Courses | Philosophy, Humanities & Religion

What, How, Why?

Dear Potential Student

I teach community college students because I want to help you realize your potential for growth, regardless of your past academic performance or personal circumstances. My goal is to provide you with an equitable education that contributes to you flourishing in all aspects of your life.

I believe that despite biases and other challenges that may stand in the way, you and I have the power to work together to achieve your goals and to create societies that foster this flourishing for everyone.

In our class, I want to establish a learning environment where you can flourish without having to be unnecessarily stressed out. I want you to be more motivated by the cool stuff that we learn, and less concerned about point totals. I also want all of you who have crazy, chaotic lives to be able to achieve academic success even if you are unable to do every single assignment in our course or are unable to do it well on the first try.

With that in mind, my grading philosophy is one based on me giving you feedback and multiple chances to succeed, rather than giving you points or grades to judge your performance. While you will still see points in our gradebook, it’s not what I will focus on in our course. I will focus on helping you get it. With this approach, I hope to be a helpful partner in your academic journey.

 

About My Teaching

My courses explore how philosophy, religion, mythology, and culture shape the ways human beings understand truth, community, power, belonging, and purpose. I often use film as a serious humanities text, helping students analyze narrative, values, identity, and transformation in concrete and memorable ways.

My approach is equity-minded and student-centered. I draw on Universal Design for Learning, accessible course design, equitable grading practices, and Regular and Substantive Interaction to create learning environments that are rigorous, humane, and supportive across modalities. Whether students are new to these subjects or returning to school after years away, I aim to make complex ideas approachable without reducing their depth.

How I Teach

In my classes, students are asked not only to learn concepts, but to practice interpretation, dialogue, and self-reflection. I regularly use films, case studies, and culturally diverse texts to make abstract ideas more concrete. In courses on religion, mythology, or culture, students learn to describe unfamiliar perspectives accurately before evaluating them, and to ground their claims in evidence rather than stereotype or assumption.

This approach helps students build transferable skills in reading, writing, discussion, analysis, and intellectual empathy—skills that matter both in college and beyond it.

I care deeply about helping students discover that philosophy, humanities, and religion are not distant academic subjects, but powerful ways of understanding themselves, others, and the world they share.

Courses / Topics Taught

Philosophy

  • Introduction to Philosophy

  • Ethics

  • Logic & Critical Thinking

  • Critical Thinking

  • Critical Thinking and Writing

  • Social & Political Philosophy

  • Philosophy of Religion

  • Neurophilosophy

General Humanities

  • Popular Culture: American Humanities / myth and modern meaning-making

  • Creative Minds

  • Self Exploration: Happiness

Humanities & Religious Studies

  • Global Religious Perspectives

  • Comparative Religion

  • Courses engaging world religions, Asian religions, and mythology

Previous teaching

I have also previously taught courses in psychology, electronics, and statistics. Today, however, my primary teaching focus is philosophy, humanities, and religion.

Selected Course Descriptions

Introduction to Philosophy

An introduction to philosophical questions about knowledge, reality, selfhood, freedom, and how to live. Students learn to identify arguments, compare perspectives across traditions, and connect philosophical reflection to contemporary life.

Ethics

A study of moral reasoning, values, and the question of how human beings ought to live. Students examine major ethical theories, apply them to real-world problems, and practice careful, evidence-based moral analysis.

Logic & Critical Thinking

An introduction to formal and informal reasoning with emphasis on analyzing arguments, identifying fallacies, and improving judgment in everyday life. Students learn to distinguish persuasion from good reasoning and to construct stronger arguments of their own.

Philosophy of Religion

An exploration of philosophical questions surrounding religious belief, experience, practice, and worldviews. Topics include the existence of God, the problem of evil, the nature of reality, faith and reason, and the role of religion in human life.

Global Religious Perspectives / Comparative Religion

A comparative study of major religious traditions with attention to lived experience, worldview, ritual, ethics, and meaning-making across cultures. Courses emphasize cultural humility, careful comparison, and understanding before evaluation.

Popular Culture

A humanities course exploring how popular culture shapes values, identity, relationships, and the pursuit of meaning. Students analyze media and cultural artifacts as expressions of modern myths and social assumptions.

Creative Minds

A humanities course on creativity, imagination, and transformation. Students explore creativity through philosophy, psychology, mythology, culture, and the arts, reflecting on how creative thinking expands both personal and social possibility.