Gen Ed Pioneer to Take Next Year Off

The Class of 2011 will have to wait a year to sit in on Alison Simmons’ popular class, Philosophy 8, “Introduction to the History of Early Modern Philosophy.” Simmons, the Professor of Philosophy who has been highly active within the curricular review, is taking a sabbatical for the 2007-2008 academic year.

Simmons, who co-chaired a task force that released the final report on the recently-approved general education program that will replace the Core Curriculum, follows in the footsteps of Bass Professor of English Louis Menand, who announced earlier this month that he is taking next year off.

Menand was the other co-chair of the Harvard Task Force on General Education, the committee that revamped an earlier General Education proposal.

“After three years of Gen Ed I really do feel like I need to get back to philosophy for a bit,” Simmons said.

Simmons will be spending the upcoming school year visiting New York University. She will be working on projects that explore early modern theories of consciousness, as well as conducting research on the chemical senses, such as taste.

“There has not been a whole lot of work done on the senses other than vision, both in scientific and philosophical issues,” Simmons said. “There are lots of questions about the relations between the physical property of the senses and how we think they are experienced.”

In addition to teaching Philosophy 8, one of her department’s most popular classes, Simmons is the instructor for Philosophy 122, “British Empirism.” She said that she is also interested in philosophy related to the Mind, Brain and Behavior track.

One of Simmons’ advisees, Daniel J. Wilner ’07, described her as both a formal and informal advisor. Wilner first saw Simmons lecture during his prefrosh weekend over four years ago.

“Watching her lecture was one of the reasons why I wanted to come to Harvard, especially seeing how interesting, graceful and fluid she was as a lecturer,” Wilner said.

He added that not only is Simmons a “brilliant lecturer,” but someone who “also takes an active interest in her students’ lives.”

“It’s not that common,” Wilner said. “She seems to go over and above. I think she makes a really big difference in the lives of kids. She certainly has for me.“

In addition to teaching classes and working on the curricular review, Simmons has served on the Faculty Council for three years, on the Committee on Undergraduate Education board for one year, and as the Head Tutor in the philosophy department during the 2006-2007 school year.

“I’m pleased and really happy that the faculty voted in favor of Gen Ed,” Simmons said. “I really hope my colleagues jump into it with enthusiasm, and I’m looking forward to coming back to the new curriculum.”

—Staff writer Arianna Markel can be reached at amarkel@fas.harvard.edu.