Kevin Matti Gausselin

Teaching

OVERVIEW:

In my teaching, I aim to create an inclusive and intellectually engaging environment where all students feel supported in their academic journey. My approach to teaching involves balancing philosophical rigor with enthusiasm and accessibility. I want my students to think critically about foundational ideas while seeing the connections between philosophical ideas and their daily lives. I also want my students to see how fun philosophy is.

In recognition of my teaching, I received the 2024 Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award from the University of Rochester’s Department of Philosophy.

PRIMARY INSTRUCTOR:

Syracuse University
  • PHI 107: Theories of Knowledge and Reality (Fall 2025 [two sections])
    • This course invites students to explore some of philosophy’s most fascinating questions about knowledge and reality. Can we truly know anything about the world around us? Does God exist? Are our minds distinct from our bodies? Do we have free will, or are our actions determined? Through readings that range from ancient classics to contemporary work, students will encounter a wide variety of perspectives on these timeless issues and develop the tools to think critically about them for themselves.
State University of New York Brockport
  • BUS 378: Business, Government, and Society (Fall 2025 [two sections])
    • How should we understand the role of business in society from the perspective of morality and justice? To what extent is the purpose of business firms to maximize profit for shareholders versus creating benefits for a broader array of stakeholders or society overall? What (if anything) justifies economic systems, such as the one we have in the United States, that feature private property, shareholder-oriented corporations, and competitive markets? In what respects is our economic system unjust? This course will be devoted to these and related questions. Students will learn to criticize and defend ideas about morality, justice, social responsibility, and public policy. They will also develop their own views about these topics.
  • Phil 101: Introduction to Philosophy (Spring 2022 [two sections]; Fall 2023)
    • As humans, we seek explanations. We look for reasons for our beliefs. We are often discontent with the way things are and want to change them to how they should be. Reality seems to consist not only of physical things, like planets and shoes, but non-physical things, like numbers and value (e.g. the quality of being evil). Philosophy is the attempt to give rigorous and systematic answers to life’s fundamental questions. The core areas of philosophy are (i) metaphysics, which is the study of ultimate reality, (ii) epistemology, which is the study of knowledge, (iii) ethics, which is the study of morality (i.e. what we should or should not do) and (iv) logic, which is the study of reasoning.  The primary objectives of this course is to introduce you to certain broad topics within each of these areas of philosophy and to hone your ability to think critically for yourself. A secondary goal is to get you to see that philosophy is everywhere. 
University of Rochester
  • Phil 103: Moral Problems (Summer 2024)
    • This course is an introduction to moral thinking. And we will explore various moral problems. Some questions that will be explored in this class include the following. Why should one be moral? Are there objective facts about right or wrong, or is morality ultimately relative to cultures or times? What is the relation, if any, between morality and religion? Can abortion sometimes be justified, and if so, how? Do animals have rights? If not, then is it permissible for us to farm and eat them? Why should we care for the environment? Should we intervene in nature to stop animal suffering? What is the justification for state punishment? Can machines be moral agents? What should we believe about controversial moral issues when there’s so much disagreement about them?

TEACHING ASSISTANT:

University of Rochester
  • Philosophy of Brain and Cognitive Science (Spring 2024)
  • Reason and Argument (Fall 2023)
  • Introduction to Philosophy (Spring 2023)
  • Introduction to Philosophy (Fall 2022)
  • Environmental Justice (Spring 2022)
  • Social and Political Philosophy (Fall 2021)
  • Ethical Decisions in Medicine (Spring 2021)
  • Introduction to Ethics (Fall 2020)
  • Introduction to Ethics (Spring 2020)
  • Public Health Ethics (Fall 2019) 

Sample Syllabi:

Introduction to Philosophy

Philosophy of Religion

Teaching Portfolio:

You can find my Teaching Portfolio here.