Monthly Archives: February 2020

Philosophy Across Disciplines – Newcastle Philosophy Student Conference 2020 – 5th June

Philosophy Across the Disciplines is a student-led conference held at Newcastle
University every year. The conference allows students in the Philosophy
Department to present papers which are usually based on the
dissertations/projects carried out in each stage. Each talk will last around 10-15
minutes and gives students the chance to experience and practice presenting an
academic paper, but in a more relaxed setting with their peers. After the students
have presented their papers, they can submit them to be published in the
Newcastle Philosophy Undergraduate Journal.

The conference has been developed to emphasise the interdisciplinary nature of
philosophy, showcasing the ways in which philosophy may enrich and itself be
enriched by research within other disciplines, hence the name ‘Philosophy Across
Disciplines’. This conference isn’t just for students studying philosophy at
Newcastle University, it is open to students from any disciplinary background
and from any university – so long as their research is engaging with a certain
level of philosophy. Although generally, it is catered mostly towards students in
our own department, as the whole ethos of the conference echoes that of our
project module, where we engage with a ‘non-philosophical’ topic or object in a
philosophical way.


WHY SHOULD I GET INVOLVED?

The conference provides a great opportunity for students who want experience
with speaking at academic conferences, or for those who otherwise want to
improve and evidence their public speaking skills – either to boost their
confidence or to show on their CV. If you are planning on pursuing further study,
then presenting a conference paper looks fantastic on Masters/PhD applications,
as it is highly advantageous if you can demonstrate your motivation and expertise
with reference to non-compulsory academic achievements, such as conference
papers and journal publications, when applying for highly competitive
postgraduate positions and funding opportunities. It is also a good thing in
general to be able to refer to when applying for jobs, especially ones that involve
project deadlines and public speaking.

The deadline for applications is the 27th of March.

Applications should be made through the form
available at the following link:
https://forms.ncl.ac.uk/view.php?id=7328871

Coffee and chat drop ins in the new Henry Daysh Cafe (with free coffee or similar beverage)

I’ll be running a ‘coffee and a chat’ session tomorrow, and then on each Monday until the end of term.   

Tomorrow afternoon (Tuesday 25th of February) I’ll be down in the new Henry Daysh Café, on the ground floor of the building, between 14:30 and 15:30. If anyone wants to drop in for a chat, whether about philosophy or about anything else, come along and there will be a free coffee or other drink from the new café for you.  

That’s right – free coffee or other drink! The one thing I ask is that you bring your own cup, as the new café there is a ‘bring your own cup’ place.  

I’m going to keep holding these coffee drop-ins for the rest of term but on MONDAYS from NEXT week (2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd March) at the same time (14:30 to 15:30). 

All philosophy students are welcome to come along.  

Stephen 

Life After Philosophy – for all Final Year Philosophers – 3pm Thursday 13th February 2020


Every year, final year students like you are asked to fill in the National Student Survey (abbreviation
NSS, because life is short). All the information you need, as well as the survey itself are found here https://www.thestudentsurvey.com/ 

Newcastle University are opening theirs on Monday 10th February 2020, or thereabouts.

We are going to hold a session on this next week, 3pm Thursday 13th February 2020 in the Common
Room, to coincide with a housewarming party for the new building, where we’ll also talk about the
future for you third-years more generally, like the possibilities for future study (Masters degrees), CV’s, and asking us for references, and so on, since all of that will be becoming important for you now. It
will also be a time when we can talk about what might or might not be happening for the rest of this
term, too.

So, final year people, book this date in your diary for the party/talk/discussion on ‘Life After
Philosophy’ at 3pm on Thursday 13th  February in the Mary Midgley Common Room, 9th Floor of the
Henry Daysh Building, – it should only be 40 minutes or so but we can stay as long as we like


Yours,
Mike

Undergrads! Publish your Work!

A chance to submit a particularly good essay, or other bit of writing to a philosophy journal:

Dialectic – CFP

Dialectic is the student journal of the Philosophy Society at the University of York. We accept submissions from undergraduates, postgraduates, and academics from all around the world.

For our Spring 2020 edition, we are looking for essays on anything within the broad spectrum that is philosophy to mark the new year.

Submissions should be between 1,500 and 2,500 words and referenced in the Harvard style. Email them to dialecticjournalsubmissions@gmail.com before 23:59 (GMT) on 14th February 2020. Papers should explain any technical terminology and be suitable for an undergraduate audience.

If you have any queries, please email us at the same address. See further details at bit.ly/2tUQyCY 

We look forward to reading your submissions!

Eleanor Paisley

Editor, Dialectic