Teaching Team
Faculty
Steven Horst
Professor of Philosophy
Steven Horst is Professor of Philosophy. His research interests include philosophy of mind, cognitive science, philosophy of science, and metaphysics. In addition to this course, he also teaches courses in philosophy of mind, Early Modern philosophy, and moral psychology.
Leads Breakouts for Section 1 and Section 2 (Boger 110)
Drop-in hours: TBA
Nicholas Whittaker
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Nicholas Whittaker's research explores the relationships between race, aesthetics, and lived experience. In addition to LAGL, they teach courses on horror films, black metaphilosophy, and political philosophy of race.
Leads Breakouts for Section 3 (Boger 114) and Section 4 (Fisk 312)
Drop-in hours: TBA
Tushar Irani
Professor of Philosophy and Letters
Tushar Irani holds a joint appointment in the Department of Philosophy and the College of Letters. Apart from his interests in philosophy as a way of life, he works on issues of philosophical method, the history and practice of rhetoric, and moral psychology in Greco-Roman philosophy. He has a special research interest in Plato.
Leads Breakouts for Section 5 and Section 6 (Casper 205)
Drop-in hours: please schedule an appointment on Calendly here
Dialogue Facilitators
Esme Haymes
Lead Dialogue Facilitator
Esme is a Junior in the College of Letters and a REES major from New York City. She first took Living a Good Life in her freshman year and subsequently led two high school sections of the course with NEON. Outside of class Esme enjoys creative writing, spending time outside, and cooking with her roommates.
Merik Schaefer
Lead Dialogue Facilitator
Merik is a Senior from Minneapolis majoring in Economics. He enjoys backpacking, card games, the snow, and anything that throws off his daily routine. Outside of academics, he is a member of the rugby team, a financial aid ambassador, and works at the Red and Black Café.
Cole Corper
Cole Corper is a Sophomore from New York City majoring in Studio Art. In his freshman year he took Living a Good Life and Aesthetics of the Uncanny, which were his first introduction to philosophy. Outside of class, Cole is a musician, playing guitar and synthesizers in a few bands on campus.
Leads Dialogue Sessions for Section 5
Dechen Culhane
Hi, I am Dechen Culhane. I am a Sophomore at Wesleyan majoring in College of Letters. I have lived in Brooklyn for the past nine years but spent the first ten years of my life in Hong Kong. I really loved taking Living a Good Life my freshman year and my Dialogue Facilitators were really helpful when it came to any sort of questions I had about the class/getting used to life here in general. I hope I can do the same for anybody in our section!
Leads Dialogue Sessions for Section 4
Sam Day
Sam is a Junior from Los Angeles, California, who is majoring in Philosophy and Economics with a minor in Animal Studies. Sam is particularly interested in ethics and the relationships between human and non-human animals. Outside of class, he spends most of his time exploring and connecting with the outdoors. His favorite activities include hiking, camping, kayaking, and surfing.
Leads Dialogue Sessions for Section 1
Jason Gesser
Jason is a Junior from Brooklyn, New York, majoring in Philosophy and doing the Social, Cultural, Critical Theory certificate. Outside of academics, he works at the Writing Center, sings and arranges songs for his a cappella group Onomatopoeia, plays board games and role-playing games with his friends, and is always (even in class) working on a new craft project.
Leads Dialogue Sessions for Section 5
Akari Ikeda
Akari is a Junior from Japan/the United Kingdom. She is a Philosophy and Government double major with a minor in CEAS. When she is not defending British food from her beloved friends, she enjoys trying out different teas, drawing, game hunting, and worshipping Joan Didion. She hopes to combine her passion for linguistics, law, and philosophy by continuing her research on taboo language and the freedom of speech in the near future.
Leads Dialogue Sessions for Section 3
Cyris Laury-Schaefer
Cyris is a Senior majoring in Film and Psychology. Originally from Maui, Hawai‘i, he loves exploring nature, surfing, and watching movies outside of the classroom. At Wesleyan, he is a member of the Rugby team and enjoys meeting new people and making meaningful connections.
Leads Dialogue Sessions for Section 6
Caelen Lee
Caelan is a Sophomore at Wes and a prospective Philosophy and Economics double major. His current hobbies include nature photography and (very poor) ice skating.
Leads Dialogue Sessions for Section 3
Lily McNamara
Lily is a Sophomore at Wesleyan from Woodstock, New York. She is a prospective Government and Economics double major. Outside of class you'll find her watching movies (at the theater), hiking, or reading.
Leads Dialogue Sessions for Section 4
Soleil Mousseau
Soleil is a Sophomore from Oakland, California. She is planning to major in Neuroscience and STS, and is very interested in the philosophy of mind. Outside of class, you can find her devil stick-ing!
Leads Dialogue Sessions for Section 2
KG Pan
KG is a sophomore from Honolulu, Hawai‘i. They are considering majoring in religion and ENVS. In their free time they enjoy playing frisbee with Throw Culture, watching movies, doing puzzles, and hanging out with friends.
Leads Dialogue Sessions for Section 2
Virginia Potter
Virginia is a Junior from upstate New York majoring in College of East Asian Studies and Chemistry with a minor in Religion. She is particularly interested in Buddhist Studies and Eastern philosophy. Outside of class she enjoys roller blading, baking, and dancing.
Leads Dialogue Sessions for Section 1
Liev Shpitalnik
Liev is a Senior majoring in Psychology with a minor in REES. He is originally from Branford, CT so he knows Connecticut well. Liev loves to sing with the Wesleyan Spirits, play intramural soccer and talk about life!
Leads Dialogue Sessions for Section 6