Existentialism
George Washington University
Syllabus
Key Themes in Social and Political Thought
Georgetown University’s Prisons and Justice Initiative
Syllabus
Invitation to Philosophy
George Washington University
Syllabus
Introduction to Philosophy: Truth and Knowledge
Marymount University
Syllabus
Ethical Theory
Marymount University
Syllabus
Badiou and the Political Project of Psychoanalysis
Global Center for Advanced Studies
Syllabus
Study Groups in Psychoanalysis and Politics
Since May 2020, I have organized online study groups and lectures on seminal texts in psychoanalysis and emancipatory politics. These groups are offered at virtually no cost other than the cost to pay lecturers and guest presenters. The model consists of a guided discussion for each session analyzing the text followed by a plenary on the text or concept under study upon the conclusion of the text. We have had scholars and thinkers join us including Bracha Ettinger, Ellie Ragland, Clyde Barrow, Gabriel Tupinambá and Samo Tomsic.
The texts we work on include the following:
- Marx, Karl Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844
- Freud, Sigmund Beyond the Pleasure Principle
- Lazarus, Sylvain Anthropology of the Name
- Karatani, Kojin The Structure of World History: On Modes of Exchange
- Deleuze, Gilles Logic of Sense
- Deleuze and Guattari Anti-Oedipus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia
- Badiou, Alain Being and Event
- Badiou, Alain Theory of the Subject
- Iqbal, Muhammad Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam
- Barrow, Clyde The Dangerous Class: The Concept of the Lumpenproletariat
Student Feedback:
-I loved the discussions. So informative and engaging about the material. The professor displays a remarkable command of the information.
-Professor Tutt always encouraged questions and was sure to be clear on every new topic before moving on.
-This class really made me think for my self and made me less afraid to ask questions.
-Simply my favorite professor. I took philosophy, but I never liked that class. Professor Tutt made me love philosophy. He is really knowledgeable in his domain and knows how to convey the message. I really gained a lot of knowledge. We all know that Philosophy can be quite confusing and “boring” for most students. Professor Tutt understood it perfectly and found ways to make us learn. At such extent that it was a pleasure to come to class everyday. I would suggest that you never change the way you teach.
-Very engaging and interesting. Professor Tutt was so enthusiastic about teaching philosophy. We need more professors like him.
-Very interesting content, taught in a very precise manner. I love this professor. He is amazing, so so nice and really cares about his students. One of my favorite professors.
-Professor Tutt is an extremely good professor and truly cares about his students and making them think and learn using philosophy.
-The professor is a very funny and knowledgeable man. He definitely made class more interesting and fun.
-I learned more in this corse than any other I’ve taken thus far. Professor Tutt’s teaching style is phenomenal.
-This course was a strong course because the professor was able to make complex topics and theories more understandable. Especially, when considering philosophy can be a very abstract area of study. I think that this was a strong course because the professor allowed for student engagement, through questions and open discussion. In addition, Professor Tutt engaged with the class to ensure all members were understanding topics.
Orientation to Teaching:
Teaching is about creating the conditions for thinking to take place. As the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze wrote, “We are always forced to think. Thinking is like a shove in our back. Thought is neither pleasant nor desired.” Philosophy is a foreign way of thinking for most undergraduate students in America as it is not a required part of high school curriculum. Due to this foreign and often strange way of thinking, introducing philosophical ideas and theories to undergraduate students requires patience, passion and precision.
My courses aim to weave these three approaches together. My goal is to give students the proper time to explore ideas through lecture, small group work, reflection writing and through application of the ideas to popular culture and film.
Why do ideas matter? My own work beyond the boundaries of the university–through filmmaking, extensive public speaking and writing for popular and academic publications–provides a wide-ranging set of experiences from which I draw inspiration and examples. My teaching seeks to equip students with critical thinking skills that will last a lifetime. Students are challenged to engage primary philosophy texts and elaborate on the ways that arguments are formed and apply philosophical frameworks to real-world issues.
Areas of Teaching
Introduction to Philosophy
Ethical Theory
Critical Theory
Philosophy of Religion
Introduction to Islam
Contemporary Continental Philosophy
Daniel Tutt 