Margaret Watkins
Professor of Philosophy
Dean, School of Arts & Sciences
Ph.D., University of Notre Dame
What are your thoughts on teaching?
I cannot do better than Montaigne: the aim of good teaching is a well-formed rather than a well-filled mind. I hope to learn in conversation with students and with colleagues; this is the task of a life, not a semester.
Tell us about your field of expertise.
Early modern ethics and aesthetics, with expertise on the 18th-century Scottish philosopher David Hume.
What hobbies/interests do you enjoy outside of academia?
Travel/cooking/eating, especially berries and craft chocolate. With a firm view that a thing worth doing is worth doing badly, I also sing and play piano.
