coronavirus
TagUniversity of South Carolina Announces Plan to Restart In-Person Classes the Fall
Yesterday, my school, the University of South Carolina, announced it is planning to restart in-person teaching this fall. This seems like a good move. (more…)
“I can do both these jobs. But can I do them both at once?”
“Is Aristotle a person, or is he a subject that you study?” This is a question from my youngest son, a star, a tap-dancer, almost eight, standing beside me in our living room as I conduct a Zoom class for my undergraduates. (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…)
Faculty Non-Renewals, Staff Layoffs, and Threats to Philosophy at Ohio University
Ohio University (Athens, Ohio) has told at least 140 of its staff they will be laid off and has begun issuing non-renewal notices to both non-tenure and tenure-track faculty in an attempt to “grapple with a budget crisis that started even before the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.” (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..
Why Ethicists Advising in Crises Should Take a SEAT (guest post by Per Sandin)
“For academic philosophers, being solution-oriented can be a challenge.”
Philosophy & Public Policy: Lessons from COVID-19 (guest post by James Wilson)
“Ethical advice will not make a difference to practice, unless it is received by the right people at the right time.” (more…)
Boonin & Singer Raising Funds to Reduce COVID-19’s Impact in Poorer Countries
David Boonin, professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado and organizer of the Colorado Summer Seminar in Philosophy for undergraduates, was hoping to get Peter Singer (Princeton) to participate in one of the seminar’s sessions. But he knew that Singer, who is a very well-known philosopher and in-demand speaker, and who spends a lot of his time working to ..
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…)
Universities Announce Furloughs and Salary Reductions
The University of Arizona, The University of Wisconsin system, and Valparaiso University have all announced they will be instituting furloughs—mandatory unpaid days off from work—or salary reductions for at least some of their employees. (more…)
Northwestern Prison Education Program Raises Funds to Fight Spread of COVID in Prisons
The  Northwestern Prison Education Program (NPEP), led by Northwestern University Professor of Philosophy Jennifer Lackey, has been raising funds and purchasing supplies to combat the spread of COVID-19 among prison populations in Illinois. (more…)
A Philosophy & COVID-19 Bibliography
Jef Delvaux, a Ph.D. student in philosophy at York University, has undertaken the project of putting together a bibliography of writings by philosophers about the COVID-19 pandemic and related issues. (more…)
COVID-19 and Teaching Evaluations
The abrupt transition to online teaching, the hasty reorganization or course schedules in light of cancelled classes, and the move to pass/fail grading options characteristic of many schools’ responses to the pandemic will likely affect students opinions of the courses they’re taking and the instructors teaching them. (more…)
Having Fun Teaching Philosophy Online? Christina Van Dyke Is.
Christina Van Dyke, professor of philosophy at Calvin College, like many of us, had to move her courses online. She has been teaching her students Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics lately, posting videos online for her students to watch. But she’s not content to record a lecture over slides. (more…)
Mind Chunks
U. Arizona Retracts Ph.D. Funding Offers to New Students Because of Pandemic (several updates)
The Department of Philosophy at the University of Arizona wrote last night to prospective students who were admitted to its Ph.D. program this season, but who had yet to accept,* to inform them that their offers of funding have been retracted owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. (more…)
APA Grad Council: How to Support Grad Students During the Pandemic
The Graduate Student Council (GSC) of the American Philosophical Association (APA) has issued a set of recommendations for how departments of philosophy and universities can and should support graduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic. (more…)
Now May Be The Time To Transition to Tutorial Instruction (guest post)
The pandemic and the various disruptions it is causing to the operation of academic institutions has prompted people to reflect on the value and qualities of those institutions. This guest post*, by Preston Stovall, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Hradec Králové in the Czech Republic, is one example of this. (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…)
Running Interactive Philosophy Classes Online (guest post by Alex Hyun & Scott Wisor)
The following is a guest post* by Alex Hyun and Scott Wisor, both of Minerva Schools at Keck Graduate Institute (one of the Claremont Colleges) in which they provide specific advice on a variety of matters related to teaching philosophy courses effectively online. (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…)
Spreadsheet for Open, Live, & Online Philosophy Conferences & Other Events
The Covid-19 pandemic has prompted philosophers to move conferences and related events online, or create new online events, and to make at least the viewing of them open to all. (more…)
Philosophers Respond to Social Distancing
How do philosophers respond to being told they have to “social distance” and avoid leaving their homes in order to slow the Covid-19 pandemic?
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Journal Timelines & Articles on the Pandemic
“Anyone know if any journals will publish things very quickly… in response to the Coronavirus epidemic?” (more…)
A Second “Teaching Philosophy Online” Session
Ian Schnee and Paul Franco, philosophers at the University of Washington who ran a videoconference session last week about teaching philosophy courses online, are hosting a second one this Wednesday. (more…)
Virtual Philosophy Colloquia
“I’m trying to create, in my own little word, a network of virtual colloquia and workshops for people stuck at home.” (more…)
The Role of Philosophy & Philosophers In The Coronavirus Pandemic (guest post)
In a previous post, I asked for suggestions from readers for topics related to the pandemic to post about and discuss here. One suggestion, from Jonathan Fuller (Pittsburgh), was the role of philosophy and philosophers during the pandemic. In the following guest post*, Alex Broadbent, Dean of Faculty of the Humanities, Professor of Philosophy, and Director of Instit..
Next Year’s “Extra Brutal” Philosophy Job Market: Alternatives & Short-Term Opportunities?
Between August 1, 2018 and July 31, 2019, there were approximately 180 junior jobs, 70 postdocs, and 60 open-rank positions in academic philosophy in the United States advertised. (more…)