Our teaching approach is considerably inspired by this quotation from Martin.
“I tell my students that philosophy is an activity that they can learn only by doing. (…) Struggling through a difficult primary text is like climbing a mountain – and if I were teaching them mountaineering, they would feel cheated if all I did was to show them pictures of the view from the summit, and describe the wrong routes taken by other mountaineers. They need to get their boots on, and work up a sweat.”
(Martin, P. (2008). Key Aspects of Teaching and Learning in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. In: H. Fry (Ed.), Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, p. 311)
We are convinced that learning philosophy and ethics requires active effort as well as the freedom to follow one’s own compass. Accordingly, we see our role as teachers as that of a facilitator, or to continue the metaphor, as that of an experienced mountaineer. A teacher should encourage students to put on their boots and follow the route they chose for themselves, but also actively assist them by providing the knowledge and tools required to master their route. In our teaching, we strive to be such an assistant to students, pass on to them our own enthusiasm about ethics, and equip them for the complex challenges they may face later.
Over all, our leading ideal at TUHH is that of the ‘responsible enginneer’, a person who can combine technical proficiency with the capacity for ethical reflection. We want to help our students to acquire this double qualification and prepare them to be interdisciplinary team players and leaders.
