Service & Outreach
Information here on various organizations and outreach efforts that I’ve been involved in.
Since Michigan:
Currently, I’m a member of PLATO’s Research and Advocacy Committee & have been involved as a judge with the North Carolina High School Ethics Bowl.
At Michigan:
Mind & Moral Psychology (MMP) Rackham Interdisciplinary Working Group: From 2018-2022, I co-organized of MMP, an interdisciplinary workshop that brings together scholars interested in problems within (and at the intersection of) philosophy of mind, moral psychology, and cognitive science. We organized reading groups, invited speaker series, pre-read workshops and work-in-progress series, and graduate conferences.
Philosophy with Kids (PWK): In 2017, I started a Philosophy with Kids program at Michigan; I ran this program from 2017-2022. PWK partners with local elementary schools to bring philosophy lessons to elementary and middle school students. We take a skills-based approach to philosophy in the classroom, presenting philosophy as a way of inquiring about big questions in the world, that cultivates valuable skills for students of all ages. I worked (with Maegan Fairchild) to develop an undergraduate course centered around PWK (its implementation was defeated by Covid, but I hope to implement a version of it someday). I also worked with Alexandra Chang (at the time, a teacher at Lincoln Middle School, Ypsilanti MI; now a PhD student in education at Harvard) to develop a middle school philosophy curriculum focused on social-emotional learning skills. This project was funded by a grant from PLATO.
Michigan High School Ethics Bowl: I worked with the Michigan High School Ethics Bowl from 2017-2022, as a coach (3 years), Bowl judge (1 year), and organizer (3 years). We partner with A2Ethics, a community organization, to get high school students in the greater Ann Arbor area engaged with and excited about real world moral issues and philosophical ethical theories. Each year, the winner of the Michigan Bowl gets to represent the state at the National High School Ethics Bowl. Ethics bowl is an excellent example of nationally successful pre-college philosophy, and is a joy to be a part of!
A2Ethics Organizing Partner: I also worked with A2 Ethics on a number of other philosophy initiatives for high school students and teachers, including the following co-organized events:
A series of virtual “Ethics across Borders” symposia, bringing together high school students from Michigan and Winnipeg, Canada (spring 2020 through spring 2021) to discuss ethical issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ethics Case-Writing Workshop for high school students and teachers (winter 2021).
A “Philosophizing the Classroom” workshop (with Alex Chang) for elementary and high school teachers interested in (a) incorporating philosophy into their teaching practices, and (b) recruiting a wider and more diverse set of students to the Bowl (fall 2021).
