Rate My Professor Monica Aufrecht

Monica Aufrecht, Ph.D., serves as an Adjunct Instructor in the Philosophy Department at Bellevue College, where she teaches courses such as Biomedical Ethics and Environmental Ethics, often in online formats. She earned her B.A. in History and Philosophy of Science from Wellesley College in 2000, cum laude, followed by an M.A. in Philosophy in 2005 and a Ph.D. in Philosophy in 2010, both from the University of Washington. Her academic interests encompass bioethics, environmental ethics, and philosophy of science, with research focusing on topics like individual moral obligations in addressing climate change, structural emissions, and the discovery/justification distinction in scientific methodology.

Aufrecht's career includes extensive teaching experience across institutions. She has been at Bellevue College since at least 2016, progressing to her current role, and previously served as a Teaching Associate at the University of Washington (2005–2010, 2014, 2022–2023), Adjunct Instructor at Seattle Central College (2011, 2012, 2014), Assistant Professor at Linfield College (2011–2012), and Visiting Lecturer at Simon Fraser University (2010–2011), where she coordinated the Institute for Values in Policy and Science. Her courses have covered Logic, Introduction to Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, Global Health Ethics, Philosophy of Disability, and more. Key publications include 'Reichenbach Falls—And Rises? Reconstructing the Discovery/Justification Distinction' (2017, International Studies in the Philosophy of Science), 'Leave only Footprints? Re-framing Climate Change, Environmental Stewardship, and Human Impact' (2017, Ethics, Policy & Environment), 'Climate Change and Structural Emissions: Moral Obligations at the Individual Level' (2011, International Journal of Applied Philosophy), 'Rethinking “Greening of Hate”: Climate Emissions, Immigration, and the Last Frontier' (2012, Ethics and the Environment), and 'The Context Distinction: Controversies over Feminist Philosophy of Science' (2011, European Journal of Philosophy of Science). She has presented on stewardship ethics, student logic projects, and environmental responsibility. Awards include the 2011 Early Career Scholar Prize for Best Paper from the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, a 2010 Research Fellowship at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, and multiple University of Washington Philosophy Department Teaching Awards (2008, 2005). As Lead Teaching Assistant at the University of Washington (2007–2008), she mentored graduate students and led teaching colloquia.