Teaching

What I've Taught

I have taught in some capacity during each semester of graduate school, supporting several courses as a teaching assistant, coordinating targeted interventions aimed at improving student success, and implementing appropriate adjustments when shifting to an online course modality during the pandemic. Additionally, since June 2023 I have designed and taught six separate undergraduate courses in philosophy. This extensive experience has given me the opportunity to formulate, implement, and evaluate an innovative method for teaching philosophy which I call skills-based instruction, which you can learn about here. Lastly, you can find a list of projects I've advised here.

A sketch of a government building surrounded by a circle of symbols for action, history, analysis, and synthesis.

Introduction to Political Philosophy

Primary Instructor: Spring 2025

This class fosters an environment for productive and practical discussions on divisive topics while integrating key insights from the historical development of political philosophy.

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Four pairs of hands reach out over a rectangular board, one pointing, one holding cards with logic symbols, and another holding a game piece.

Exercises in Introductory Logic

Primary Instructor: Fall 2024, Spring 2025

This extension of the standard introduction to logic course provides a broader framework for developing problem solving skills through dedicated practice.

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A sketch of 5 circular badges. They show a set of scales, a scroll, a pile of blocks, a cluster of stick figures, and a lightbulb with a brain inside.

Introduction to Philosophy

Primary Instructor: Fall 2024

This course utilizes a customized small-group discussion format to provide a general overview of the topics and methods used in the discipline of philosophy. By the end of this course, students will be prepared to leverage their new knowledge and skills to enhance any organizational meeting, advocate for their interests, and make a difference both within and outside of the university.

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A sketch of a pile of wooden blocks. On the faces of each cube are symbols used in logic.

Introduction to Logic: Summer Intensive

Primary Instructor: Summer 2023, Summer 2024

This innovative synchronous online course uses a customized textbook to help students learn the basics of propositional and first-order logic, gain exposure to additional logical systems, and ultimately pursue an original application of these tools in a project suited to their interests.

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A sketch of a lightbulb above an open book. Stick figures surround the top of the lightbulb.

Knowledge and Society

Primary Instructor: Spring 2024

This intermediate level course addresses the nuances of trust, power, prejudice, ignorance, and how all of these interact with social institutions like science and democracy. Our structured in-class discussions help students build the mental flexibility needed for understanding and explaining others’ views, forming and articulating their own opinions, and navigating frameworks for producing knowledge in a complex social world.

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A sketch of two figures positioned shoulder to shoulder in mirroring thinker poses. One figure has a cluster of gears for a head, while the other has a lightbulb for a head.

Critical Reasoning

Primary Instructor: Fall 2023

This skills-based course provides tools for analyzing and evaluating reasoning patterns. Through participating in the course, students will become adept at recognizing and circumventing flawed reasoning, communicating their own ideas more effectively, and responding constructively to the contributions of others. Students are then encouraged to use these skills to address real-world problems and create meaningful dialogue surrounding controversial topics.

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What I'd Love to Teach

A sketch of a large hourglass standing in between an alarm clock and a calendar.

Philosophy of Time

This course features a split focus between the implications of time travel and the challenges of time management. Includes discussions in metaphysics about the nature of time itself, approaches to temporal logic, analyses of time travel in fiction, and practical questions about how we can best approach managing our own time in the chaotic pace of the contemporary digital world.

This course is still in development. Check back later for more information.

Unless otherwise noted, all photos and sketches are my own. Do not copy, download, or sell these images without prior written permission.

If you'd like to share my work with others, please send them to this page.
If you'd like my help creating a similar image for your course, department, or event, I invite you to contact me about options.
To learn more about how I created these images and to read the stories behind my site page cover photos and the corresponding photo credits, click here.

A sketch of me with curly hair down to my shoulders and one hand to my chin in a thinking pose. Text at bottom of image reads "Becca Kosten: philosopher, logician, feminist"

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