Ian McKeachie is a doctoral candidate in the philosophy department, working on the history of philosophy. His research focuses on Immanuel Kant, looking at Kant's evolving relationship to the Leibnizian context of 18th-century German metaphysics. In 2020, Ian participated in the Community College Teaching Fellowship Program, teaching Philosophy 101 at Rowan College of South Jersey. The CCTF was an extraordinary opportunity to teach as the instructor of record, and to experience a classroom environment with a diverse student body outside of the Princeton community.

"I worked as a Community College Teaching Fellow at Rowan College of South Jersey in 2020. I met James Van Wyck at a GradFUTURES event with Princeton University Press, where we talked about my passion for teaching and my desire to get more classroom experience out of my time at Princeton. He recommended that I apply to the CCTF, and I am so glad that I followed his advice; it was unquestionably one of the most rewarding experiences from my graduate career.

Teaching at RCSJ was better than I could ever have imagined it would be. My students were thoughtful, curious, and hard-working. They were excited to learn, even in the midst of a global pandemic, and it was such a joy to teach them and see the way they took in new ideas. Working under a mentor at the college and designing every aspect of the course, from the textbook to the final assignment, gave me pedagogical insights I would never have had just from working as an AI. I can honestly say it completely changed how I think about my role as an educator."

I have participated in the following GradFUTURES Programs: Community College Teaching Fellowship

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