GYWH.com

Posted: Jul 16, 2011 08:07 pm

For six quarters in 1990 to 1991, I taught philosophy at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (California Polytechnic and State University at San Luis Obispo). Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a beautiful, modern, brick and concrete campus planted on a hillside between large eucalyptus trees. The campus sits just north of the small town of San Luis Obispo, creating an idyllic setting for a California education. Betraying its origin as an agricultural college, there are fields of cows and sheep on two sides, giving a decidedly rural feel. I loved it.

Here is a list of the courses I taught:

SUMMER Quarter 1990 (Jun-Sep, 1990)

• PHIL 230: Philosophical Classics: Metaphysics and Epistemology
  two sections of 35 students each
• PHIL 331: Ethics
  three sections of 35 students each

FALL Quarter 1990 (Sep-Dec, 1990)

• PHIL 231: Philosophical Classics: Ethical and Political Classics
  two sections of 33 students each
• PHIL 337: Professional Ethics (Business Ethics, Biomedical Ethics)
  two sections of 35 students each

WINTER Quarter 1991 (Jan-Mar, 1991)

• PHIL 231: Philosophical Classics: Ethical and Political Classics
  four sections of 37 students each
• PHIL 337: Professional Ethics (Business Ethics, Biomedical Ethics)
  one section of 35 students

SPRING Quarter 1991 (Apr-Jun, 1991)

• PHIL 230: Philosophical Classics: Metaphysics and Epistemology
  two sections of 39 students each
• PHIL 337: Professional Ethics (Business Ethics, Biomedical Ethics)
  two sections of 41 students each

SUMMER Quarter 1991 (Jun-Sep, 1991)

• PHIL 125: Critical Thinking
  four sections of 33 students each
• PHIL 230: Philosophical Classics: Metaphysics and Epistemology
  one section of 37 students

FALL Quarter 1991 (Sep-Dec, 1991)

• PHIL 125: Critical Thinking
  two sections of 35 students each
• PHIL 231: Philosophical Classics: Ethical and Political Classics
  two sections of 35 students each

At Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, each quarter lasted ten weeks. The Philosophy Department offered about a dozen courses every quarter, and every course had multiple sections of about thirty five students each. Some sections met three times per week for 50 minute lectures, other sections met two times per week for 80 minute lectures. Typically, a Lecturer with 2-3 sections in each of 2 courses had to create 4-6 new lectures per week, for ten weeks. There were no Teaching Assistants, so Lecturers graded all papers and exams themselves. In a typical quarter, I taught 140-180 students; so in all, I taught about 1000 students in my time teaching philosophy at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.