James D Taplin

I have been teaching in the College of Business at OSU for more than two years now and I love what I do! Working closely with students is my passion, and I have the opportunity to connect with my students daily both through my instructional and programmatic work. My experience teaching philosophy and critical thinking have cultivated both creative and analytic skills that are well-suited to adapting to complex problems on the fly. I am deeply passionate about education, particularly education that is human-centered.

My dissertation develops a conception of Nietzsche’s philosophy of education within the context of the broader nineteenth-century German project of Bildung or education in culture. I propose that Nietzsche’s aesthetic and moral philosophy in his early period cannot be properly grasped without a comprehensive understanding of the role that education plays in his thinking. By situating Nietzsche within the German tradition of Bildung, I highlight his emphasis on education as something that is capable of elevating the general population into active and creative participants in culture.

My passion for education motivates both my research and my pedagogy. I have taught philosophy and business courses in colleges and universities including Oregon State University, Blinn College, Temple University, and San Francisco State University. In the spring of 2018, I was awarded the Temple Philosophy Graduate Teaching Award for excellence in teaching. In the fall of 2015, I founded and coordinated the Undergraduate Philosophy Mentor Program within the Philosophy Department at Temple University. I have worked in a variety of administrative roles, including as a founding member of the Philosophy Department’s first Climate Committee. I worked as a writing and research tutor for the Temple University Writing Center from 2020-2022.

My time in the College of Business at Oregon State University has helped me to diversify my skillset. I teach between 600-800 students each term, which has forced to me constantly evaluate and adapt my approach to pedagogy. I have completed numerous trainings on dialogue, online teaching, course development, and pedagogy that have helped me develop into a more thoughtful and organized educator. As a program manager, I have created multiple successful programs and initiatives in the college, the most recent of which is the COB Discourse Program.
Supervisors: Kristin Gjesdal, Professor of Philosophy, Temple University, Cesar Cabesas, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Lara Osteric, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Paul Kottman, Professor of Comparative Literature, and The New School for Social Research