Professor
University Hall 5007
(205) 934-0991
Pronouns: she/her
Research and Teaching Interests: Applied Ethics, Social/Political Philosophy
Education:
- BA, Davidson College, Philosophy
- MA, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Philosophy
- PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Philosophy
I was raised in northeast Tennessee and attended Davidson College in North Carolina (with a semester at the University of Melbourne in Australia) before pursuing graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I earned my MA there in 2008 — the same year my beloved Davidson Wildcats handily defeated the UW Badgers in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament — and my PhD in 2012.
In 2016, I joined the faculty at UAB. In my time here, I have taught classes on family, social/political philosophy, and educational justice. Following my participation in the 2022 and 2023 NEWLAMP (New England Workshop for Learning About Multicultural Philosophy), my teaching focus is on broadening the perspectives students encounter in a philosophy classroom. I have been fortunate to receive several awards recognizing my teaching, including the Outstanding Faculty Award (2016, Emory & Henry College), the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching (2021, UAB), the Disability Support Services Outstanding Faculty Award (2022, UAB), and the David W. Concepción Prize for Excellence in Teaching Philosophy (2024, American Philosophical Association, American Association of Philosophy Teachers, Teaching Philosophy Association).
Historically, my research has focused on the intersection of the family with other social institutions. (You can watch my TEDx talk to learn more.) Recently, I have been thinking about the role of teaching within the academy. I am especially interested in the institutional incentive structure we all navigate as teachers, and I have been working to find ways to help teachers work within that structure to both improve their own teaching and demonstrate the value of that labor. I have edited two volumes—The Art of Teaching Philosophy (2024) and Innovations in Teaching Philosophy (2025)—designed to help philosophy teachers navigate limits on their time and resources while still developing and delivering courses that deliver on the transformative power of philosophy.
Just for fun, you can see me brave hot wings and talk about philosophy on Blazin’ Bites!
For more information, check out my personal website.
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Select Publications
- Brynn Welch, "Syllabus Showcase: Family and Philosophy," https://blog.apaonline.org/2021/10/13/syllabus-showcase-family-and-philosophy-brynn-welch/ (2020)
- Brynn Welch, "Promoting a Culture of Biosafety and Responsibility," ABSA International, Biosafety Month - https://absa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/2018-Biosafety-Month-Focusing-on-Ethics-BWelch.pdf (2018)
- Brynn Welch, "Glowing Plants on Kickstarter: The Ethics of Synthetic Biology," (with Christine Fleet) National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science (2016)
- Brynn Welch, "The Pervasive Whiteness of Children's Literature: Collective Harms and Consumer Obligations," Social Theory and Practice (2016)
- Brynn Welch, "Shifting the Concept of Nudge," Journal of Medical Ethics 39 (No. 8, 2013):497-98.
- Brynn Welch, "A Theory of Filial Obligations," Social Theory and Practice 38 (No. 4, 2012):717-37.
- Brynn Welch and Daniel M. Hausman, “To Nudge or Not to Nudge,” Journal of Political Philosophy 18 (No. 1, 2010):123-36.
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Academic Distinctions and Professional Societies
- Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, 2021
- Phi Beta Kappa