Christian Golden
Christian Golden received his BA in Philosophy at the University of Virginia in 2003, minoring in Religious Studies, and earned his PhD in Philosophy at Georgetown in 2012.
He believes that teaching is the privilege of being entrusted with another person’s intellectual and ethical development. He tries to honor it by fostering rigorous, inclusive dialogue in the classroom that promotes responsible citizenship beyond it.
Dr. Golden’s love of teaching has led him to volunteer in nontraditional spaces like Jessup Correctional Institution in Jessup, Maryland, and the Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning at Roane State Community College in Harriman, Tennessee, and to serve as a judge and debating coach for the 2018 and 2019 Tennessee High School Ethics Bowls in Knoxville, Tennessee. Here at Georgetown, he was awarded the 2020 Tropaia Outstanding Faculty Award for the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies Program.
Dr. Golden’s research explores ethical agency, character, and conflict in human affairs, with special attention to virtues like civility, humility, integrity, and loyalty. His current project focuses on the ethics of partisan identity in polarized societies by examining the tension between civic engagement and democratic solidarity across volatile political differences. It asks, “What psychological qualities and ethical skills do citizens need to strengthen democracy, and how can these be fortified against social and technological disruption?”