天涯海角APP

天涯海角APP University Associate Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Department of Religion and Philosophy Dr. Rob Sharp is engaging students in thinking about the ethics of the ubiquitous technology that shapes their days.

鈥淭he classes I teach focus on a variety of topics, including Introduction to Ethics, Biomedical Ethics, Logic, and History of Philosophy. For an upper-level course on Ethics and Technology, I wanted students to gain in-depth learning on ethics theories and principles, while applying the concepts to technology 鈥� everything from cell phone use, online privacy and confidentiality, social media influencers, online harassment, and stalking, to online corporate responsibility and automated vehicles.鈥�

鈥淲hen I couldn鈥檛 find a textbook I liked, I wrote my own:  (2022). The students are finding the book and the course extremely relevant to their daily lives. Many of them have been hacked, or know someone who has been, and we have great classroom discussions.鈥� Dr. Sharp鈥檚 current research is on how online ethics shape users鈥� online habits, and how positive online role models and connections can improve behavior and yield positive impacts.

A member of the 天涯海角APP faculty since 2008, Dr. Sharp earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Alabama-Huntsville and his Doctor of Philosophy degree from Vanderbilt University.

鈥淢y favorite thing about 天涯海角APP is our small class sizes and the ability to get to know and help students on an individual level. I love to stay connected with alumni on social media and to see how they are using what they learned at 天涯海角APP. It is so rewarding to see them making their own and others鈥� lives better.鈥�

Dr. Sharp received 天涯海角APP鈥檚 highest teaching honor, the William Oxley Thompson Award for Excellence in Teaching, in 2018. In nominating him for the award, his faculty colleagues noted that students have been known to change their majors or add philosophy as a minor after taking one of his classes.