Teaching statement

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When I started teaching, I was coming off a career in journalism where I reported daily on the political polarization plaguing the United States. Given this experience, it was clear to me what my central goal as an educator and mentor would be: Cultivating not just knowledgeable individuals, but also well-rounded democratic citizens. To do so, I create a classroom environment where students see difference and disagreement – both with me and their fellow classmates – as learning opportunities, not fuel for animosity. Indeed, envisioning how we can achieve these kinds of responsive communicative environments on a national scale is central to my research program. This is a testament to my commitment to the teacher-scholar model of academia: My research enriches my teaching and mentorship just as much as my teaching and mentorship enriches my research. In short, I see students as collaborators, not disciples.

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Approach

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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, as being able to articulate oneself clearly and thoughtfully is key to productive democratic debate. However, given my background in both academia and journalism, my assignments aim to promote not only scholarly discourse but also broader public discourse. For example, for a course I designed called ‘Science Communication in Democracy’ that’s based on my dissertation research, I helped students write both philosophy papers and journalistic op-eds on topics such as misinformation, AI, social media, public health, and climate change. To do so, I held step-by-step tutorials that outlined how to succeed at these assignments as well as offered ample office hours where I reviewed students’ writing line by line. 

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Along with my own experience writing for the public, my op-ed writing tutorial is informed by conversations I’ve had with Clay Risen, a former New York Times op-ed editor. It includes tips like, “Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Instigate discussion and reflection, but don’t tell the whole story” and “Challenge something. Don’t be snarky, but try to rile people up.” Additionally, for paper writing, I’ve created a formula that breaks down the components of a good thesis statement into what one is arguing, why one is making that argument, and how one will do so. As I tell students, setting yourself up at the start with a good thesis statement often translates to a well-organized and argued essay. 

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But how do I handle students’ use of generative AI? Given the evolving nature of the issue, I will likely adapt my approach over time. My present strategy entails more carrot than stick: First, through the aforementioned tutorials and office hours, I pave a clear road to success, as many students tell me they feel less tempted to use AI if success feels within reach without it. Students also tell me they use AI to generate ideas and outlines for papers, but I question this approach, given the sycophantic nature of ChatGPT and the like. Instead, I aid students to perform these tasks myself, and I facilitate peer-to-peer critique and collaboration. 

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I also integrate assignments that instigate critical thinking, even if students do use AI. For instance, to bolster their oral communication skills, I ask students to compose detailed questions about the texts we read, which they present and think through in class. I ask students to discuss a course topic with a loved one as well. For this assignment, one student debated the COVID-19 vaccine with his brother, who was hesitant to get it. From listening to the conversation’s recording, I could tell this student had gained the practice needed from our class discussions to civilly articulate and reflect on his own view, as well as to ask questions that led his brother to reflect on his position – a clear example of both critical thinking and responsive communication. 

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Like many of the courses I teach, ‘Science Communication in Democracy’ is interdisciplinary: It integrates texts from philosophy, the social sciences, and communication studies, alongside journalistic articles, podcasts, and documentaries. Even when I teach introductory survey courses, I integrate interdisciplinary and popular media, as I’ve found that students engage more with philosophical texts when they can see how they relate to other fields and our modern world. With this interdisciplinary approach, my courses attract students pursuing a variety of majors, which further diversifies classroom discussions and, thus, models successful democratic discourse. 

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I’m thankful to my advisor, Michael Weisberg, who helped me refine my interdisciplinary pedagogy. For example, I helped him design and teach ‘Repairing the Planet: Tools for the Climate Emergency,’ a course that integrates philosophy, economics, history, fiction, and policy texts. Weisberg and I also co-designed an online philosophy of science Coursera course, in which over 22,000 people have now enrolled. 

 

Student Evaluations

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My commitment to cultivating effective democratic citizenship, and generally helping students think critically about their beliefs and actions, comes through in an article published in Penn’s newsletter about ‘Science Communication in Democracy.’ One student said our classroom was “a very respectful environment,” where we were “always very charitable with interpreting each other’s arguments,” adding that the “class might be their favorite because of [its] interdisciplinary approach.” Another student said the course “challenged her previously held view of science ‘as an objective arbiter of truth’ and made her ‘re-examine how [she thinks] about the illusion of objectivity” in journalism. In an email, another student said the “readings and conversations we had truly reshaped the way [she thinks] about scientific questions” and that the course gave her “a good basis of knowledge” that improved her confidence handling material in other courses.

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Many students make similar comments in my teaching evaluations, namely that through “thoughtful discussions of actual substance,” they were able to “master the material.” Another student said, “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.” And yet another commented that, “It was very exciting to learn from Schipani, as they are not only a great instructor and philosopher, but also a former journalist.”

 

Teaching Grants

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Because of my commitment to fostering effective democratic citizenship, Penn’s SNF Paideia Program designated ‘Science Communication in Democracy’ as part of their program. Like myself, the Program helps students develop the skills necessary for “meaningful dialogues across difference.” The Program also provided me with $11,000 to invite speakers – including Sean Illing, host of the Vox podcast The Gray Area – to meet my students and give public talks related to the course. This program provided me with another $12,500 to teach the course again and invite Joanna Wuest, an assistant professor at Stony Brook whose research was featured on Radiolab, to speak to my students in Spring 2025. 

 

Teacher Training

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My commitment to cultivating effective democratic citizens can also be seen in the kinds of workshops I attended while obtaining a teaching certificate from Penn’s Center for Excellence in Teaching, including ‘Building Community in the Classroom,’ ‘Making Your Teaching More Accessible and Inclusive,’ and ‘Discussing Our Difficult Past: When Past & Present Collide in Your Classroom.’ These workshops prepared me to handle the tension that arose in Fall 2023 when the war in Gaza began, and I had a Jewish student and a Palestinian student in my class. Because our classroom environment was one of trust, I knew my students’ backgrounds, which allowed me to better accommodate their needs. 

 

Mentorship

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In addition to teaching courses on a wide range of topics, I also have experience mentoring undergraduates at both the beginning and end of their studies. At present, I’m working with one student whose senior thesis contributes to a project I’m working on related to generative AI’s impact on public discourse. This Spring I’m also planning to work with first and second year students on a project that argues we need to hold social media companies legally liable for the harm they cause to individuals and the information ecosystem (please see my research statement for more information). In addition to gaining philosophical research and journalistic interviewing skills, students will have the opportunity to co-author an op-ed on the subject with me. Additionally, as I made explicit in the ad for the research position, students will be encouraged to share their experiences with and opinions of social media, even if they contrast with my own. Thus, much like teaching, I approach mentorship as both an opportunity to learn through disagreement and a collaboration.​

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Teaching Experience

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01.2025 - 05.2025

Lead Instructor

University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA

Courses: Science Communication in Democracy; Philosophy of Science

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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

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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

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01.2022 - 05.2022

C0-Instructor

University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Benjamin B. Comegys Middle School Philosophy Group

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09.2018 – 05.2019

Course Co-designer/Teaching Assistant

University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Course: Philosophy of Science MOOC

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09.2018 – 05.2019

Adjunct Philosophy Professor

Rowan University | Glassboro, New Jersey

Courses: Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Science​​

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Syllabi

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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

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