By Sofia Lamdichi | November 4, 2024
Photo Credit: Marla Hasin / Sofia Lamdichi / The ASP
If you are a student at the University at Albany, you have the fortunate opportunity to enroll in a philosophy course instructed by Marla Hasin.
Hailing from Ronkonkoma, Long Island, and having completed her undergraduate studies at Fordham University, Hasin teaches two sections of Morals and Society each Fall semester. Alongside her teaching responsibilities, Hasin pursues her dissertation to obtain her doctoral degree in animal rights.
When she is not engaged in teaching or dissertation work, her weekends are devoted to hiking, exploring new restaurants, and enjoying time with her Dachshund, Stitch.
Hasin’s passion for philosophy was ignited during high school when she joined the ethics bowl team, an ethical case study equivalent to a debate team. She and her teammates scrutinized ethical dilemmas and competed against other schools before judges. This experience solidified philosophy as the cornerstone of her academic pursuits, continuing into her higher education.
With many discussing the challenges of obtaining a doctoral degree, students might ponder how instructor Hasin balances writing her dissertation while teaching over 100 students. When asked about this, she said, “There needs to be a balance between the two. From the outset of the semester, I established a schedule and boundaries so that I was not overly accessible to students, allowing me to focus on my dissertation. If I were to check my email, responding to questions constantly would dominate my time and hinder my progress.”
When asked what she hopes students gain from her Morals and Society course, Hasin said, “Since introductory courses often contain students who do not intend to major or minor in philosophy, I hope that they learn to think critically about arguments, politics and various pertinent issues in any field they pursue.”
“I aspire for students in my sections to appreciate and understand diverse opinions, as disagreements are bound to surface in many areas beyond philosophy,” she said.
Every instructor encounters challenges in their academic career, some differing while others are analogous. Although women in academia are gradually advancing, progress remains sluggish.
“Women in academia remain underrepresented,” Hasin said. “As a young female, I must exert greater effort to earn respect and establish authority in the classroom compared to my male counterparts. To navigate this while progressing in my career, I staunchly believe in setting boundaries within the classroom. I have also realized that demonstrating humility and candidly admitting to students that I do not possess all the answers as an emerging instructor earns respect. I establish clear expectations, such as requiring my students to respect both their peers and me while discussing.”
In a philosophy class that fosters open discourse, a mosaic of viewpoints is inevitably presented. Humans inherently tend to react to dissenting opinions.
“In an ethics class, it is imperative to maintain a balance of free speech,” she said. “I never strive to suppress a perspective, aiming for everyone to feel included. However, when discussions drift away from philosophical discourse, I intervene to steer the class back on course. I believe there is a distinction between expressing any fleeting thought and actively engaging in a substantive argument.”
With Hasin at the beginning of her career in academia, it is only natural to look toward what she anticipates in the future..
“I anticipate my teaching to evolve by my students. I believe over time, certain topics will become more or less relevant to discuss in class,” Hasin said.
In every field, there is that redefining moment that allows for growth. In academia, these growths can occur at the beginning of someone’s career as a lot of information gets thrown onto their lap.
The moment where Hasin’s perspective on teaching changed was when a student told her that they fell in love with the discipline.
“As teachers, we constantly try to point out the negative aspects of our professional journey to improve, and we forget to notice the positive things that occur while we are teaching,” she said. “Naturally, as human beings, we are more invested in finding out what we do wrong than what we do right.”
“When this student reached out to me letting me know the course I taught had made them fall in love with philosophy, it made me realize that I am doing great things in the classroom, not only making mistakes,” she said.
According to Hasin, there is no such thing as the perfect student, as there is always something the class could improve on. Most instructors encourage students to focus on speaking up more. Disagreement is healthy and students should not feel uncomfortable to say what they have on their mind in the classroom.
“As long as what you are saying is not making other people feel unsafe, there should be nothing holding you back from sharing it,” Hasin said.
Some may believe that philosophy is a discipline that is not beneficial. Hasin, however, takes a different look at the field.
“Philosophy is beneficial because it is a versatile subject,” she said. “It expands one’s ability to think critically and provide valid reasons for their arguments. If you are looking to take the LSAT exam, it has been proven that students who study philosophy score highly on said exam.”
Regardless of why one may decide to take a philosophy course, it is always beneficial to enter a classroom that challenges students through dissenting opinions and new information on a daily basis.
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