Teaching

I teach in the Department of Philosophy at Gonzaga University. My courses range from reasoning and human nature to upper-division courses in philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, and logic.

Current Courses (Summer 2026)

Philosophy of Human Nature (PHIL 201)

An investigation into questions of what it means to be human, specifically considering free will, sociality, and embodiment.

Syllabus

Interactive Activities

Philosophical Health Test — Check the consistency of your beliefs across all six modules
Module 1 — Ship of Theseus Identity Explorer — Thought experiment on personal identity
Module 2 — Cartesian Package Concept Mapper — Quiz and drag-and-drop on Descartes' four pillars
Module 3 — Free Will Spectrum — Self-assessment across Hard Determinist → Compatibilist → Libertarian Free Will
Module 4 — Social Mask Builder — Explore Goffman's dramaturgical model
Module 5 — Emotion vs. Reason — Analyze moral scenarios with Socratic pushback
Module 6 — Extended Mind Explorer — Branching Socratic dialogue on Clark & Chalmers

Courses Taught at Gonzaga

Reasoning (PHIL 101)

Core introductory course covering argument analysis, logic, and philosophical methodology. Regularly offered each semester, including community engaged learning (CEL) sections. Taught every semester.

Philosophy of Human Nature (PHIL 201)

Examines philosophical accounts of what it is to be human, drawing on metaphysics, philosophy of mind, and ethics. Regularly offered, including summer sessions. Taught every year.

Philosophy of Language (PHIL 441)

Examines the nature of meaning, reference, speech acts, and communication. Topics include Gricean pragmatics, distributed language, and the relationship between language and mind. Offered most spring semesters.

Philosophy of Mind (PHIL 448)

Surveys classical and contemporary debates about the nature of mind, consciousness, and cognition, with attention to extended and embodied cognition. Offered periodically.

Modeling Social Believers (PHIL 432)

Agent-based modeling approaches to social epistemology. Offered most fall semesters.

Philosophical Logic (PHIL 577)

Graduate-level course in formal logic, including propositional and predicate logic, with applications to philosophical argumentation. Offered periodically.

Special Topics Courses

The Philosophy and Psychology of Encultured Minds (PHIL 491 / HONS 290)

An upper-division and honors seminar examining how culture shapes cognition, drawing on philosophy of mind, cognitive science, and social epistemology. Offered Spring 2020, 2021, and 2022.

Taught with Vinai Norasakkunkit

Language and Responsibility (PHIL 491)

A special topics seminar on the ethical and social dimensions of language use. Offered Fall 2018.