Classroom Commentary: Philosophical Inquiry

Classroom Commentary: Philosophical Inquiry

By Margo Halbleib

Beginning my journey in the DePaul Honors Program, I expected a certain cookie-cutter
image to welcome me into every course: the stereotypical tenured professor, the chalkboard with
unachievable learning targets, and of course the leaning tower of required readings. My first step
into Honors 105 changed that perception immediately. I was fortunate to take Tuhin Bhattacharjee’s HON 105 Philosophical Inquiry course this past fall quarter. The concentration of this course was the philosophy of death and
mourning. Honestly, that topic wasn’t very high on my list of rankings when choosing classes,
but it ended up being one of my favorite classes I’ve taken in my entire academic career. The
coursework was moderate but very manageable, the readings were incredibly well explained and
very interesting, and the discussions led by Tuhin in class were entertaining and very beneficial
in our preparations for the final.

This is Tuhin’s first year teaching at DePaul University, which made his course even
more relatable and enjoyable. Being close in age to his students, Tuhin is extremely
approachable, so I never hesitated for a second to come to him with a question for the class. He
prioritizes the well-being of his students, so extensions are offered for those who need them and
makes an effort to connect with each pupil and establish professional trust. His humor is
unmatched, as well, which makes the time fly by and creates a very warm classroom
environment. It’s especially comforting to take his class as a fall quarter freshman because
Tuhin encourages questions and confusion in class dialogue. Being brand new to the school and
the city, he can relate to the freshman particularly and affirm their similar experiences.
The material included in Philosophy of Death and Mourning was not anything I expected
it to be. The weekly readings at the beginning of the quarter didn’t even explore that
concentration. We started with the most well-known philosophers of the enlightenment age. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. We laid the foundations of how to read philosophical inquiry, what
questions to ask and which to assume, etc. It wasn’t until around week 4 or 5 of the quarter that
we started to get specific in our material regarding death and mourning. Watching movies like
Antigone and A Short Film About Killing, we started to pair modern media with ancient texts,
including Sophocles’ Antigone and The Upanishads. The way that Tuhin approached these texts
and introduced them to our class made them very understandable. Our discussions were
engaging, the assignments completed with eagerness, and Tuhin’s presentations of material were
consistently entertaining.

Overall, HON 105, itself, is an amazing course offered by DPU, and the expert direction
of Tuhin Bhattacharjee made it infinitely more valuable for me as a freshman. I definitely
recommend taking his philosophical inquiry class, and I strongly encourage looking into the
other courses he instructs in the Philosophy department.

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Classroom Commentary is an ongoing series where Honors students review and recommend Honors courses and professors to their Honors peers. If you’d like to contribute a piece, let us know!