Academic Courses

I teach a variety of ethics courses at Colorado State University from freshman to graduate levels. Here are short descriptions of my regular offerings with links to recent syllabi. Please note that the material covered in these classes changes from semester to semester.


Phil 103 Moral and Social Problems - an introductory course in applied ethics, applying philosophical reasoning to issues such as affirmative action, abortion, gambling, global warming, over-consumption and sexual morality.

2021 syllabus 2022 syllabus


Phil 205 Ethical Theory - an introduction to the main approaches to ethical theory, including utilitarianism, Kantianism and virtue theory.

2017 syllabus


Phil 320 Ethics of Sustainability and Phil 345 Environmental Ethics - philosophical exploration of questions such as: what environmental policies will help people create good societies? Do other species have a right to continued existence free from anthropogenic extinction? What are our responsibilities to future generations regarding climate change and other global environmental challenges?

320: 2016 syllabus 2019 syllabus

345: 2020 syllabus 2022 syllabus


Phil 380 Philosophy Goes to the Movies - introduces key areas in philosophy through the medium of film, including ethics, epistemology, metaphysics and issues around personal identity.

2016 syllabus


PHIL 548 Seminar in Normative Ethical Theory - graduate seminar exploring major ethical theories including consequentialism, deontology, contractarianism and virtue ethics, and their applications.

2021 syllabus 2022 syllabus


Phil 565 Seminar in Environmental Philosophy - graduate seminar exploring key topics in environmental ethics, including population and consumption issues, the moral considerability of nonhuman species, duties to future generations, and the relationship between sustainability and justice.

2017 syllabus 2019 syllabus