BRIANA TOOLE

TEACHING

Here you can find information about my pedagogical approach and courses I have previously taught, in addition to recommended readings on selected topics related to my research. For those seeking a recommendation letter, please complete the form below.

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

The belief that learning occurs through discomfort guides my teaching practice. Being challenged makes students uncomfortable - but this discomfort fosters growth. To that end, I try to create a classroom environment in which students feel safe to express their ideas, and are open to being challenged by their peers.

My high-energy teaching style helps students feel relaxed and encourages them to be involved. Rather than lecturing, I often rely on classroom discussion, either in small groups or pairs, so that at all times students are responsible for doing the thinking and guiding the direction of the course. In this way, students discover the answers to important questions themselves, rather than relying on me for answers.

My aim in teaching philosophy is to develop critical thinkers who are capable of self-reflection and analysis. My goal as a teacher is always to show students how to think, not what to think. Teaching with this goal in mind allows students to see that the skills learned in philosophy are helpful outside of the classroom, and can be applied in their everyday lives.

TEACHING STATEMENT

TEACHING EVALUATIONS

COURSES TAUGHT

Advanced Seminar: Ideology and World-Making (Fall 2021)
Philosophy through Black Literature (Spring 2021)
Feminism for Men, or: How to Make a Feminist (Spring 2021)
Introduction to Reason and Reality (Fall 2020)
Feminist Epistemologies (Spring 2020)
Introduction to Philosophy of Religion (Spring 2020, Fall 2019)

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

Please fill this out only after you have made a formal request via email

REQUEST FORM

RESOURCES

During talks, guest lectures, or in the course of teaching, I often reference a number of articles that figure centrally in my own research. For ease of access, I have compiled here a list of the resources I tend to mention, as well as those works I simply love! Please note that this page is in progress and is continually being updated. If you would like to suggest additional works, please contact me.

On the experiences of people of color and women

Ashley, Wendy. (2014). “The Angry Black Woman: The Impact of Pejorative Stereotypes on Psychotherapy with Black Women”. Social Work in Public Health, 29(1), 27–34.
- Ashley examines the adverse impact of the 'angry black woman' trope on the mental health of black women.

Bailey, Moya. (2013). “New Terms of Resistance: A Response to Zenzele Isoke”. Souls, 15(4), 341–343.
- Bailey coins the concept of misogynoir—a unique type of misogyny directed specifically at black women.

Berenstain, Nora. (2016). “Epistemic Exploitation”. Ergo, an Open Access Journal of Philosophy, 3(22), 569-590.
- Berenstain examines the epistemic labor marginalized people are expected to perform and the emotional and physical impact of this labor.

Collins, Patricia Hill. (1986). “Learning from the Outsider Within: The Sociological Significance of Black Feminist Thought”. Social Problems, 33(6), 14–32.
- Collins explores the unique perspective that black women have on society as 'outsiders-within'.

Crenshaw, Kimberlé Williams. (1994). “The Marginalization of Sexual Violence against Black Women”. NCASA Journal, 2(1), 1–15.
- One of the pieces in which Crenshaw discusses the hypersexualization of black women and how this sexualization results in testimonial injustice - that black women are less likely to be believed when they report sexual assault.

Fatima, Saba. (2017). “On the Edge of Knowing: Microaggression and Epistemic Uncertainty as a Woman of Color”. In Kirsti Cole and Holly Hassel (eds.), Surviving Sexism in Academia: Strategies for Feminist Leadership, 147–157. Routledge.
- Fatima explores how people of color, especially women of color, are microaggressed when their knowledge of oppression and discrimination is dismissed.

Manne, Kate. (2018). Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny. Oxford University Press.
- Manne develops an analysis of misogyny that takes it to be the enforcement branch of the patriarchy and further examines how misogyny restores a patriarchal social order.

Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, by documentarian Byron Hurt.
- Hurt explores the evolution of hip-hop and rap within the black community, and examines the relationship between this music and black masculinity.

Soul Food Junkies, by documentarian Byron Hurt.
- Hurt traces the history and adverse health implications of soul food.

On the experience of women and people of color within the academy

El-Alayli, Amani, Ashley A. Hansen-Brown, and Michelle Ceynar. (2018). “Dancing Backwards in High Heels: Female Professors Experience More Work Demands and Special Favor Requests, Particularly from Academically Entitled Students”. Sex Roles, 1–15.

Guarino, Cassandra M., and Victor M. H. Borden. (2017). “Faculty Service Loads and Gender: Are Women Taking Care of the Academic Family?” Research in Higher Education, 58(6), 672–694.

Haslanger, Sally. (2008). “Changing the Ideology and Culture of Philosophy: Not by Reason (Alone)”. Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy, 23(2), 210–223.

Joseph, Tiffany D., and Laura E. Hirshfield. (2011). “‘Why Don't You Get Somebody New to do it?’ Race and Cultural Taxation in the Academy.”, Ethnic and Racial Studies 34(1):121-141.

Mills, Charles. (1998). "Non-Cartesian Sums", in Blackness Visible, 1-19.

