academic labor
TagSci-Hub & the Philosophy Grad Student “Pirate Queen”
You may know that Sci-Hub is a means by which to freely access academic research that normally requires a subscription or purchase. Did you know its founder, Alexandra Elbakyan, is a philosophy graduate student? (more…)
Liverpool Philosophers Object to Planned Layoffs at University, Call for Support
The members of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Liverpool have authored a letter in support of the actions being taken by their union in response to planned layoffs (redundancies) of colleagues in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences (more…)
Junior Yearly Progress Reports in Pandemic Times
A junior faculty member has questions about the assessment of faculty on the tenure-track over the past year, particularly regarding how such faculty should, if at all, discuss how the challenges of the pandemic affected their progress. (more…)
Academic Freedom Alliance Formed
A group of scholars have created a new non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the academic freedom of higher education faculty (more…)
New Editors at “Analysis”
The philosophy journal, Analysis, will soon have new editors. (more…)
Some Things You Always Wanted to Know about CVs and Weren’t Afraid to Ask (guest post)
“One of the many things we don’t usually teach people how to do in our profession is construct a CV.” (more…)
How Should Departments Credit Faculty for Public Philosophy?
The Department of Philosophy at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), will be considering a proposal about how to recognize the work its faculty do in public philosophy. (more…)
Examining the Future of Academic Events (guest post)
Following up on yesterday’s piece regarding online conferences, Heather Douglas, professor of philosophy at Michigan State University, in this guest post,* asks us to consider: “When is it worth it (in terms of financial and environmental cost) to gather together in person?” (more…)
Online Conferences: The New Default (guest post)
In the following guest post,* a group of scholars make the case that the online conferences, the recent prevalence of which has been spurred by pandemic precautions, should be “the new default.” (more…)
Can Small, Non-Mainstream Philosophy Departments Flourish?
“It has been painful to witness the end of a programme in which we invested so much of our energy and creativity, a programme that was praised by students and external examiners, that featured innovative modules and assessments, that defied being classified as either European or analytic, that was for the larger part run by two women, neither of whom identify as ‘Wh..
Specialization, Technicality, and the Production of Philosophy
Adrian Moore, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oxford and Tutorial Fellow at St Hugh’s College, Oxford, as well as co-editor of the journal Mind, makes some observations about academic philosophy today. (more…)
New Leadership at European Society for Analytic Philosophy
The European Society for Analytic Philosophy (ESAP) has a new president and a new steering committee. (more…)
Protesting Cuts to Philosophy Departments Can Make A Difference
Recently announced plans to cut philosophy programs at the University of the West of England at Bristol (UWE) and Adrian College in Michigan have been reversed. (more…)
Apps & Other Methods for Organizing Your Academic Life
It’s the beginning of a new academic year, and a new set of graduate students are learning about all that will be expected of them as they earn their degrees. (more…)
Philosophy Department and Others Targeted by Cuts at Canisius College
John J. Hurley, the president of Canisius College, a private liberal arts college in upstate New York, has announced that the school plans on laying off faculty, many tenured, including members of the Department of Philosophy. (more…)
Philosophy Threatened at Carthage College
John Swallow, the president of Carthage College, a liberal arts college in Wisconsin that bills itself as “widely recognized for excellence,” has announced an academic restructuring plan that eliminates the school’s Department of Philosophy and, possibly, its philosophy major and minor. (more…)
MAP Issues Statement on Anti-Black Racism and Philosophy
Minorities and Philosophy (MAP), a global graduate student-led network of organizations that aim to “remove barriers to participation in philosophy for members of marginalized groups,” has issued a statement in light of the recent wave of anti-racism protests. (more…)
Ending Face-to-Face Instruction Before Thanksgiving Break
Earlier this month we looked at the University of South Carolina’s plan to offer in-person courses this coming fall term. The university has now updated its plans by announcing a change to the fall term schedule. (more…)
If Given the Choice Whether to Teach In-Person or Remotely in the Fall…
Last week, the University of South Carolina announced it is planning to have in-person teaching in the fall, but also that each faculty, staff, and student will be allowed to make for themselves a “decision to either return or delay their return”. Other schools are considering similar arrangements. (more…)
California State University System This Fall Will Be Primarily Online
Timothy White, Chancellor of the California State University (CSU) system, which includes 23 campuses, announced that most courses scheduled for the Fall 2020 term will be taught online, rather than face-to-face, owing to the current Covid-19 pandemic and a possible “serious second wave” of it. (more…)
Courses at McGill this Fall: “Primarily Through Remote Delivery Platforms”
McGill University announced today that most teaching there in Fall 2020 will be done remotely, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. (more…)
Villanova Graduate Students Seek Assistance
In March, doctoral students in philosophy and theology at Villanova University wrote to their administration seeking support in light of the economic effects of the COVID pandemic. Their request was acknowledged as received, but the semester is winding to a close and they’ve not yet heard much in response. (more…)
Scholars Threaten Boycott in Solidarity with Graduate Students & Non-Tenure-Track Faculty
A number of scholars, including over forty philosophers, have signed onto a statement saying they “will not accept invitations for speaking engagements, workshops, and conferences” at universities and colleges that have failed to include non-tenure-track faculty and graduate students in their pandemic-prompted plans for extensions and accomodations to tenure-track a..
The Fall 2020 Term: Open, Closed, Online? (updated)
California State University, Fullerton has announced that it is planning for all Fall 2020 courses to be offered online only, at least at the start of the term, according to the Los Angeles Times (via Inside Higher Ed), though it may change those plans if circumstances allow. (more…)
Pandemic Effects on Conference & Event Planning for 2021 & Beyond
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused many upcoming academic events to be cancelled and many to be moved online. How is it affecting the planning of events scheduled a bit farther out, say, for next year? (more…)
What Is Your Department/University Doing For Its Graduate Students During The Pandemic?
Some universities have included in their responses to the pandemic measures that extend various deadlines for faculty, add an extra year to faculty tenure clocks, and delay post-tenure reviews. We’ve heard less, though, about what steps are being taken to help graduate students. (more…)
Tenure in the Time of Corona (guest post)
The following is a guest post* by a philosopher who went up for tenure this year. (more…)
The Status of Searches, Job Offers, and Hiring Plans During the Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic and the various measures taken in response to it are disrupting and delaying normal university processes as well as having broader economic consequences. How have academic job searches in process and plans for hires in the near future been affected? (more…)