Mikio Akagi '08 Leads Philosophy Course
Mikio Akagi '08 is teaching three other students in a philosophy course entitled “Empiricism and Language in Twentieth-Century Analytic Philosophy” (PHIL 089S) this spring. The objective of the course is “to critically examine the treatment of language and linguistic phenomena by contemporary, Anglophone philosophy” through an examination of “key works by Wilfrid Sellars, John McDowell and Robert Brandom.” The class is currently reading Sellars’ “Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind.”
“There were a couple authors in particular that I was really interested in … they kept coming up,” Akagi said of his chosen focus. When he “approached Professor [Richard] Eldridge to see if any of the professors would be interested … in a directed reading,” Eldridge suggested that Akagi himself direct the reading. The resulting course is “similar to” Professor Mark Goodwin’s Philosophy 022, a class that is no longer available.
How does it feel to be teaching a Swarthmore course? “It’s a little daunting, of course,” Akagi said. “I’m trying not to be too much of a teacher.” Instead, he hopes for everyone to participate “as peers.” “We don’t ... raise our hands or anything,” said Molly Wilder ’09, a student in the class. “It’s pretty informal.”
Print
Email
#1: 1/31/2008 at 2:01 p.m.
I think Ben Blonder is also leading a course.
— George | Unregistered, Swarthmore
#2: 1/31/2008 at 2:42 p.m.
He is, and we wrote about him last semester.
— Miles Skorpen | Staff