Contact Information

I am a philosopher by training, and I publish mainly in the domain of metaphysics. My teaching interest, however, is in the fields of ethics and philosophical aspects of the law (especially the criminal law). Teaching is the most satisfying work I do: my students, perhaps unbeknownst to them, have taught me more than I have them. I am Singaporean, but with an outsider's eye; and, I think that in a genuinely pluralistic society one might need to seek membership in more than one religious tradition, heretical as this may sound. Yet, and certainly more importantly, I am also a son, a friend, a lover of early Japanese cinema and am becoming a lifelong reader of Hong Lou Meng-a novel which I hope to discuss with future generations of younger Singaporeans.

I received an MA (Philosophy and Politics) from the University of Edinburgh, an MPhil (Philosophy) and a PhD (Philosophy) from University College London. I serve on the General Education Committee (Provost's Office), CELC's Faculty Teaching Excellence Committee (FTEC), the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Teaching Excellence Committee, the Residential Colleges Teaching Excellence Committee (RCTEC), CELC's Department Evaluation Committee (DEC) and the committee in charge of the professional socialization of new faculty members and the career development of existing ones. I hope, one day, to chair the committee to end all committees.

Recent Modules Taught

• UTW1001C At the Edges of the Law: Ethics, Morality and Society
• FAS1101 Writing Academically: Arts and Social Sciences
• ES1541/GEK1549/GET1021 Critical Thinking and Writing

Awards & Recognition

• Year 2020-2025, ATEA Honour Roll (For Sustained Excellence in Teaching)
• Year 2018-2019, Annual Teaching Excellence Award (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences)
• Year 2018-2019, Faculty Teaching Excellence Award (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences)
• Year 2017-2018, Annual Teaching Excellence Award(Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences), Ranked 1st in FASS
• Year 2017-2018, Faculty Teaching Excellence Award (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences)
• Year 2017-2018, Special Teaching Award 'Students' Choice Award' (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences)
• Year 2016-2017, Annual Teaching Excellence Award (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences)
• Year 2016-2017, Faculty Teaching Excellence Award (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences)
• Year 2015-2016, CELC Teaching Excellence Award

Publications in Philosophy

Zhou, Z. (2021). 'Neo-Davidsonian Ontology of Events'. Linguistics and Philosophy, 44, pp. 195-235. DOI: 10.1007/s10988-019-09292-5

Zhou, Z. (2021). 'What the Progressive Aspect Tells Us About Processes'. Synthese, 198, pp. 267-293. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-018-01999-5

Zhou, Z. (2020). 'Two Conceptions of Omissions'. Journal of Philosophical Research, 45, pp. 165-188. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/jpr2021118160

Publications in Educational Research

Zhou, Z. (2022). 'Critical Thinking: Two Theses from the Ground Up'. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. 22(1), pp.154 - 171. doi: 10.14434/josotl.v22i1.30983

Zhou, Z. (forthcoming). 'Considerations Toward a Theory of Student Engagement'. Asian Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

Zhou, Z. (forthcoming). 'Empathy in Education: A Critical Review'. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.