Douglas O. Smith
Statement of Teaching Philosophy
As a proud graduate of the Marquette University College of Liberal Arts with an Honors Bachelor of Arts
degree in Economics, I believe in the power of liberal education—the development by careful training
of the capacity to make value-based appraisals of the doctrines, theories, and proposals that guide how
we think, work, and live. To quote former Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes, this ability is “liberal”
because it “emancipates from the tyranny of ignorance, and, from what is worse, the dominion of folly.”
No matter the college or discipline, such a capacity marks those who can adapt to the world to come
while building on those values confirmed by history and faith.
Being able to evaluate general principles, and thereby developing guiding principles for one’s life and
work, is essential, but it is not sufficient. It is equally necessary to be able to apply those guiding
principles effectively to the problems of the day, in order to generate ethical and productive courses of
action. Professional education is the bridge between knowing how to think and knowing how to decide
and to act. The power to make value-based appraisals and then to apply them—to undertake critical
analysis—is key to successful performance.
My objective as a teacher is to help all students to develop and to apply wide-ranging skills of critical
thinking. For this reason, I have incorporated case analysis in all courses that I have taught. Through
case analysis, students quickly realize that neither intuition nor abstract reasoning will help them to
solve the problems they face. Rather, by using a variety of validated analytical frameworks to
understand “how things work,” as well as “how things should work,” students will come to realize that
the ability to think critically is essential to their future success and to the success of the organizations
in which they operate--whether at work, as volunteers, or in other capacities.
None of this has value, however, unless a student can convey both the reasoning process and the result
in a compelling way to others. Effective communication is necessary for effective teamwork and
effective leadership. Consequently, courses are designed to improve the ability of students to present
the results of their critical thinking efforts—whether in class discussions, group presentations, or
written assignments.
I treat my students not as children, nor as customers, nor as colleagues. Rather, I see students as clients,
to whom I have a responsibility of trust to act in their best long-term interest and to work
collaboratively with them to improve their critical thinking skills, beyond the levels that even they
believed that they could achieve. I hold students to high standards, and they have not failed over each
course that I have taught to increase in their ability both to improve their critical thinking and to express
their thoughts and conclusions more articulately.
Students are also owed my honest assessment of their skills and performance, even when those skills
and performances are substandard, because it is the only way to establish my credibility when I tell
them that improvement has occurred. While I am careful not to be overly critical when the effort is
apparent, I will risk an immediate unfavorable reaction by being direct with honest evaluations and
constructive criticism. My experience is that students have proven, for the most part, that they already
know when they have failed to meet expected standards and will, when positively motivated, do what
is necessary to improve.
I see teaching as an intellectual version of Outward Bound—an opportunity to obtain an honest
evaluation of one’s individual capacity to perform, to emphasize the need for a willingness to push
beyond the limits that a student may have previously believed existed, to develop an indefatigable
determination to excel, and to learn the value of character and teamwork in one’s professional life. If
this is done successfully, each class has the opportunity to provide a transformational experience.