Michael Warren Murphy
  Michael Warren Murphy
  • About
  • C.V.
  • Writing
    • Retired Blog (2013-2016)
  • Teaching
  • About
  • C.V.
  • Writing
    • Retired Blog (2013-2016)
  • Teaching

Teaching

"We have to support one another in the care of intellectual practice/s. This is a social imperative." - Fred Moten

Teaching philosophy

Through my experience as a teacher (and long-time student) of sociology, I have found that the true power of social knowledge is not in the accumulation of social facts, but in the capacity to critically reflect upon the intersection of social meaning and action, within ever-changing sociohistorical contexts, that it promotes. Thus, my teaching philosophy is guided by the primary objective of aiding students in their development of three habits or skills that form the bedrock of sociological inquiry: questioning, observing, and communicating. In my teaching, I also place emphasis on thinking and learning as a collective and collaborative endeavor. 

Ongoing courses

I currently teach courses related to social theory, environmental sociology, and racial-colonial domination. Recent course offerings include: 
  • Society and the Environment (writing intensive)
  • Environmental Sociology (graduate seminar)
  • Capstone Research Practicum on Air Pollution in Pittsburgh (research lab)
  • Classical Social Theory (writing intensive)
  • Social Theory

Resources for students

The following is a non-exhaustive list of resources that students might find helpful. 

Sociology and social theory
  • ​Global Social Theory
  • American Sociological Association Section on Environmental Sociology
  • American Sociological Association Section on Social Theory
  • International Sociological Association Research Committee on Environment and Society
  • The Association of Black Sociologists
  • BBC Thinking Allowed (Radio Show)
  • The Society Pages

Navigating academe
  • National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity
  • Conditionally Accepted | Inside Higher Ed
  • The Leadership Alliance
  • Professor Matthew Guterl's Advice to Graduate Students
  • The Professor Is In | Karen Kelsky

Tools for intellectual practice
  • Zotero (free)
  • Bookends
  • Zettlr (free)
  • Scrivener
  • Atlas.ti


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