Lab Consultants
Our consultants are philosophy and/or PPL majors with special training in critical thinking pedagogy. They are experienced, curious and excited to work with you. You can learn more about each of them below. If you would like to work with one of them in particular, click on their respective Calendly link to view availability.
Cullin Brown - Lab Director
(he/him/his)
Cullin Brown is a PhD candidate in Binghamton's philosophy program. His dissertation is on fitting emotions and the roles they play in our personal lives and interpersonal practices (Consider: You're amused by a video you think is funny, so you show your friend. They don't laugh, and you feel somewhat surprised, somewhat embarrassed. You express this using words and/or body language. How should we understand the values at stake in these types of situations?). Cullin is also a researcher on the MORE project, funded by the European Research Council and hosted by the University of Oslo's Institute of Health and Society. The project explores the epistemological, ethical, and educational aspects of moral residue in an interdisciplinary manner (Consider: A doctor feels terrible after being unable to help a patient through no fault of their own. How should they feel in such a situation? How can we validate their feelings of being responsible for something terrible without tacitly blaming them, which would be unfair?) Cullin has taught and TAed classes in ethics, social and political philosophy, and logic. He would be happy to think critically with you!
To see Cullin's scheduling page follow this link: https://calendly.com/cullinbrown
Sonnie Picallo
(they/she)
Sonnie is a philosophy major with a minor in Spanish. For them, philosophy is both an academic interest and a way of life that guides them to challenge institutions of power and helps them ask "how should we live and relate to others?". Their philosophical interests include existentialism, critical race and gender theory, continental philosophy, Marxism, and the philosophy of music.
These interests manifests in their love for teaching. From working as an undergraduate TA for Existence and Freedom to teaching debate workshops for students of all ages, they seek to make philosophy more accessible, embodied, and tangible. Philosophy is hard! But when learning is done socially, it becomes worth it.
Some classes they have excelled in are
- Phil 107: Existence and Freedom
- Phil 202: Descartes Kant and Hume
- Phil 201: Plato and Aristotle
- Phil 122: Elementary Logic
- Phil 147: Markets Ethics and Law
To see Sonnie's scheduling page follow this link: https://calendly.com/sonniectl
Zoe Brusso
(she/her/hers)
Zoe is a junior majoring in PPL as well as classical civilizations. She is also a
member of the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society. Her interest lies in philosophizing;
that is, she enjoys the act of inquiring and theorizing about rudimentary or advanced
issues, whether that be dissecting the morality behind political systems or investigating
the logical process behind a proof of existence. She is a writer, both academically
and artistically. Academically, she particularly enjoys argumentative essays; artistically,
she is a published poet.
Classes in which she has excelled include:
- PHIL 101 Introduction to Philosophy
- PHIL 107 Existence and Freedom
- PHIL 146: Law and Justice
- PHIL 149 Environmental Ethics
- PHIL 202: Descartes, Hume, and Kant
- PHIL 340 Ethical Theory
To see Zoe's scheduling page follow this link:https://calendly.com/zbrusso1
Yael Bruk
(she/her/hers)
Yael is a senior pursuing majors in both Philosophy and Biological Sciences. After graduation, she plans to attend medical school. She is passionate about medical ethics but enjoys any philosophical discussion. Yael is currently in the Pell Honors program where she is writing her thesis about conscientious objection in healthcare. Outside of her classes, Yael is deeply involved in giving back to her community. She serves as a mentor in SSS, a Kitchen Manager at the Chabad of Binghamton, and the Academic Coordinator of Charles Drew, the Pre-Health Minority Society. Yael’s experience with editing written work comes from her time as a Teaching Assistant for Phil 107 during her sophomore year and from being a mentor for the Biofilms stream of the FRI program since her sophomore year. Yael’s pedagogical approach revolves around helping students discover their confidence and voice in the field of philosophy while also aiding them in presenting their ideas clearly.
