The first Philosophy In-House Conference was held in the spring of 1998 and has been an annual event ever since (with the exception of 2005, when Dr. Cerbone, who usually organizes the conference, was on leave). The primary purpose of the conference is to provide a forum for our students to present outstanding work to an audience of their fellow students, as well as the Department’s faculty members. Student papers are selected by a competitive process. In some years, up to twelve papers have been submitted for consideration for the three slots. The benefits of such presentations are multiple: for the students who are presenting their work, they receive the benefit of comments, questions, and (gentle) criticism from the audience; for the audience, the presentations introduce new ideas, stimulate further philosophical thinking, and for the students attending, can serve as a role model for future philosophical writing. The topics of these presentations are as various as the problems and questions posed by philosophy. At the 2007 conference, for example, one presentation was on the nature of time, another on personal identity, and a third on Plato’s dialogue Parmenides. In other years, students have presented work on philosophical aspects of death and dying, the legitimacy of capital punishment and abortion, Hume’s views on miracles, and many many others.
Student presentations are only one component of the In-House Conference. Since the conference is held toward the end of the academic year (usually in late March or early April), it also serves as an occasion to acknowledge award winners and scholarship recipients. The conference also always includes a presentation from a faculty member, which provides for students an example of professional philosophical research. Finally, no conference is complete without pizza. In addition to providing a forum for ongoing research, the In-House Conference is one more opportunity for students and faculty to get together, share ideas, and get to know one another better.
Calls for papers generally go out in late January. If you would like more information about the conference, guidelines for submission, or if you have any other questions, contact Dr. Cerbone.