Müller, Mirjam. (2018). “Emotional Labour: A Case of Gender-Specific Exploitation”. Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 1–22.

Nair, Shelia. (2014). “Women of Color Faculty and the “Burden” of Diversity”.International Feminist Journal of Politics, 16(3), 497 – 500.

On feminist epistemology, the epistemology of ignorance, and epistemic oppression

Alcoff, Linda Martín. (2007). “Epistemologies of Ignorance: Three Types”. In Shannon Sullivan and Nancy Tuana (eds.), Race and Epistemologies of Ignorance. 39–58. State University of New York Press.

Antony, Louise. (2006). “The Socialization of Epistemology”, In Robert E. Goodin and Charles Tilly (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Contextual Political Analysis, 57-77. Oxford University Press.

Ashton, Natalie. (2019). “Relativizing Epistemic Advantage”, in The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Relativism (ed. Martin Kusch), Routledge.

Crasnow, Sharon. (2008). “Feminist philosophy of science: ‘standpoint’ and knowledge. Science & Education, 17, 1089–1110.

Dotson, Kristie. (2012). “A Cautionary Tale: On Limiting Epistemic Oppression”. Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, 33(1), 24–47.

Dotson, Kristie. (2014). “Conceptualizing Epistemic Oppression.” Social Epistemology, 28(2), 115–138.

Dror, Lidal. (2022). “Is there an epistemic advantage to being oppressed”, Nous, 1-23.

Fricker, Miranda. (1999). “Epistemic Oppression and Epistemic Privilege”. Canadian Journal of Philosophy, 29(sup1), 191–210.

Fricker, Miranda. (2007). Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of Knowing. Oxford University Press.

Grasswick, Heidi E. (2004). “Individuals-in-Communities: The Search for a Feminist Model of Epistemic Subjects.” Hypatia, 19(3), 85–120.

Haraway, Donna. (1988). “Situated Knowledges: The Science Question in Feminism and the Privilege of Partial Perspective”, Feminist Studies, 14, 575-599.

Harding, Sandra. (1992). “Rethinking Standpoint Epistemology: What is ‘Strong Objectivity’?”, The Centennial Review, 36(3), 437-470.

Hartsock, Nancy (1983). “‘The Feminist Standpoint: Developing the Ground for a Specifically Feminist Historical Materialism”. In Sandra Harding and Merrill B. Hintikka, (eds.), Discovering Reality: Feminist Perspectives on Epistemology, Metaphysics, Methodology, and Philosophy of Science, 283–310. Reidel Publishing Company.

Intemann, Kristin. (2010). “25 years of Feminist Empiricism and Standpoint Theory: Where Are We Now?”, Hypatia, 25, 778-796.

Kukla, Quill. (2006). “Objectivity and Perspective in Empirical Knowledge”. Episteme, 3(1), 80–95.

Mills, Charles. (1988). "Alternative Epistemologies", Social Theory and Practice, 14(3), 237-263.

Mills, Charles. (2007). “White Ignorance.” In Shannon Sullivan and Nancy Tuana (eds.), Race and Epistemologies of Ignorance, 11–38. State University of New York Press.

Pohlhaus, Gaile. (2011). “Relational Knowing and Epistemic Injustice: Toward a Theory Of Willful Hermeneutical Ignorance”. Hypatia, 27(4), 715–735.

Rolin, Kristina. (2009). “Standpoint Theory as a Methodology for the Study of Power Relations”. Hypatia, 24(4), 218-226.

Saint-Croix, Catharine (2020). “Privilege and Position: Formal Tools for Standpoint Epistemology”, Res Philosophica, 97 (4):489-524.

Tanesini, Alessandra. (2019). “Standpoint theory then and now”, in The Routledge Handbook of Social Epistemology (eds. Miranda Fricker, Peter J. Graham, David Henderson, Nikolaj J.L.L. Pedersen),

Woomer, Lauren. (2017). “Agential Insensitivity and Socially Supported Ignorance.” Episteme, 1–19.

Wu, Jingyi (2022). Epistemic Advantage on the Margin: A Network Standpoint Epistemology. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research:1-23.

Wylie, Alison. (2003). “Why Standpoint Matters”. In Robert Figueroa and Sandra G. Harding (eds.). Science and Other Cultures: Diversity in the Philosophy of Science and Technology, 26–48. Routledge.

On the metaphysics of race/gender

Appiah, Anthony. (1990). "But Would That Still Be Me?" Notes on Gender, "Race," Ethnicity, as Sources of "Identity", Journal of Philosophy, 87(10), 493-499.

Fausto-Sterling, A. (1993), THE FIVE SEXES. The Sciences, 33: 20-24.

Haslanger, Sally. (2000). "Gender and Race: (What) Are They? (What) Do We Want Them to Be?", Nous, 34(1), 31-55.

McKinnon, Rachel. (2015). “Trans*Formative Experiences”. Res Philosophica, 92(2), 419–440.

Mills, Charles. (1998). "'But what are you really?' The Metaphysics of Race", Blackness Visible: Essays on Philosophy and Race.
Witt, Charlotte (2011). What Is Gender Essentialism? In Feminist Metaphysics, pp. 11-25.