Engaging, stimulating, irreverent, enjoyable, memorable, challenging, and never boring are among the many ways that students and colleagues describe Susanna Goodin, UW associate professor of philosophy.
“Dr. Goodin is a highly intelligent, most insightful instructor,” says a student. “She has a definitive command of philosophy, and philosophical principles. It is a refreshing change to learn from a professor who can present material with stark clarity -- especially when the material is complex.”
Whether it’s an introductory course with freshmen or an upper level offering, Goodin is able to communicate ideas and information that is meaningful to students, using a “Socratic” approach that challenges the students to think more deeply and for themselves.
“Susanna was one of the best teachers I’ve encountered here,” a student in the Introduction to Philosophy class states. “Even though my major isn’t even close to philosophy, I enjoyed the class. She made it interesting, challenging and thought provoking. I don’t enjoy philosophy that much, but she made me like it.”
A UW student who pursued a master’s degree in philosophy credits Goodin for being “indispensable” in his academic success. “She brings with her to the classroom a brimming enthusiasm and excitement; not an easy feat when what lay before her oftentimes was convincing an obstinate graduate student, namely myself, that some horribly opaque and difficult bit of philosophy was worth our time.”
A student in an honors course taught by Goodin said the class “seriously challenged my beliefs on an every-day level. It was not full of irrelevant theories, detached from my life. Goodin made sure that we saw how our answers and views to her questions applied to the ‘real’ world.”
Colleagues are impressed by Goodin’s presence in the classroom.
“Susanna projects an almost electrical energy and even those students who have already resolved to be bored and indifferent, find themselves drawn into the spell of her enthusiasm for ideas. Her success in conveying to students that philosophy is exciting and has a real importance to them.”
Goodin received her bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Texas Tech University (1981), and earned her master’s e (1985) and Ph.D. (1990) from Rice University. She joined the UW faculty in 1992.
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