Joshua Forstenzer
BA, MA, PhD (University of Sheffield), FHEA, FRSA
Department of Philosophy
Senior Lecturer in Philosophy
Director of Undergraduate Recruitment & Admissions
Full contact details
Department of Philosophy
45 Victoria Street
Sheffield
S3 7QB
- Profile
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I am a Lecturer in Philosophy and Co-Director of the Centre for Engaged Philosophy. Before that I was the Vice-Chancellor's Fellow for the Public Benefit of Higher Education and Faculty Fellow in the Social Sciences also at Sheffield. My research and teaching are driven by the sense that philosophy, at its best, can operate across disciplinary boundaries and engage meaningfully with public concerns. This is reflected in the modules I teach, my publications, and my previous activities as Philosopher-in-Residence for the Member of European Parliament Magid Magid, Democracy Visiting Fellow at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation in the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and Visiting Fellow at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University. My teaching has been recognised with an Early Career Senate Teaching Award and an Outstanding Teaching Award. I have a rich interest in pedagogic innovation in the field of philosophy and facilitation techniques, so I work closely with international, national and local organisations dedicated to pedagogic innovation and to increasing the provision of philosophical activities in schools and in the wider community.
- Research interests
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My research interests are in philosophy of education, democratic theory, political and social philosophy, and American Pragmatism. My first book, Deweyan Experimentalism and the Problem of Method in Political Philosophy (Routledge, 2019) addresses the relevance of John Dewey's philosophy for contemporary social and political philosophy. I have also published papers on Dewey's democratic ideal, theories of citizen disengagement, Richard Rorty's ethnocentric liberalism, the benefits of philosophical education, and epistemic vice in higher education policy.
My current projects address the role of gratitude in Cornel West's prophetic pragmatism, the significance of 'consummatory experiences' in undergraduate education, and the civic benefits of philosophical education. In particular, Dr Vachararutai Boontinand and I were awarded a British Academy Newton Advanced Fellowship and a Thailand Research Fund grant to undertake a project entitled 'Philosophical Enquiry as a Pedagogy for Teaching Critical Thinking and Democratic Citizenship in Higher Education' (2018-2021).
- Publications
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Books
Journal articles
- Epistemic corruption and the research impact agenda. Theory and Research in Education, 19(2), 148-167.
- The Teaching Excellence Framework, epistemic insensibility and the question of purpose. Journal of Philosophy of Education. View this article in WRRO
- Deweyan Democracy, Robert Talisse, and the Fact of Reasonable Pluralism: A Rawlsian Response. Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society, 53(4), 553-578. View this article in WRRO
- View this article in WRRO
- Defending What From Whom? Debating Citizen Disengagement. The Political Quarterly, 86(4), 550-554. View this article in WRRO
- Youth philosophy conferences and the development of adolescent social skills in advance. Precollege Philosophy and Public Practice. View this article in WRRO
Chapters
- Re-enchanting Undergraduate Education: On the Project of Metamorphosis in English Higher Education, Debating Higher Education: Philosophical Perspectives (pp. 81-92). Springer Singapore
- View this article in WRRO
- View this article in WRRO
Book reviews
- A Pragmatist Philosophy of Democracy. Journal of Moral Philosophy, 8(1), 161-164.
Conference proceedings papers
- View this article in WRRO
Reports
- View this article in WRRO
Website content
- View this article in WRRO
- View this article in WRRO
- Epistemic corruption and the research impact agenda. Theory and Research in Education, 19(2), 148-167.
- Research group
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I am keen to supervise postgraduate students in the Philosophy Department or through the Sheffield Institute for Interdisciplinary Biblical Studies. Students interested in the philosophy of education, democratic theory, social and political philosophy (especially those working in the traditions of pragmatism and critical theory), and American Pragmatism are welcome to get in touch with me.
Primary supervision:
- Peter Worley: Why Philosophy for Children? The Greeks and the Pragmatists
- Tahmin Yesmin Shova: Active Citizenship and Multiculturalism
Secondary supervision:
- Bayram Gunce: Religious Education and Critical Realism
- Teaching interests
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My undergraduate teaching is driven by an engaged pedagogic outlook, rooted in the Deweyan tradition of 'learning by doing'. Having received training from both SAPERE and The Philosophy Foundation, my teaching is also influenced by pedagogic practices rooted in the practice of the community of philosophical enquiry, as well pedagogic efforts spear-headed by the Yale Center for Faith and Culture to bridge the gap between philosophical and religious thinking and practical orientation.
In practice, my 2nd year module 'Philosophy of Education' and my 3rd year and MA module 'How to Change the World From Here: Utopia, Reform, and Democracy' invite my students to engage with both theoretical content and practical experiences, resulting in assessments combining writing essays and reflective journals.
- Teaching activities
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Teaching Activities:
Undergraduate:
PHI 226 - Philosophy of EducationPHI 31011 - How to Change the World From Here? Utopia, Reform and Democracy
PHI 356 - Philosophical Project: The Philosophy of Higher Education
Postgraduate:
PHI 61012 - How to Change the World From Here? Utopia, Reform and Democracy