teaching

I have been instructor of record at several classes at UNC, and have TAed for a number of classes at both UNC and Northeastern. Below is the course description for the classes for which I have served as instructor of record.

Gateway to Politics, Philosophy, and Economics

This interdisciplinary course provides an overview of some of the core conceptual tools used to analyze issues at the intersection of philosophy, politics, and economics (PPE). We will cover a range of theoretical topics, including game theory, voting theory, property, markets, and justice. We will then turn to applications of this theory on modern day social issues, such as inequality, free speech, sex work, and the legalization of illicit drugs. This course will draw from diverse perspectives, including work by classical, contemporary, and feminist authors.

Ethics of Peace, War, and Defense

War, by its nature, seems to involve the transgression of some of our most fundamental moral convictions. This course investigates the nature of and possible justifications for those transgressions through the lens of concepts such as autonomy, responsibility, agency, and the right to self-defense. We will attempt to answer questions including: Is war ever permissible? What, if anything, distinguishes terrorism from war? Is military intervention justified when done in the name of defending human rights? What are our duties towards refugees? How does the involvement of emerging technologies in warfare impact the justification for surveillance and deadly force? What distinguishes a civilian from a militant? We will also consider what feminist and post-colonial philosophers have to say about the moral status of war and its participants, and will apply many of these conversations to contemporary conflicts.

AI and the Future of Humanity

This course is an introduction to the ethical, political, and epistemic issues that have arisen or are expected to arise from the advent of advanced artificial systems. This class will have a particular focus on technology which is already making very real impacts on people’s lives. We will cover bias and fairness in algorithmic systems, including lending, hiring, and criminal justice; social media, privacy, and online information ecosystems; generative AI, such as large language models and image or video generators; the use of technically advanced systems in warfare; and the impact of technology on work. Though this class will use methods of philosophical inquiry to analyze these new and emerging phenomena, it presumes no background in philosophy.