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UNDERGRADUATE COURSES TAUGHT

Department of Philosophy, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Philosophy 1002: Introduction to Philosophy (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017)
Introduction to philosophical questions in the Pre-Socratics, Plato’s Republic, St. Augustine’s Confessions, Dante’s Divine Comedy, Anselm’s Proslogion, Descartes’ Meditations, and Hume’s Treatise of Human Nature

Philosophy 1005: Philosophy of Human Nature (2005, 2006, 2010)
Conceptions of human nature throughout the history of philosophy from the Bible through to Modernity and the contemporary world

Philosophy 1010 CRW: Critical Reading and Writing in Human Nature (2015, 2020)
Provides an overview of foundational knowledge and skills to enable critical reading and writing at the university level by way of analysis and critique of selected conceptions and theories of human nature raised throughout the history of philosophy. Significant instructional time is devoted to teaching writing skills that develop clarity, form, content, tone, and style appropriate for university writing.

Philosophy 2070: Philosophy of Religion (2013)
Reading of Dante’s Divine Comedy including the Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso, examining the philosophical influences on Dante’s epic poem including the positions and doctrines of Plato and Aristotle, Boethius and Augustine, Bonaventure and Aquinas and exploring various religious themes in the work: the existence and nature of evil, the relation between the soul and body, divine mediation, nature, morality, and God

Philosophy 2201/Classics 2701: History of Ancient Philosophy (2012, 2014, 2015, 2017)
Introduces students to the origins of philosophy in the West. Topics include cosmology, metaphysics, physics, ethics, God, and the ancient ideal of philosophy as a ‘way of life.’ We will examine the texts and fragments of the most influential and foundational philosophers of the ancient world, focusing primarily on the thought of Plato and Aristotle, their engagement with the Pre- Socratic philosophers who came before them, and their influence upon philosophers since.

Philosophy/Religious Studies/Medieval Studies 2205: History of Medieval Philosophy (2019)
Examines and traces the historical developments of a number of philosophical themes, questions, and ideas throughout medieval philosophy by reading, analyzing, and discussing selected primary texts from philosophers and theologians from the 4th to 14th centuries. Authors may include Augustine, Proclus, Boethius, Al-Farabi, Ibn Sina, Anselm, Ibn Rushd, Maimonides, Aquinas, Bonaventure, Scotus, and Ockham, among others.

Philosophy 2800: Contemporary Ethical Issues (2005, 2008)
Philosophical examination of the nature of the relation between the individual and the state with particular focus on issues such as abortion, euthanasia, pornography, and Just War Theory in relation to the war on terror

Philosophy 3010: Plato (2009, 2010, 2011, 2020, 2021)
Examination of Plato’s philosophy from selections representing the Socratic, transitional, eidetic, and stoichiological dialogues, as well as Plato’s philosophy of the concrete

Philosophy 3020: Aristotle (2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2020)
Traces and examines the development of the major themes throughout Aristotle’s works including the Categories, Posterior Analytics, Physics, De Anima, Metaphysics, and Nicomachean Ethics. This course also considers Aristotle’s thought as a development of the philosophy of Plato.

Philosophy 3110: Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy (2011, 2012, 2016)
Examines developments in Philosophy from Augustine to Descartes, looking back on their dependence on Ancient and Hellenistic thought and forward to their influence on Modern philosophy. This course focuses on a particular question or figure during this period. Topics may include: universals and particulars, the existence of God, free will and determinism, the problem of evil, the status of nature, soul and body, and mysticism.

Philosophy 4000: Seminar on Proclus' Elements of Theology (2019)
A study of the Elements of Theology of the Neoplatonic Proclus focusing on the nature of the First Principle, the primary hypostases, Being and Infinity, the nature of causality, intelligence, the soul, and the fundamental end of the human being.

Philosophy 4260: Departmental Colloquium (2013, 2014)
Organising and coordinating the Departmental Winter Colloquium and conducting and running seminar sessions with guest speakers and undergraduate and graduate students

Philosophy 4738: Seminar in Neoplatonic Philosophy (2010)
Examination of Greek Neoplatonism from the early Academy to Proclus

Philosophy 4740: Seminar on Plato’s Republic (2011)
Examination of the entirety of Plato’s Republic, tracing themes that deal with Plato’s ontology, epistemology, ethics, and politics, as well as Plato’s criticisms of poetry and myth

Philosophy 4743: Seminar on Aristotle’s Metaphysics (2012, 2021)
A reading of the whole of Aristotle’s Metaphysics exploring the relation and connections between Aristotle’s metaphysics and his physics, philosophy of nature, and theology, including the notions of matter and form, potency and act, change and motion, substance and essence, causality, and nature

Philosophy 4746: Seminar on Dante’s Divine Comedy (2016, 2019, 2022)
An examination of the Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri including the Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. In addition to exploring the relations between the Comedy and other of Dante’s works, the course examines the he philosophical influences on Dante’s epic poem including the positions and doctrines of Plato and Aristotle, Boethius and Augustine, Bonaventure and Aquinas. The course explores philosophically and theologically the various religious themes in the work: the existence and nature of evil, the relation between the soul and body, divine mediation, sin and redemption, nature, morality, and God.

