Teaching

This undergraduate level course explores central topics and enduring debates in philosophy of science. Throughout the semester we will address fundamental questions about science and scientific methodology that touch on epistemological, metaphysical, and ethical issues: What counts as evidence or explanatory justification in science? What is the nature of reality and can we access it using the scientific method? What are the ethical implications of science as a way of knowing and how ought science be used to inform public policy? To answer these and other questions we will read seminal texts in philosophy of science and analyze them using philosophical argument. By the end of the semester students will have a better understanding of what science is and will be able to critically evaluate scientific work, identify underlying assumptions about science in scientific and public discourse, and evaluate the moral stakes of science-based policy and practice.

This undergraduate level course explores central topics in philosophy of education. These include, among others, the aims of education, educational justice, educational politics and policy, democratic education, the ethics of special education, the ethics of curriculum development and adoption, teacher autonomy, and the ethics of school punishment. Throughout the semester students will read seminal texts in philosophy of education, interpret and examine them in depth, evaluate philosophical arguments, and explore the connections of these texts to current issues in education policy and practice. Students will also learn about and analyze enduring debates in the field. By the end of the semester students will be able to refine their educational ideas, express their ideas clearly, identify underlying assumptions that guide education policy and practice, assess the moral stakes of educational decision-making, and apply what they have learned to school-based scenarios.

This two-part graduate level workshop (developed by the UCF Center for Ethics and adapted by the instructor) provides doctoral students with necessary training on foundational principles of research ethics. Part one addresses personal and professional integrity and offers students an introduction to fundamental ethical concepts and frameworks for thinking about ethical decision-making. Part two addresses ethics and research integrity and explores the difference between compliance and ethics. Students analyze case studies and engage with ethical dilemmas that arise in academic and professional contexts. Moreover, they learn tools for navigating value conflicts and facilitating the development of an ethical culture in academic and professional spaces.

This series of asynchronous mini courses provides high quality continuing education on topics related to educational equity to school district employees. The courses offered cover an array of topics including, among others, the foundations of educational equity, the historical context or race in education, systemic oppression, implicit bias and micro-aggressions, and culturally responsive practices. Participants may select from a variety of courses, some that are generalized and target participants with different levels of expertise and others that are specialized and customized to meet the needs of employees based on their professional role in the district. Through the courses included in this professional development series, participants gain important foundational knowledge on educational equity, have opportunities to reflect on their newly acquired knowledge, and practice applying it to their professional contexts.