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10+ Years Experience Teaching History, Philosophy, and Writing (PhD)
Douglas S.

5.0 (5 ratings)

14 hours tutoring

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About Douglas

Bio

I am a former Hunter College (CUNY) and Fordham University professor who has taught 1,500 students and provided hundreds of individualized tutoring sessions in the form of office hours over the past 10 years. I received my PhD in philosophy from Fordham University, and took graduate philosophy and religion classes at NYU, Columbia, and Barnard. For my MA, I studied ancient languages and researched Greek Philosophy's influence on early Christianity at the Columbia-affiliated Union Theological...

I am a former Hunter College (CUNY) and Fordham University professor who has taught 1,500 students and provided hundreds of individualized tutoring sessions in the form of office hours over the past 10 years. I received my PhD in philosophy from Fordham University, and took graduate philosophy and religion classes at NYU, Columbia, and Barnard. For my MA, I studied ancient languages and researched Greek Philosophy's influence on early Christianity at the Columbia-affiliated Union Theological Seminary.

I have published in, and peer reviewed for, top journals in Ancient Philosophy, Classics, and Theology, and I have presented at professional-level international conferences at (e.g.) Oxford University and NYU.

I have a deep command of classic texts by Plato and Aristotle because I’ve both read them for classes and taught them dozens of times, *and* because I read them in the original Greek and keep up with the secondary literature. Since I have taught college Ethics numerous times, I am also intimately acquainted with Deontological (Kantian) and Utilitarian ethics.

I graduated undergrad with a 4.0 GPA and rejected a full ride to law school for the Fordham Philosophy Ph.D, where I spent two years tutoring in Fordham’s writing center, one year as a TA, and then, from 2015 onwards, have taught 2-8 college philosophy classes per year as a sole instructor in various roles at Fordham University and Hunter College. I’ve taught separate classes on Ancient Philosophy, Plato, Aristotle, Metaphysics, Ethics, and an interdisciplinary course on AI, Sci-Fi, Virtual Reality, and Ethics.

Students like me because I'm respectful and skilled at "translating" complex ideas into memes and cultural motifs that students understand. My own hobbies include a lot of science fiction, comics, and video games, so I’m especially good at explaining complicated material with examples from those.

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Education

Long Island University - C. W. Post
Philosophy
Union Theological Seminary (Columbia University Affiliate)
Masters
Fordham University
PhD

Policies

  • Hourly Rate: $70
  • Rate details: Get five hours online for $275 (= $75 discount).
  • Lesson cancellation: 6 hours notice required

  • Background check passed on 9/8/2025

  • Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

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Approved Subjects

ACT English

ACT English

95-100% on the Wyzant qualifications quiz, which I take in 5-15 minutes instead of the full allotted time (usually 30 minutes). My GRE (= graduate SAT) and LSAT got me full rides to Law School and a PhD programs, and I’ve guided dozens of students through these exams over the past ten years.
Bible Studies

Bible Studies

I have an MA from Union Theological Seminary in Church History, where I took all the required classes in Bible and Greek (and Hebrew, though I've lost most of my Hebrew to lack of use). I've published articles on Saint Augustine, Origen of Alexandria, and Maximus the Confessor. I've read most of the New Testament in the original Greek, and much of the OT in Hebrew. I've read the every book of Bible in English at least once, and much of the gnostic and apocryphal texts.
Classics

Classics

I received a PhD in Ancient Greek philosophy and have been reading Ancient Greek material in the original language since 2012. I've audited and/or taken about a BA worth of Greek classes. I also ran a Greek reading group at Fordham (taught in Greek) from 2020-2023. Before transitioning to Attic Greek, I studied Biblical Greek at Union Theological Seminary.
College Counseling

College Counseling

As a college professor for ten years, I guided numerous students through college. I can help with planning classes, managing the workload, and finding "college hacks" to save you time. I can also help make sure you're on the right path for the education, career, and life you want. I can also help you navigate "academic reputation" and working with professor to later have connections for letters of recommendation and other things.
Debate

Debate

As a "referee" (or "peer reviewer") for Classics, Philosophy, and Theology/Religious Studies journals, I'm an expert at judging whether or not an argument successfully challenges "received opinion" on those topics. As a college professor who taught that material for ten years, I've helped over 1,500 students recognize objections to their views and think of ways to strengthen them. While I could help you debate the definition of "sandwich" for an hour, I can also help coach you on how to debate things like whether certain actions constitute genocide or whether God exists without getting "emotional" during the debate, however passionately you might feel internally about such topics. Philosophers pride themselves on being able to discuss hypothetical topics and assess positions they both agree and disagree with with exactly the same attitude and demeanor: I believe X, but I can't prove it at this level, so I won't appeal to X in this argument.
Essay Writing

Essay Writing

As someone who got a BA in Philosophy, MA in Religious Studies, and then PhD in Ancient Greek Philosophy, nearly all of my classes had major essay components, and I always got As on essays. I then worked in a writing center as a tutor for two years from 2014-2016, and from 2016-2025 I taught college philosophy classes, grading over 5,000 students essays. As a college professor, most of office hour sessions were based on essay revision. Finally, as a journal referee (or peer reviewer), I have helped shape essays at the editorial level that have gone on to be accepted after my suggested revisions in top journals, which I myself have published my own work in.
Literature

Literature

I’ve published my own translations of Plato’s Greek in Classics journals, and I’ve read Homer in Greek and the whole works in English multiple times.
Personal Statements

Personal Statements

While getting my MA at the Columbia-affiliated Union Theological Seminary, I wrote personal statements for Law School and PhD programs that ultimately resulted in a fully funded offer (worth $150,000+) from St. John's Law School, and a fully funded offer from Fordham's Philosophy PhD program, which came with a stipend and job experience (worth approximately $450,000, per the offer letter in 2014). I've also worked in a writing center and graded over 5,000 student essays. Professionally, I've published eight articles in respected peer-reviewed venues and have "refereed" (or been a peer reviewer for) journals in Philosophy, Classics, and Religious Studies 5+ times.
Philosophy

Philosophy

I have a PhD in philosophy, taught it for ten years, and have published eight articles in peer-reviewed venues and peer reviewed for journals five times.
World History

World History

Taught Ancient Greek philosophy, and medieval and early modern philosophy, for ten years in college. PhD/MA/Publications, etc.
Writing

Writing

As part of my PhD, I wrote an original 200 page work on Plato. Since then, I’ve published eight 15-30 page articles and peer reviewed for some of the top journals in Philosophy, Classics, Theology, and Religious Studies.
ACT Reading
American History
English
Grammar
Proofreading
Social Studies
Vocabulary

Examples of Expertise

Douglas has provided examples of their subject expertise by answering 5 questions submitted by students on Wyzant’s Ask an Expert.

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Reviews

Knowledgeable, Engaging, and Supportive Tutor

Douglas has been an exceptional tutor. He’s clear, patient, and always invested in helping me understand the material better. He breaks things down in a way that feels intuitive, and he’s always willing to revisit concepts or ideas with you. Douglas has helped me develop a much stronger grasp of the subject and more confidence in my work. I’m grateful for his support, and I’d highly recommend him to anyone looking for a thoughtful and knowledgeable tutor.

Sebastian, 5 lessons with Douglas