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Joanna Lawson

Visiting Assistant Professor

Philosophy

Orcid identifier0000-0001-8581-0747 (opens in a new tab)⁠
  • Visiting Assistant Professor
    Philosophy
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TEACHING SUMMARY

I have taught a wide range of undergraduate classes, including:

Introduction to Philosophy
Philosophy of Happiness and Wellbeing
Philosophy and Cognitive Science of Consciousness
Feminist Philosophy
Life Worth Living: Religious and Philosophical Approaches to the Good Life
Ethics of the Internet: Data, Algorithms, Society

I have also taught (or am planning to teach) the following graduate classes:

Seminar on Analytic Philosophy
Seminar on Neurodiversity and Cognitive Disability

TEACHING

  • COURSE TAUGHT
    Master's Thesis in Philosophy
    12 Jan 2026 - 1 May 2026
    Supervised individual work on a thesis for a master's degree.Offered for variable credit, 1-6credit hours, maximum of 6 credit hours.
  • COURSE TAUGHT
    Philosophy in the Age of Enlightenment (H)
    12 Jan 2026 - 1 May 2026
    Major philosophers and problems in Western thought from the 17th through the 18th century. Emphasis on Descartes, Hume and Kant.Prerequisite(s): PHIL 1113 or PHIL 1313 or PHIL 2013, or any 3000-4000 level PHIL course.
  • COURSE TAUGHT
    Seminar on History of Analytic
    12 Jan 2026 - 1 May 2026
    Three courses in philosophy. Selected topics in one field of philosophy.Offered for fixed credit, 3 credit hours, maximum of 9 credit hours.
  • COURSE TAUGHT
    Happiness & Well-being (H)
    18 Aug 2025 - 5 Dec 2025
    What is happiness? And what is the relationship between a happy life and a good life? The course explores both the science and philosophy of happiness and well-being as well as the relationship between the two.
  • COURSE TAUGHT
    Introduction To Philosophy (H)
    18 Aug 2025 - 5 Dec 2025
    This course explores several major philosophical questions, like can we know whether God exists; whether we have free will; what makes an action morally right or wrong; what our ethical obligations are to asylum seekers, Impoverished Individuals across the world, fetuses, terminally ill individuals; what a fair and just society looks like, and more. Previously offered as PHIL 2113.
  • COURSE TAUGHT
    Master's Thesis in Philosophy
    18 Aug 2025 - 5 Dec 2025
    Supervised individual work on a thesis for a master's degree.Offered for variable credit, 1-6credit hours, maximum of 6 credit hours.
  • COURSE TAUGHT
    Happiness & Well-being (H)
    13 Jan 2025 - 2 May 2025
    What is happiness? And what is the relationship between a happy life and a good life? The course explores both the science and philosophy of happiness and well-being as well as the relationship between the two.
  • COURSE TAUGHT
    Introduction To Philosophy (H)
    13 Jan 2025 - 2 May 2025
    This course explores several major philosophical questions, like can we know whether God exists; whether we have free will; what makes an action morally right or wrong; what our ethical obligations are to asylum seekers, Impoverished Individuals across the world, fetuses, terminally ill individuals; what a fair and just society looks like, and more. Previously offered as PHIL 2113.
  • COURSE TAUGHT
    Master's Thesis in Philosophy
    13 Jan 2025 - 2 May 2025
    Supervised individual work on a thesis for a master's degree.Offered for variable credit, 1-6credit hours, maximum of 6 credit hours.
  • COURSE TAUGHT
    Philosophy in the Age of Enlightenment (H)
    19 Aug 2024 - 6 Dec 2024
    Major philosophers and problems in Western thought from the 17th through the 18th century. Emphasis on Descartes, Hume and Kant.Prerequisite(s): PHIL 1113 or PHIL 1313 or PHIL 2013, or any 3000-4000 level PHIL course.
  • COURSE TAUGHT
    Special Studies in Philosophy
    19 Aug 2024 - 6 Dec 2024
    Selected philosophical topics or works.Offered for variable credit, 1-3 credit hours, maximum of 10 credit hours.
  • COURSE TAUGHT
    Topics In Ethical Theory
    19 Aug 2024 - 6 Dec 2024
    Central problems in ethical theory, such as ethical realism/anti-realism, motivational internalism/externalism, and problems within specific normative systems.Written Description.Prerequisite(s): PHIL 3413.
  • COURSE TAUGHT
    Introduction To Philosophy (H)
    16 Jan 2024 - 3 May 2024
    Selected philosophical problems: the nature of reality, knowledge, value, social ideals and religion. Previously offered as PHIL 2113.
  • COURSE TAUGHT
    Seminar on Analytic
    16 Jan 2024 - 3 May 2024
    Three courses in philosophy. Selected topics in one field of philosophy.Offered for fixed credit, 3 credit hours, maximum of 9 credit hours.
  • COURSE TAUGHT
    Happiness and Well-being (H)
    21 Aug 2023 - 8 Dec 2023
    An investigation into the science and philosophy of happiness and well-being as well as the relationship between the two.
  • COURSE TAUGHT
    Introduction To Philosophy (H)
    21 Aug 2023 - 8 Dec 2023
    Selected philosophical problems: the nature of reality, knowledge, value, social ideals and religion. Previously offered as PHIL 2113.