Teaching Philosophy seeks trustee

The Board of Trustees of the Teaching Philosophy Association, Inc. would like you to know about an opportunity to have an impact on the journal.  Teaching Philosophy Association, Inc. is the nonprofit organization that oversees the business of the journal Teaching Philosophy.  The Board is responsible for:

·         evaluation of and strategic planning for the journal;

·         authorizing and carrying out special projects;

·         appointing and providing guidance to the journal’s editors;

·         negotiating the publication contract for the journal.

Individual Trustees are required to prepare adequately for and attend annual and special meetings of the Board, and are encouraged to actively participate in activities of the journal such as serving as a reviewer, writing special columns, etc.

If you would like to join a warm and collegial group of individuals who are responsible for the premier journal devoted to the teaching of philosophy at all educational levels, please email* your teaching vita and a brief statement of interest including a description of your relation to the journal to: Nancy S. Hancock, President at hancockn@nku.edu.

*Please use Word or PDF files.

Sincerely yours,

Nancy S. Hancock, President

Teaching Philosophy Association, Inc.

Request: Do you have good resources for teaching students how to read philosophy in an intro class?

A friend just asked me if I have any good resources for teaching intro students how to read philosophy? I thought readers of ISW might know of or be able to link to good resources. I have to confess I have never taught a true intro course -- the courses I teach for students who are not already majors are not designed to attract students to the major, so I tend to think this as the only encounter with philosophy most of them will have; and most of them are juniors and seniors who, certainly at my institution, have quite different  needs from first years. However, this is timely for me because I am currently piloting a course which will, eventually, be offered as an intro-level large lecture course.

Anyway, any advice would be appreciated.

Soliciting 'How to Teach' articles

No doubt many of you have been reading the 'How to Teach' series in Teaching Philosophy, articles dedicated to how to teach a particular philosophy course. Thus far, the journal has published articles on how to teach early modern philosophy, critical thinking, and comparative philosophy. There are plans for articles on how to teach business ethics and how to teach information technology ethics.

To that end, here are some areas where we'd like to see more articles in this series:

• philosophy of science
• medieval philosophy
• phenomenology and existentialism, the Continental tradition
• feminist philosophy
• philosophy of mind

If you'd be interested in writing such an article (on one on another commonly offered philosophy course), please contact me at mjcholbi*at*csupomona*dot*edu.

Call for Abstracts: Experiential Learning

Call for Abstracts: Central APA Panel on Experiential Learning

Organized by the APA Committee on the Teaching of Philosophy

Deadline: September 25, 2014

The American Philosophical Association (APA) Committee on the Teaching of Philosophy invites abstracts for a panel on experiential learning in philosophy to take place at the Central Division meeting of the APA, February 18-21, 2015, in St. Louis, MO.

Philosophical work has traditionally involved armchair analysis, so the institutional request to think about designing a course with an experiential learning component can serve as a challenge to philosophers. Nevertheless, many philosophy teachers are thinking creatively about ways to incorporate field experiences, independent research, lab work, experimental work, service learning, and community-based learning into their courses. Through this session, the Committee hopes to share interesting examples of such courses and consider the theoretical questions that surround this pedagogy.

Survey on graduate philosophy education

A note from David Concepción: Please take this survey if you are eligible. Thanks!

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Colleagues,

We invite you to help us learn more about teacher training for Philosophy graduate students by taking approximately 10 minutes to complete an online survey.

The objective of this research is to determine the current state of teacher training for graduate students in the field of Philosophy. The data generated from this research should make it possible to develop recommendations regarding how, if at all, teacher training in the field of Philosophy might evolve.

To participate in this research study, you must be at least 18 years old. There are no apparent risks associated with this study. All data will be anonymous and no identifying information will be collected. Participation in this study is completely voluntary and participants are free to withdraw from the study at any time. 

If you are a current Philosophy Graduate Student or an Early Career Philosopher (PhD no earlier than August 2011), click here to go to the survey.

If you are a faculty member in a Philosophy department that has a Graduate Program, click here to go to the survey.

Early career Philosophers in a Philosophy department that has a graduate program may take both the early career and the faculty member survey.

Thank you for considering this invitation, and feel free to pass it on to others.

David W. Concepción

Philosophy Professor and Chair

Ball State University

CFP: Teaching Mistakes, Classroom Disasters, Course Challenges, Failing Lessons

Call for Abstracts: Pacific APA Panel on Teaching Mistakes, Classroom Disasters, Course Challenges, Failing Lessons

Organized by the APA Committee on the Teaching of Philosophy

Deadline: October 6, 2014

The American Philosophical Association Committee on the Teaching of Philosophy invites abstracts for a panel on teaching mistakes – or worse – at the Pacific Division meeting of the APA, April 1-5, 2015 in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

The Committee invites panel proposals on teaching mistakes you have made, disasters that have befallen you, or that you have brought on yourself, how you have responded to expected or unexpected challenges in the classroom, and what you have learned about philosophy, and teaching philosophy, from them.

Individual submissions as well as proposals for several panelists together are welcome. The Committee will strive to assemble a diverse panel, including presentations from different institutional settings, course levels, and subfields of philosophy. Please submit as an email attachment an abstract prepared for blind review, 500 word maximum, to Katheryn Doran at kdoran@hamilton.edu by October 6, 2014. Include your name, affiliation, and contact information in the body of the email. Authors can expect a decision by October 10, 2014. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at the email address above.