing Through Authenticity: Living with an Imperfect Past”