Teaching

My primary aim as a teacher is to help students to develop transferable intellectual skills. I use student-led discussion to facilitate greater reflection and dialogue. I also structure assignments in ways that encourage students to change their minds as they learn more—rather than ardently defending particular views.

Below is a list of courses that I've taught. Those for which I was the sole instructor are underlined, and include links to sample syllabi. Below that is a summary of my students' evaluations of my teaching.

Courses I have taught

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2018-2022)

• Practical Ethics: Moral Reasoning and How We Live

• Philosophy of the Social Sciences

• Understanding our Social World: An Introduction to Philosophy, Politics, and Economics

• Virtues, Values, and Happiness: An Introduction to Moral Theory

• Making Sense of Ourselves: An Introduction to Philosophy

University of California, Los Angeles (2016-2017)

• Introduction to Political Philosophy

• Introduction to Philosophy of Mind

• Introduction to Philosophy of Science

Teaching evaluations

Below are histograms, illustrating my students' overall evaluations of my teaching. These data are from my time at UNC Chapel Hill, and include 110 students from 5 semesters. 75% of my students agreed or strongly agreed that the course was excellent. 93% agreed or strongly agreed that they learned a great deal.

In addition to these closed-ended questions, students are asked for comments on the course and instructor. Below are a few select quotes from their responses.

• “I have been very thankful to have Michael as my instructor... He really encourages students to share their own opinions and take ownership of their beliefs and thoughts... I really have enjoyed Michael as my instructor and signed up for a class he has next semester!”

• “He is passionate about philosophy and it shows in his lectures. He made philosophy fun and applied it in ways that made it easier to understand. By far, my favorite philosophy class at UNC.”

• “I feel like my reading comprehension skills skyrocketed during my time in this course, and for that, I am grateful”

• "I now actually know how to effectively take apart arguments as well as accurately construct my own."

• “Michael Prinzing showed great enthusiasm towards the subject matter and a genuine love for teaching and hearing our opinions. He was kind and easy to get in touch with should we need the help and need his attention.”

• “He is the reason why I stayed in this class. I am not a philosophy person but he made it tolerable. He expressed his ideas clearly and is passionate about the subject. He seemed like he wanted the best for us and for us to succeed.”

• “Michael handled questions with dignity – it was one of the only classes where I truly felt like I could ask any question without it seeming stupid.”