We are delighted to announce the appointment of our new philosophy teacher, Dr Emma Wood. As part of Hartford’s integrated approach, students study philosophy from years 5 to 12.

Emma received her PhD in philosophy from Victoria University of Wellington in 2015. Her PhD thesis was a defence of moral realism against the most recent moral nihilist arguments in Anglo-American philosophy.

Since completing her PhD, Emma has worked at Notre Dame University and has coordinated and delivered a Year 9 and 10 philosophy program at PLC Sydney. Emma’s work has been published by the Australasian Journal of Philosophy, Public Affairs Quarterly, ABC Religion and Ethics, and Ethos.

Hartford College has worked closely with Emma to integrate the philosophy program into our curriculum for 2023 and beyond.

Students will begin to understand philosophy by considering the big questions appropriate to their age.

For example, year 5 and 6 boys might consider “How do we know right from wrong?” and “Is there life after death?”

Alongside, students integrate their learning with literature by drawing from the characters and novels they study – including the Chronicles of Narnia, Treasure Island and Pinocchio.

In year 7, as the curriculum opens up historical study – ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome – students are introduced to the timeless figures of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.

The evolution of philosophical ideas accompanies Hartford students as they traverse the ages in other subjects.

Dr Wood has worked on this integrated approach to ensure that boys learn to appreciate and love knowledge and the human mind’s seemingly infinite desire to discover it.

As the boys advance through high school they will be introduced to such renowned modern thinkers as C.S Lewis, G.K Chesterton and many others.

Emma lives in Sydney’s Inner West with her husband and three young daughters. She has a great passion for sharing philosophy with young people, and is eagerly looking forward to coordinating Hartford’s philosophy program next year.

Emma recently remarked:

“through the philosophy program, I hope to give Hartford students an appreciation of great thinkers of the past, an awareness of ethical challenges we face as 21^st century citizens, and critical thinking tools to help improve all learning endeavours”.

We are absolutely delighted to welcome Emma to our impressive team of teaching staff at Hartford College.