Teaching Why Trust Science
Teaching Resources for Philosophy Instructors
I design courses that link philosophy to urgent issues like climate change, scientific modeling, environmental justice, energy transition, and biodiversity. Below are syllabi, assignments, and teaching strategies that colleagues may find useful for adapting in their own classrooms, particularly for non-science students.
Teaching Philosophy
I see teaching as a collaborative process where students learn by questioning, experimenting, and even failing. In my classes, I design hands-on activities—like building instruments in the university makerspace—that let students experience the challenges of measurement and error firsthand. By connecting these activities to philosophical texts, I help students see how knowledge is constructed and why uncertainty and failure are essential to learning.
Adaptable Syllabi
Download and adapt syllabi from courses I’ve designed and taught:
Environmental Philosophy
This course uses logic, conceptual analysis, and scientific research to explore climate change as an ethical and justice issue. We examine questions of responsibility, extreme weather, and climate justice in the context of environmental philosophy.
Scientific Reasoning
This course introduces fundamentals of logic and their role in scientific reasoning, including deduction, induction, probability, and causality. More broadly, we examine how science justifies knowledge through evidence and explanation rather than absolute proof.
Philosophy of Natural Sciences
This course examines core issues in philosophy of science and then turns to Indigenous ways of knowing, highlighting how their worldviews offer unique insights into stewardship, sustainability, and resilience.
Each syllabus includes suggested readings, discussion structures, and sample assessments.
Assignments & Activities
A collection of modular assignments and in-class activities:
Maker Lab Activity
Build a thermometer with basic materials to explore error, measurement, and concept formation.
Structured Debates
Format for student-led debates on topics like free will, climate engineering, or scientific realism.