But Do They know It’s February in China? And Other Questions of Authority and Culture in Comparative Classrooms

Assistant Professor Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies University of North Florida In this essay I recount three interesting questions students have asked me in comparative classroom settings, each of which I see as helping to problematize assumptions about the material they are studying as well as teachers’ responsibilities in unearthing and responding to these underlying prejudices. I outline the difficult position in which comparative philosophy teachers at times find themselves in (i.e., occupying the role of cultural representative for a variety of cultures and traditions). I then conclude with several pedagogical strategies to support teachers negotiating such cross-cultural conversations.