Philosophy 4750: Seminar on the De Deo of St. Thomas Aquinas (2017)
A study of the De Deo of St. Thomas Aquinas (Questions 1-43 of the Summa Theologiae). Students read closely the arguments of Aquinas's text, and examine the sources of his doctrines, especially, Augustine, Boethius, Proclus, the Pseudo-Dionysius and Avicenna. The course emphasises particularly the Neoplatonic character of Thomas's thought.

Annual Contributions to the Comprehensive Exam Course (2008-2016)

Department of Classics, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Classics 1120: Elementary Latin I (2007, 2008)
Introduction to the grammar and syntax of Latin, with particular attention paid to the acquisition of basic skills in reading, composition, and aural comprehension

Classics 1121: Elementary Latin II (2008)
Continuation of the work begun in Elementary Latin I.

Classics 1052: Heroes in Classical Mythology (2009)
Introduction the major myths of ancient Greece and Rome, with particular attention to the heroes. The myths are studied with reference to their social and historical contexts, literary and artistic representations, and philosophical theories of interpretation

Classics 3405: Classical Drama in Greece and Rome (2009)
Examination of the tragic dramas of ancient Greece and Rome. A selection of plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Seneca are read in English translation. Topics include the development of ancient tragedy, its literary, philosophical, performative, and thematic traditions, its representation of social and historical conditions, and its influence on later tragic drama

Department of Classics, Dalhousie University

Classics 1800/2810: First Year Latin (2003, 2004)
A two-semester introduction to Latin through the study of its basic grammar. The aim of the class is to enable students to read Latin texts with the assistance of nothing more than a dictionary.

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GRADUATE COURSES TAUGHT

Department of Philosophy, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Philosophy 6000: Departmental Colloquium (2013, 2014)
Organising and coordinating the Departmental Winter Colloquium and conducting and running seminar sessions with guest speakers and undergraduate and graduate students

Philosophy 6000: Graduate Proseminar (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
This seminar is designed to introduce Masters and Doctoral students to the process of writing an M.A. thesis or doctoral dissertation, and to prepare them to produce and disseminate scholarly research in philosophy. Students are also introduced to various professional topics, which will help to prepare them for further graduate work and/or the academic job market.

Philosophy 6011: Seminar on Aristotle’s Metaphysics (2012, 2021)
A reading of the whole of Aristotle’s Metaphysics exploring the relation and connections between Aristotle’s metaphysics and his physics, philosophy of nature, and theology, including the notions of matter and form, potency and act, change and motion, substance and essence, causality, and nature

Philosophy 6011: Seminar on the De Deo of St. Thomas Aquinas (2017) A study of the De Deo of St. Thomas Aquinas (Questions 1-43 of the Summa Theologiae). Students read closely the arguments of Aquinas's text, and examine the sources of his doctrines, especially, Augustine, Boethius, Proclus, the Pseudo-Dionysius and Avicenna. The course emphasises particularly the Neoplatonic character of Thomas's thought.

Philosophy 6014: Seminar on Boethius’s Consolation of Philosophy (2011)
An examination of the thought of Boethius looking back to his Greek and Hellenistic roots and forward to his influence on later Medieval thinkers to Descartes with an emphasis on his syncretism of Hellenic and Roman philosophy with Christian thought.

Philosophy 6014: Seminar on Proclus' Elements of Theology (2019)
A study of the Elements of Theology of the Neoplatonic Proclus focusing on the nature of the First Principle, the primary hypostases, Being and Infinity, the nature of causality, intelligence, the soul, and the fundamental end of the human being.

Philosophy 6016: Seminar on Dante’s Divine Comedy (2016, 2019, 2022)
An examination of the Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri including the Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. In addition to exploring the relations between the Comedy and other of Dante’s works, the course examines the he philosophical influences on Dante’s epic poem including the positions and doctrines of Plato and Aristotle, Boethius and Augustine, Bonaventure and Aquinas. The course explores philosophically and theologically the various religious themes in the work: the existence and nature of evil, the relation between the soul and body, divine mediation, sin and redemption, nature, morality, and God.

PhD Reading Course on St. Anselm (2016)
A one-on-one reading course on selections from St. Anselm's Proslogion

MA Reading Course on Plotinus (2016)
A one-on-one reading course on selections from Plotinus' Enneads

MPhil Reading Course on Neoplatonic Philosophy (2015)
A one-on-one reading course examining Greek Neoplatonism from Plotnius to the Pseudo-Dionysius

MA Reading Course on Stoic Ethics and Physics (2015)
A one-on-one reading course examining Stoic ethics and their foundations in physics and philosophy of nature

MA Reading Course on Plato’s Symposium (2013)
A one-on-one reading course examining the nature of beauty in Platonic philosophy, focusing on Plato’s Symposium and Phaedrus

MA Reading Course on Ancient and Hellenistic Skepticism (2013)
A one-on-one reading course examining selections from Ancient and Hellenistic skepticism from Socrates to Augustine

MA Reading Course on Plato’s Aesthetics and Ontology (2011)
A one-on-one reading course examining Plato’s Symposium, Phaedrus, Republic, Phaedo, Timaeus and Ion

MA Reading Course on Plato’s Epistemology and Dialectical Method (2010)
A one-on-one reading course examining Plato’s Theaetetus, Meno, Republic, and various letters