Philosophy
My research interests span political philosophy, philosophy of education, applied ethics, and normative ethics. Right now I am the Associate Director of the Center for Ethics and Human Values at The Ohio State University. Before coming to Ohio, I completed my PhD in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Before that, I earned an MSc in Philosophy of Science from the London School of Economics, and a minor in philosophy and a Take-5 Scholars Certificate in philosophy of science from the University of Rochester.
I am passionate about teaching. While at UW-Madison, I was awarded the Capstone Teaching Award, the Teaching Fellow Award, and the Berent Enc Graduate Teaching Award. My teaching style is dialogue-focused (rather than lecture-focused), and I am committed to creating caring, creative, and intellectually rigorous environments by informing my practice with the latest evidence from educational psychology. I studied dialogue and discussion facilitation at the Summer Seminar of the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children and UW-Madison's Discussion Project.
I am committed to sharing philosophy with the public, and I was the Director of an organization I co-founded called, Madison Public Philosophy (MPP). MPP's mission is twofold: to share philosophy with all members of the Madison community through Philosophy for Children educational programs and public performances, and to provide training for undergraduate philosophy majors.
Philosophy Conference Presentations:
October 2022. "Teaching, Activism, Research: Balancing Role Responsibilities." Philosophy and Education Colloquium Series, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY.
June 2022. "A P4C Journey in Wisconsin." PLATO Conference, Seattle, WA.
February 2020. "On Choosing Where to Stand: selecting a strategic orientation in a social movement." Workshop on the Philosophy of Activism, Manchester, United Kingdom.
August 8-11, 2019. "Philosophy of Infighting." Rocky Mountain Ethics Congress. Boulder, CO, USA. February 20-23, 2019.
“Justice in the Classroom: Lessons from the Community of Philosophical Inquiry.” AAPT Teaching Hub at the APA Central, Denver, CO, USA.
March 16-18, 2018. "What Can Philosophers Do?" Societal Implications: Applying Academic Philosophy Outside of the Academy. Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
October 13-15, 2017. "Minding the Gap: P4C and Arendt's Crisis in Education." Ohio Valley Philosophy of Education Society. University of Saint Mary of the Lake, Mundelein, IL, USA.
November 7-8, 2014. "Explanations in Music Theory." Illinois Philosophical Association. Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA.
October 11, 2014. "Explanations in Music Theory." Central States Philosophical Association. Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
October 12, 2013. "In Defense of Minimalism." The Austin Graduate Ethics & Normativity Talks. Austin, Texas, USA.
October 11, 2013. "Mechanistic Explanations in Music Theory: Lessons from Biology and Physical Geology." Alabama Philosophical Society Annual Conference. Pensacola, FL, USA.
June 17-19, 2013. "Mechanistic Explanations in Music Theory: Lessons from Biology and Physical Geology." Annual Conference of the European Society of Aesthetics. Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
April 11-13, 2013. "Performing Platonist Types." What is Performance Philosophy? University of Surrey, UK.
March 8-9, 2013. "Reflections on the Removal Thesis: Scientific Judgements and Causal Hypothesis Testing." LSU Philosophy Conference. Louisiana State University, LA, USA.
November 23, 2012. "Musical States of Affairs: A New Proposal For Realist Platonism." Challenging Musical Ontologies: An RMA Study Day. University of Nottingham, UK.
February 24-25, 2012. "Interlevel Mechanistic Explanations of Musical Ontology." Midsouth Philosophy Conference. Rhodes College, Memphis, TN, USA.
Courses Taught
- Philosophy 341: Contemporary Moral Issues
- Philosophy 304: The Ethics of Revolution and Resistance
- Philosophy 243: Ethics in Business
Blog Posts
Sneak Peak of Forthcoming Presentation at the Central APA: Let’s Inquire About Sex! [APA Blog]
Exploring Plato's Cave with Young People [APA Blog]
Bad Sex (and what to do instead) [Medium]
Presentations for General Audiences:
October 23, 28, and 29, 2017. "Exchange, Appreciation, Appropriation, and Assimilation." Madison Public Philosophy and Sound Out Loud
May 23, 2017. "The Drowning Children Among Us." Madison Public Philosophy at the Arts + Literature Laboratory, Madison, WI.
July 23, 2014. "Allegory of the Cave." Compleat Stage: Root Series, Allegory of the Cave. New Orleans, LA. Click Here for review.
February 20, 2014. "When We Love We Risk Death." Compleat Stage: Root Series, Sappho's Aphrodite, Tales of Love and Death. New Orleans, LA.
January 29, 2014. "Seeing Our Reflections in the Myth of Narcissus." Compleat Stage: Root Series, The Story of Echo and Narcissus. New Orleans, LA.
January 16, 2014. "Suspicion With New Tools." Reading at 10 Gallery. New Orleans, LA.