Christa Johnson's primary area of research interest is in ethical theory and moral psychology. Much of her previous work focused on the puzzles surrounding deontological constraints. Her current focus is on the role of moral emotions in our moral practice. She also regularly collaborates with a co-author on a number of applied ethical topics, primarily in medical ethics. In addition to her position in the Department of Philosophy, she is the Assistant Director of Leadership Studies. Her work here includes helping to coordinate a new major in leadership, as well as the development of programming and internships.

Please list your educational history including degrees earned and universities attended. 

The Ohio State University, PhD, Philosophy, 2018
Ursinus College, BA, Distinguished Honors, Philosophy and Psychology, 2009

Please describe your current research/creative activity or area(s) of interest. 

My primary area of research interest is in ethical theory and moral psychology. In these fields we ask questions concerning what is morally right and wrong, how and when should we praise and blame people for their actions, and what kind of person should we strive to be. I am particularly interested in how supposed moral rules work. Why shouldn’t we lie? And when, maybe, should we? If we find ourselves in a situation in which we should act contrary to a typical moral rule, how should we feel about it? Should we always be stoic in the face of moral choices, or are our feelings of caring, compassion, guilt, anger, and so on, an important part of what actually is right or wrong to do?

Alongside a co-author, I also consider a number of issues in medical ethics. We have written on vaccine mandates, the use of photographs of vulnerable populations in nursing education, and are currently working on a paper thinking through the concept of disability.

Finally, given my role in the new leadership major in the College of Arts and Sciences, my attentions have also turned to questions in leadership theory and ethics. What defines a leader? Must a leader have followers? Can we ethically “get people to do something”? Must leaders follow the same moral rules as everyone else? Whose values should take precedent: those of the leader, the group being led, or the organization?

What/who influenced you to select your area(s) of study and how has that impacted your career? 

As early as middle school, my plan was to be a child psychologist. The only question was whether I would go as far as to do an MD in psychiatry or stick to the PhD in psychology route. There was no other goal. Then, my senior year in high school, two new courses were introduced: psychology (perfect!) and philosophy. I always knew of myself that I really enjoyed thinking and puzzling through ideas more than memorizing material. So, I decided to drop my AP science aspirations, and take both the psychology and philosophy courses. Nothing changed, then, except I decided that alongside my psychology degree, I would double major in philosophy “for fun”. 

Skip to the end of my sophomore year in college, and I was finding my psychology to be fine, but not nearly as exciting to me as my philosophy courses. After an ethics class one day, my professor took myself and another student aside and very seriously said to us, “You know you could do this? You could pursue philosophy.” In that moment, I realized I had never once considered it. Here I am standing in front of someone with a career in philosophy realizing that I never understood that philosophy could be a profession. I thought long and hard about it. Importantly, I thought about the life that my professor had. And, in that moment, I remember thinking, “I want that life”. I want to be able to puzzle through these things with students, build these relationships in which I get to change lives, and short of that, at least get young people to think a bit harder and not float through life without ever asking questions. I was sold.

The only caveat was that I admittedly had to wrap my head around saying goodbye to the one career I ever envisioned for myself—a career that I wanted to pursue to help struggling children. I felt a deep sense of guilt over that. Yet, over time, I realized that if my passions were elsewhere, I would not be the help to those children that I wanted to be. And as my career has advanced, I have found time and time again that there was no real reason to think that I was choosing between the two ultimate goals: helping young people and thinking and puzzling through ideas, especially in the realm of what is right and wrong. Yes, I chose philosophy as my career, but I also got to choose what kind of professor I wanted to be. And, the professor I choose to be is one that tried to connect with my students and in which I find myself time and time again helping young people who are struggling. 

So, what did I learn? Be open to new passions and don’t assume that if you follow a new path, your previous one won’t find you again. And don’t just think about the “job”. Find someone that does what you think you want to do and see what their life looks like. We always ask students what they want to do. I think it’s a mistake. The real question is what you want your life to look like. 

What undergraduate classes do you teach? 

My courses are primarily in ethics, moral psychology, and political philosophy in the philosophy department. Recent and upcoming courses include Introduction to Philosophy, Ethics and Leadership, Political and Social Philosophy, and Moral Psychology, as well as a First Year Seminar in Leadership.

Why do you think a student should take these classes and why would they be of interest to students majoring in other disciplines?

Ethics is really the study if what we ought to do, while political philosophy considers how we can possibly live together with all of our competing ideas and interests. These are ideas that touch every single person’s life. Crucially, all philosophy courses call on students to engage critically with ideas from differing perspectives. Students often are either excited or frustrated by the adage that “there is no right answer in a philosophy course”. It’s true. There is not necessarily a right or wrong answer. Instead, you are called on to engage with ideas and arguments, and then articulate and defend your own position, which importantly can be in complete disagreement with your professor (and you can still get an A in the course!). We don’t tell you what to think, we teach you how to think.

On the leadership side, the above points hold. In this case, however, the question is a bit different. Why pursue leadership as a course or a major? One big way of thinking about it is that we need thoughtful leaders today, more than ever. I understand, however, that many students just do not see themselves as that future leader that we need. Nonetheless, I take it that our students also do not come to Ohio State to graduate and just be a cog in the machine in their careers. You envision “moving up”. Well, that is leadership. And, these courses are meant to set you apart and prepare you to do just that.

