Public Philosophy

Symposia

I have organized eight symposia the past few years to encourage philosophical community. The topics have been: Star Wars Symposium, Zombie Zymposium, “How to Think Philosophically when Politics Goes Crazy” Symposium, Superhero Symposium, Comedy and Philosophy Symposium, Are Students Snowflakes? Symposium, Meaning and #MeToo, and Politically Irrational Animals. The format is for each of the three panelists to speak for about 10 minutes each, and then discussion for about an hour of the issues raised.

Utah State Society for Women in Philosophy (US-SWIP)

I am the faculty sponsor for this group. We have a dinner every semester for women philosophy majors or minors and women philosophy faculty to get together and discuss a reading and other issues. The students also organize and run an event each semester for anyone interested in participating. The students have held one event on political and social uses of shame, and a Valentine’s Day event on love.

Philosophy and Film

Recently we have started to offer a new kind of event. Over the course of three weeks, we show three movies selected for the philosophical conversation these movies together would support. On the fourth week, we hold a discussion about these three movies that is structured like the philosophy symposium, with faculty speaking for about thirty minutes and open discussion afterwards.

Utah Public Radio

For two of the symposia I organized, the panelists were invited to participate in a discussion on Access Utah, a morning show on Utah Public Radio.