Vanessa Schipani
Philosopher. educator. Journalist.
PedagogY
My central goal as an educator is to cultivate not just knowledable individuals but also well-rounded democratic citizens.
When I started teaching philosophy, I was coming off of a career in journalism where I reported daily on the political division plaguing the United States. Given this experience, it was clear to me what my central goal as an educator would be: Cultivating not just knowledgeable individuals, but also well-rounded democratic citizens.
To do so, I create a classroom environment where students see theirs differences and disagreements as a learning opportunities, not fuel for animosity. This requires making sure all students leave my classroom feeling heard and understood by both me and their fellow students.
While cultivating effective democratic citizenship is my main pedagogical end, my main means to this end is helping students develop excellent written and oral communication skills. To do so, I take an integrative learning approach through interdisciplinary syllabi and public-facing assignments.
For example, I often assign journalistic op-eds in addition to argumentative philosophy papers. To help students succed at these assignments, I hold step-by-step tutorials in class and leave plenty of time for them to come to office hours to review their writing line-by-line.
I also assign texts in philosophy, the social sciences, political theory, fiction, and journalism, as well as podcasts and documentaries. Why? I’ve found that students engage more with philosophical texts when they can see how they relate to other fields and contemporary life. It also attracts students pursuing a variety of majors.
Anonymous Teaching Evaluation Highlights
“By far one of the best TAs I’ve had! Her approach to lecturing was smooth, eloquent, and incredibly informative! She was personable and was able to teach us the lecture material in a more concise, 21st century way. She will make an amazing professor in the future if she chooses to go that route!”
“Vanessa was the only reason I learned in this course. She was engaging, excited to teach, and passionate about the subject. I think having her as the lecturer [instead of TA] would’ve changed my whole opinion on the course. I loved learning from her, and in a course so bleak, she offered joy and light.”
“Vanessa mastered a perfect balance between reviewing the subject matter, and allowing us to discuss our input and thoughts. I really appreciated how she tried to include everyone in discussions.”
“Though the course material is difficult by nature...Schipani’s design of the course provides the tools and material to succeed in such a challenging class. I cannot endorse the course and Schipani enough.”
“It was very exciting to learn from Schipani, as they are not only a great instructor and philosopher, but also a former journalist.”
“We actually voted on a few changes to the class schedule. She encouraged the class to take this survey more than once. I appreciate her being open to criticism.”
“Vanessa was really awesome, definitely helped me be a better writer in philosophy.”
“Very good instructor, and while philosophy isn’t my cup of tea, the class was very enjoyable.”
teaching Experience
01.2025 - 05.2025
Lead Instructor
University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA
Courses: Science Communication in Democracy; Philosophy of Science
08.2023 - 12.2023
Lead Instructor
University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA
Course: Science Communication in Democracy
01.2022 - 02.2024
Guest Lecturer
University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Courses: Repairing the Planet: Tools for the Climate Emergency, One Health Study Design
09.2020 - 12.2024
Teaching Assistant
University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Courses: Introduction to Philosophy, The Social Contract,
Bioethics, Repairing the Planet: Tools for the Climate Emergency (course co-designer), Philosophy of Science
01.2022 - 05.2022
C0-Instructor
University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Benjamin B. Comegys Middle School Philosophy Group
09.2018 – 05.2019
Course Co-designer/Teaching Assistant
University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Course: Philosophy of Science MOOC
09.2018 – 05.2019
Adjunct Philosophy Professor
Rowan University | Glassboro, New Jersey
Courses: Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Science
Syllabi
In this document, you can find syllabi for:
Introduction to Philosophy
Introduction to Bioethics
Introduction to Philosophy of Science (taught Spring 2025)
Philosophy of Everyday Life: Time Management and Mortality
Science Communication in Democracy (taught Spring 2025 and Fall 2023)
Social and Political Epistemology
Repairing the Planet: Tools for the Climate Emergency
Power to the People? Debating Democracy’s Viability
American Pragmatism
Additional Courses I'm Prepared to Teach
--Introductory Undergraduate--
Ethics
Environmental Ethics
Practical/Applied Ethics
Epistemology
Philosophy of Mind
Political Philosophy
Science and Society
Existentialism
Feminist Philosophy
The Meaning of Life
Philosophy of Science Fiction
Philosophy of Law
Philosophical or Practical Reasoning
Symbolic Logic
Philosophical Writing
--Advanced Undergraduate/Graduate--
Applied Epistemology
Feminist Philosophy of Science
Philosophy of Communication
Philosophy of Disagreement
Expertise in Democracy
Philosophy of Climate Change
Public Health Ethics
Values/Ethics in Science
Philosophy of Biology
Philosophy of Cognitive Science
Journalism in Democracy
Public Philosophy
Trust in Science