conferences
TagChoosing Keynote Speakers
A couple of graduate students are seeking advice on how to select keynote speakers for a conference they’re organizing. (more…)
Which Conferences Should Philosophy Grad Students Attend?
A Volunteer “Airbnb” for Short Term Academic Travel
Do you need to attend a conference but are short on travel funds? Do you have a guest room or extra place to sleep in your home that you’d be willing to offer to an early-career academic for a short while? (more…)
Coming Soon: PhilPeople
David Bourget (Western) and David Chalmers (NYU), the directors of the online philosophical database PhilPapers (and its associated sites, PhilArchive, PhilEvents, and PhilJobs), have announced a forthcoming new service called PhilPeople, a “searchable database of philosophers.” (more…)
Conference Panel Proposals
A reader writes in with the following query: (more…)
APA Issues Statement on 2016 US Presidential Election
The board of officers of the American Philosophical Association (APA) today issued the following statement on the 2016 U.S. presidential election:
Leading up to the United States presidential election one month ago and in the weeks since, the nation has experienced increasingly divisive rhetoric and a rise in bias-based attacks on members of vulnerable groups. In..
Big Changes to the Eastern APA
The Eastern Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association (APA) is undergoing some changes, according to outgoing Secretary-Treasurer Andrew Cullison and incoming Secretary-Treasurer Jeffrey Dunn (both at DePauw University). (more…)
A Tale of Two Conferences (UPDATED)
Last weekend, the Society for Analytical Feminism (SAF) held its 2016 conference. This weekend, the Society of Christian Philosophers (SCP) held its 2016 Midwest conference. I did not attend either of these conferences, but I did hear about them. As one might expect, they had a lot in common with other conferences: a fair amount of anticipation in advance, a mix of ..
The Value of Conferences
The case against philosophy conferences is depressingly formidable. I say “depressingly” because I love philosophy conferences. Here are some of the considerations against them: (more…)
Artistic Impressions of Academic Talks
The art of the academic talk takes on a different meaning when looking at the drawings and paintings of Kaća Bradonjić. Dr. Bradonjić is wrapping up a visiting appointment in physics at Wellesley College and will soon be beginning one at Hampshire College. Her research is informed by philosophy and the history of science (she was a double major in physics and philos..
The Ideal Conference
Let’s figure out what the ideal moderately-sized academic conference with, say, 30 to 40 participants, would be like. There are various factors to consider, including, but probably not limited to: (more…)
Norms of Address at Conferences
A philosopher wrote into Daily Nous saying that at the Pacific Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association (APA) she witnessed several instances of a speaker or chair addressing a woman in the audience they didn’t know the name of as “young lady.”
She suggested it might be a good idea to discuss the question of how we should address each other at c..
The Status of Philosophy of Science in the Profession (guest post by C. Kenneth Waters)
The following is a guest post* by C. Kenneth Waters, professor of philosophy at the University of Calgary and Canada Research Chair in Logic and Philosophy of Science.
The Status of Philosophy of Science in the Profession
by C. Kenneth Waters
Has philosophy of science been given a backseat at American Philosophical Association (APA) and Canadian Philosophic..
The Future of Online Conferences in Philosophy
The following is a guest post* by the organizers of the recent online philosophy conference, Minds Online, Cameron Buckner (Houston), Nick Byrd (Florida State), and John Schwenkler (Florida State). They lay out some of the advantages of online conferences and compare them to some of the advantages of in-person conferences, share some data about their conference, and..
Poster Sessions at Philosophy Conferences
Poster sessions are normal parts of conferences in the sciences and social sciences, but rare in philosophy. So rare, that some philosophers don’t know what they are. So, by way of explanation, they are blocks of time at conferences during which participants display large posters they have made describing their projects and discuss them with other participants—mem..
Philosophy Cliques Revisited
A graduate student who prefers to remain anonymous writes in:
Is it a step in the right direction towards abolishing white male supremacy when the mansions of Hollywood are opened to millionaire actors from minority groups or when the children of the global elite are allowed behind the gates of the Ivy League? Some say we have to start somewhere and we might as w..
