Courses I Created and Currently Teach

CAS 302: History and Philosophy of Complex Systems Science

Anonymous Student Evaluations:

• “The selection of readings was so thoughtfully chosen across such a wide variety of topics. Going back and looking over them week by week they had a logic to them that expanded my understanding of complexity while introducing different aspects of philosophy”

• “He made the classroom a great experience and you can tell he really enjoys his work.”

• “[I]nteresting discussions with the right amount of guidance and freedom […] Great and digestible class slides.”

• “I developed relationships with other students, representing a diverse background. Their expert perspectives continuously challenged my own opinions and way of knowing. This was only possible through the facilitated discussions that occurred every week––a classroom environment curated for a judgement free exchange of ideas. In the process, I was able to explore areas of Complex Adaptive Systems in a manner that gave fruition to more serious academic study that I would not previously considered.”

CAS 494/598: Foundational Papers in Complexity

Anonymous Student Evaluations:

• “Dr. Dhein presented complex material in a accessible, approachable way. I always felt like understanding was in reach.”

• “The background presentations for each paper significantly developed my understanding of each piece and the authors who wrote it.”

• “Class discussions were great, and I appreciated the questions asked in the in–person reflections”

• Q: Which, if any, skills did you develop in this course?

  • A: Learning how to communicate technical ideas without being so technical

  • A: Communication of complex concepts to an interdisciplinary audience

  • A: Reading foundational literature in my field

  • A: Reading and comprehending papers outside my field, discussion of papers iwth colleagues

BIO 790: Reading and Conference

Two of Dr. Krystal Tsosie’s doctoral students asked me to develop an individualized reading course relevant to their dissertation research in Fall 2025. The course, co-developed with Dr. Krystal Tsosie, involves an historical-informed comparative study of American Indigenous philosophies with the three main philosophical schools of the “Western” tradition: analytic, continental, and pragmatic philosophy. The course explores how these philosophical frameworks have been applied to biological complexity and artificial intelligence.

Courses in Development

Indigenous Knowledge and Data Sovereignty

Non-Credit Professional Course for Arizona State University’s Conservation Futures Academy

I am currently working with a course development team to create and film a 15 hour, non-credit course aimed at professionals for Arizona State University’s Conservation Futures Academy

100 Years of Experiments: The History and Philosophy of Animal Behavior Science

Though I haven’t worked on this since finishing my postdoc at the Santa Fe Institute, it is still alive in my heart. It was originally designed for SFI’s Complexity Explorer Website.

The original plan was to have 10 episodes, each focusing on an experiment from a different decade of the 20th century. My three puppet colleagues with PhDs in history of science, philosophy of science, and biology help me understand the significance of each experiment from their own perspectives.

I have one episode filmed and edited. The second episode was filmed but not edited. The third episode has the script written and was partially filmed.

Past Teaching

Fall 2020

Undergraduate Course, Fully Online

~50 Students

“Embryo Project Wins History of Science Society’s Hazen Award for Exemplary Teaching”

Along with other leading members of the Embryo Project Team, I was awarded the History of Science Society’s Joseph H. Hazen Education Award for Exemplary Teaching of the History of Science.

Invited Guest Lectures for Courses

Fall 2022

Guest Lecture for Dr. Camellia Koleyni’s Course, “Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities” at Vanderbilt University.

Undergraduate Course

~25 Students

Fall 2021

Guest Lecture for Dr. Matthew Defrese’s Course, “Agriculture Biotech” at Bluegrass Community and Technical College.

Undergraduate Course

~25 Students