Philosophy courses that Yael has excelled in include:
- Phil 107: Existence and Freedom
- Phil 121: Methods of Reasoning
- Phil 201: Plato and Aristotle
- Phil 202: Descartes, Hume, and Kant
- Phil 340: Ethical Theory
- Phil 457C: Conscience
To see Yael's scheduling page follow this link: https://calendly.com/yael_bruk
Desmond Keuper
(they/them)
paper on Nietzsche’s rejection of mind-body dualism at SUNY Oneonta’s 27 th Annual
Philosophy Conference last year. Desmond also enjoys their work as Assistant Opinions
Editor and Columnist for Pipe Dream. They look forward to helping other students write
and philosophize well.
Classes in which they have excelled include:
- PHIL 105: Intro to Asian Philosophy
- PHIL 201: Plato and Aristotle
- PHIL 202: Descartes, Hume and Kant
- PHIL 121: Methods of Reasoning
- PHIL 316: Philosophy and Literature
- PHIL 318: Chinese Philosophy
- PHIL 456B: Violence, Nonviolence, and War
- PHIL 457D: Moral Injury and Distress
- PHIL 480L: Philosophy of Language
Sophia Sabelja
(she/her/hers)
Sophia is a third-year student triple majoring in mathematical physics,
mathematics, and philosophy, and believes that philosophy is an integral part of every
discipline. At its core, philosophy is about pushing the theoretical boundaries of
human knowledge, much like any other discipline. What makes philosophy unique is that
it is an accepting and open discipline, willing and ready to listen to anyone’s ideas.
Sophia wants to empower others through their philosophy and help them contribute new
ideas, perspectives, and values to their discussions. Her favorite philosophical work
is Søren Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling, although Plato’s Apologia and Werner Heisenberg’s
Physics and Philosophy are brilliant pieces as well. In her free time, she likes to
garden, stargaze, hang out with her dogs, and support Chelsea FC.
Some classes Sophia has excelled in include:
- Phil107: Existence and Freedom.
- Phil121: Methods of Reasoning.
- Phil140: Intro to Ethics.
- Phil201: Plato and Aristotle.
- Phil480L: Philosophy of Language.
To see Sophia's scheduling page follow this link: https://calendly.com/ssabelj1
Alexandra Weber
(she/her/hers)
Alexandra is a junior double majoring in philosophy and cinema. Her favorite topics include metaphysics and epistemology as well as different theories that question what shapes the way one perceives, interprets, and interacts with the world as an entity. Her work in cinema studies and filmmaking often overlaps with these topics. This has allowed her to experiment with perception, and think critically about the expression of identity and knowledge through film. Ethics is another branch of philosophy she enjoys studying, and uses to inspire and challenge her way of thinking. Environmental ethics is her favorite topic due to the importance it holds in contemporary society.
Some classes she has excelled in are:
- Phil 107: Existence and Freedom
- Phil 122: Elementary Logic
- PHIL 149 Environmental Ethics
- Phil 201: Plato and Aristotle
To see Alexandra's scheduling page follow this link: https://calendly.com/alexweberr
Jeremy Santora
(He/they)
Jeremy is a senior majoring in philosophy and sociology. His main interests concern
the historical movement of class society through webs of life as expressed in the
shifting terrain of human/nature relations, jurisprudence, and the management of the
labor process. His current research project investigates the emergence and deployment
of Earth System Law (ESL), specifically the Rights of Nature, within post-capitalist
transitions by tracking the shift from dualism to holism in the management philosophies
and legal strategies of the American environmental movement throughout the 20 th and
21 st century. In addition to his research, Jeremy has a keen interest in German idealism,
existentialism, post-structuralism, and
psychoanalysis.
Some classes he has excelled in are:
- Phil 107: Existence and Freedom
- Phil 121: Methods of Reasoning
- Phil 202: Descartes, Hume, and Kant
- Phil 480M: Thinking Performance
To see Jeremy's scheduling page follow this link: https://calendly.com/jsantor9
Contact
Contact Cullin Brown at cbrown77@binghamton.edu with any questions.
