My aim when teaching philosophy is not simply to communicate knowledge, but to enable students to develop critical and independent judgement.
I understand teaching as a two way street. Particularly in the areas of ethics and practical philosophy, students should not only get to know theories and arguments, but learn to apply them to real world problems, to identify ethical questions, articulate their own positions, challenge assumptions and engage with perspectives that differ from their own.
Therefore, a central concern of my teaching is to support students in connecting philosophical theory with the contexts in which ethical questions actually arise. This is particularly important in professionally oriented programmes such as social work and healthcare, where philosophical reflection can provide students with tools for navigating questions of autonomy, responsibility, justice, vulnerability and professional judgement.
Teaching Approach
My courses combine philosophical texts and conceptual analysis with discussion, case studies, group work, debates, excursions and guest speakers from areas of professional practice. Contemporary controversies especially provide opportunities to ask how philosophical concepts illuminate problems outside the seminar room.
I also deliberately experiment with different forms of both digital and analogue teaching. Rather than treating technologies such as generative AI simply as tools to adopt or prohibit, I use them as an opportunity to reflect with students themselves on how different media affect research, judgement and learning. The growing use of generative AI makes this aspect of teaching even more important. It is also an area likely to grow in the future, making it a field students must learn to manoeuvre. Students can increasingly access plausible arguments, text summaries and well made formulations at the click of a button. What cannot be delegated is the task of deciding which reasons they themselves find convincing, what they are prepared and wish to defend, and how they position themselves within difficult moral questions. In my teaching, I therefore place particular emphasis on encouraging students not only to analyse ethical positions, but to inhabit them: to articulate, test and defend their own judgements while remaining open to revision.
A further important part of my teaching is creating an environment in which students with different disciplinary backgrounds, educational experiences and ways of learning can participate confidently. I view accessibility and particularly active inclusion not as additions to good teaching, but as part of what good teaching requires and a clear responsibility on the side of the teacher.
Selected Teaching
Applied & Professional Ethics
Ethics in Social Work — Universität Vechta, 2026
Ethics in Nursing — Universität Münster, 2026
Tutorials in nursing ethics, environmental ethics, digitalisation, political ethics, business ethics and international justice — Professional School Münster, since 2018
Practical & Social Philosophy
Is This Still Feminism? Tradwives and Other TikTok Phenomena — Universität Münster, 2025
Can, Should and Do We Want to Save Democracy? — Universität Münster, 2025
Negotiation and Distribution: Resource Distribution in Democracy — Universität Münster, 2020
Philosophical Foundations
Introduction to Philosophy of Religion — Universität Münster, 2025
Introduction to Metaethics — Universität Münster, 2020
Teaching Experience
In 2025, I represented the Professorship in Practical Philosophy at the University of Münster. In this role, I taught across BA and MA programmes in ethics, applied ethics and research-oriented philosophy, contributed to teacher education, and supervised student work.
Alongside this role, I have several years of experience teaching and supervising students across practical philosophy, applied ethics and interdisciplinary contexts, including professionally oriented programmes in social work and healthcare.
What Students Say
“The discussions were among the liveliest I experienced in a philosophy seminar.”
“I felt encouraged to ask even the most basic questions.”
“Even on very controversial topics, the discussions remained substantive and neutral.”