What aspects of your teaching give you the most satisfaction?

The best way to answer this for me is probably to tell a couple of stories. 

First, I remember teaching Introduction to Philosophy one time, and as students were leaving the classroom, I overheard someone say, in a joking and happy tone, “this class hurts my head”. And, I loved it. I love challenging students to think really hard about a complicated issue, and then not get defeated, but light up about that fact. I always make sure students know that they can do very well in my classes, even if (and maybe especially when) their heads hurt. Being a bit confused does not have to be a bad thing. It means you are really engaging. And, that really is the learning goal.

A second story, or maybe set of stories, comes from student feedback. More than once, I have had a student in a SEI report say something, like “I’m not particularly good at this, but I loved the class”. Similarly, I have received a number of emails from students over the years thanking me for giving them such detailed feedback on papers, even if it was harsh. The most satisfying thing about teaching is when students stop caring about the grades and just work hard, and understand that what I’m doing is trying to make them better. Again, to ensure this happens for students, I take pressure off the grades as much as I can. Students typically do well in my courses. It is just the most satisfying when students are able to be in the moment, to work towards being a better thinker, a better writer, instead of worrying about the GPA. When I can secure that attitude, it is incredibly rewarding.

The last thing I’ll say is that building relationships with my students means the world to me. Given my original career aspirations, it is incredibly important to me that students know I am there for them, as much as I can be. And, so I have had students come in and share trauma, ask for advice in switching majors with only one semester to go, talk at length about baseball, vent about other classes and roommates and parents, and of course, talk about philosophy. This is by far the most important and exciting part of my job. Yes, it takes time, time I don’t always feel like I have. But, it’s what it’s all for. I believe in educating the whole person. Too often professors, we get caught up in all the other parts of our job, and forget that our students are people with full lives. Any time when I get to view my student as more than another paper to grade and they see me as more than another hit or boost to the GPA, I thrive.

What book/movie would you recommend or what music do you enjoy? 

For a book, Michael Schur (creator or co-creator of The Office, Parks and Rec, Brooklyn 99, The Good Place…) wrote a book following the completion of the show The Good Place, called How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question, and it is a great accessible and hilarious introduction to all sorts of question in moral theory. I highly recommend it. 

As for music, I’m open to suggestions. I am much lazier in this department than I used to be. Mostly, I listen to curated Apple Music Playlists, usually in alternative genres. That, and whatever single song my 4 year old decided we must listen to on repeat that week.

What is the most interesting place you have visited? 

Most interesting…let me give two answers. 

First, the most interesting as far as landscape. I was blown away when I visited Bryce Canyon National Park. The landscape felt like I was in a movie. I did not appreciate that the scenery you may have only associated with some very old western movie could exist in real life. It’s not the most beautiful or breathtaking place I’ve seen, but probably the most interesting.

Second, and this could be true of a number of places, but I’ll go with Copenhagen, Denmark as the place that I have visited that is both the most and the least like our own way of living. It is an economically and technologically advanced place, like our own. But, the actual way of life is completely different. The biggest impact for me was just the bike culture. This is a capital of a country, and the majority of people are riding bikes on streets that are truly built for it. It was really interesting and exciting to see how life could be set up so differently from how it is here.

What is the best advice you have received? 

Probably “You know you could do this. You could do philosophy.” I understand that that’s not advice for everyone. So, just read that first sentence. The most important and life altering piece of advice I got was just telling me that this thing I thought a lot about that I never took seriously as a thing that I could do…I could do it. Thinking about running for office one day? You could do that, you know? Thinking about switching majors? You could do that, trust me, you can. Thinking about how someone should really do something about that…fill in the blank…? “You know, you could do this.” 

What advice would you give to undergraduate students? 

The “you can do this” is probably it. So, I’ll add one more. You need to learn how to do all sorts of things that are specific and specialized throughout your life. But, don’t sleep on the other stuff. Find a second major or minor that, instead of narrowing your options, opens them up. That’s what a philosophy or leadership major does. You gain a set of skills and understanding that will stay with you no matter where you end up in your career, in your life. Don’t leave Ohio State having only kept your head down and learned one very specific thing. One day, you might decide you don’t want to do that anymore. Have in your back pocket experiences that you can take with you. Ohio State has way too much to offer to just do one thing.

Are there opportunities for undergraduates to connect with you? How should students reach out to you?

Feel free to stop by my office hours. If you have any interest in exploring philosophy or leadership classes, please do not hesitate to reach out (johnson.4597@osu.edu). I’d love to grab a coffee or take a walk around the oval and chat. Or, if you just have some philosophical question that is bugging you or are interested in trying to write up a paper and want some advice, again, my door (University Hall 332) is open when I’m in. I love to talk about philosophy, of course. But, I am also a die-hard Phillies, Eagles, and Buckeyes fan. I was an athlete (cross country and track) through college, and am always open to listening to a new podcast. Just come on by.

Would you like to share a fun/interesting fact about yourself?

I think I’ve shared a lot! But, I’ve only just mentioned that I was/am a runner. So, interesting fact: I’ve run the Boston Marathon and I was inducted into my undergraduate athletic hall of fame. Kids make it harder to maintain being a competitive runner, but it was a big part of my life for a long time and hopefully will be again. 

Learn more about Dr. Johnson’s work on her department web page.