Conference Anti-Harassment Wiki
The Geek Feminism Wiki, a site aimed primarily at people involved in computing and technology, has a “Conference anti-harrasment” page. Brought to my attention by Maarten Steenhagen (thanks!), the site has a sample conference anti-harassment policy, a resource page with suggestions and answers to frequently asked questions, and other information.
In answer to the..
The Point and Practices of Conferences
Christy Wampole (Princeton) lays out a series of complaints and concerns about conferences in the humanities, including:
We have sat patiently and politely through talks read line by line in a monotone voice by a speaker who doesn’t look up once, wondering why we couldn’t have read the paper ourselves in advance with a much greater level of absorption.
We have..
Conference Fees and Non-TT Faculty (updated)
Many philosophy conferences charge fees, with one rate for faculty and a lower rate for students. A philosopher who is an adjunct at a state university, and who at this time would prefer to remain anonymous, is trying to get conferences to recognize a third category for adjuncts, visiting lecturers, postdocs, and the like, i.e., those who would like to participate i..
World’s Largest Philosophy & Music Festival
HowTheLightGetsIn bills itself as “the world’s largest philosophy and music festival.” With 650 events, 370 acts, and 200 speakers on 9 stages over 11 days, it probably is. It takes place in the town of Hay-on-Wye, about 160 miles or so west of London. The schedule for the festival was recently released, and includes panels and debates with philosophers such as Sim..
New APA Travel Fund for Philosophers of Color (updated)
The American Philosophical Association (APA) has announced that it is creating a travel fund for philosophers of color. According an APA press release, the fund is aimed at supporting “philosophers of color who would otherwise find it challenging to participate in APA divisional meetngs and other APA-sponsored conferences. The fund is supported exclusively by donati..
Hanti Lin’s “Doing a PhD and Getting a Job in Philosophy”
Check out “Hanti’s Notes on Doing a PhD and Getting a Job in Philosophy” by Hanti Lin, assistant professor of philosophy at UC Davis. It has a lot of good advice. Of particular value is the “When to do what?” section. Also, I appreciate the “Health maintenance” section, the issues under which do not get discussed as frequently as they should. Throughout the guide, L..
Invite-Only and Cliquey Conferences
In the discussion of the “Networking and Merit” post last week there were a number of comments (including a few that did not get approved) about conferences that are invitation-only or appear to be cliquey, accepting mainly friends of the organizers or those closely connected to them.
Our standards for good journals involve anonymous review, as our recent “journ..
Networking and Merit in Philosophical Success
Critiquing the Philosophy Tag game, commenter “Aspasia,” a tenure-track professor, worries about it “perpetuating the status quo of getting somewhere by networking rather than on the basis of merit in philosophy.” Leave aside Philosophy Tag. Let’s look at the broader issue about the role of networking in philosophy. It crops up in a lot of places such as publishing ..
Banning the Guilty?
A philosophy professor who wishes to remain anonymous writes in with the following question:
If a member of the philosophical profession has been found to have violated his or her institution’s sexual harassment and/or sexual assault policies (especially more than once), should there be any restrictions on his or her future participation in professional events, s..
New App Brings APA Eastern Into 21st Century
The American Philosophical Association (APA) has partnered with Guidebook to make a mobile app for its Eastern Division meeting later this month. The old paper program was clearly the idea of the same sadist who invented books with endnotes; this is clearly an improvement. Download the Guidebook app for your device, enter in the redeem code from your registration em..
APA Pacific Hotel Scam
Michael Brownstein writes in with the following warning:
Philosophers: if you are going to the Pacific APA and have reserved a room at the Westin, beware of a phone call from someone from “Exhibitors Housing Management.” It’s a scam. They will say that the conference rate has been lowered and they’ll try to get your CC info in order to adjust the rate. Somehow th..
Live-Tweeting Conferences
Leigh Johnson (Christian Brothers University) has issued a CFT — a call for tweeters — for the upcoming meeting of the Society for Phenomenology and Existentialist Philosophy (SPEP) later this month. (The tweets from last year’s conference are archived here.) What are the benefits of having people live tweet a conference? Johnson’s answer includes:
- keeps you i..