Philosophy News - Fall 2021
Fall 2021 Newsletter
Fall is here, and although the philosophy department may not quite bring the crowds that our football team does, we are also having an excellent semester. One bit of great news is that our new minor in Law, Ethics and Philosophy has already enrolled 78 students in its first semester. That’s a record for a new minor in Franklin College, according to the Office of Academic Advising. Another bit of great news is that the Department of Philosophy just received approval to hire two new tenure track faculty positions as part of the Presidential Interdisciplinary Faculty Hiring Initiative in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. The two philosophy positions are associated with the Ethics, Data and AI interdisciplinary cluster proposal, led by Philosophy and including Art, Theater and Film Studies, and Management Information Systems. We’re excited about this transformative opportunity and the way it will contribute to education, research and outreach at the University. We’re also excited about our upcoming speaker series, which involves collaboration with three important interdisciplinary institutes at UGA.
The undergraduates and graduate students I’ve been teaching this semester have really impressed me. They have also asked me many hard questions. I think you’d be impressed too.
As always, we appreciate your interest in the University of Georgia’s Department of Philosophy. Go Dawgs!
Sincerely,
Dr. Aaron Meskin
Professor and Head of Department
Professor Bradley Bassler has retired after 25 years with the Department. In addition to his work in the philosophy of literature, mathematics, and physics, Bassler is an accomplished mathematician, musician, and poet—a true Renaissance man who has spent his career committed to interdisciplinary exploration and to the philosophical development of UGA students. He will be sorely missed.
NEW COURSE: PHILOSOPHICAL APPROACHES TO MULTICULTURALISM
The Department of Philosophy announces the approval of PHIL 2700, Philosophical Approaches to Multiculturalism, for enrollment in Spring 2021. Developed by Assistant Professor Rohan Sikri, this is the first class in the Department to meet the Franklin College Multicultural Requirement. The course is a philosophical exploration of debates around ethnicity, class, race, gender, religion, and food as they relate to theories of multiculturalism. It should be quite popular!
The Department of Philosophy announces the Fall 2021 through Spring 2022 lineup for the annual Scott & Heather Kleiner Lecture Series. We are proud to host renowned Philosophy scholars from around the globe presenting important talks on a wide array of relevant philosophical topics. Lecture co-sponsors during the year include the Institute for Artificial Intelligence, the Latin American & Caribbean Studies Institute, the Institute for African American Studies, the Department of Linguistics, and the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Department of Philosophy faculty continue to remain active in publishing and editing, as well as presenting at, and organizing, conferences around the globe. Department members also serve in leadership positions in national and international scholarly organizations.
Several Department of Philosophy graduate students successfully defended dissertations in recent months and many continue to achieve in publishing, presenting, earning awards and recognition, and engaging in other important scholarly projects. The Department is especially proud that two of its graduate students won Outstanding Teaching Assistant Awards for 2020-2021.
In May 2021, the Department recognized the largest ever class of philosophy majors to graduate from UGA. Many have moved on to prestigious graduate programs and rewarding careers. Department of Philosophy undergraduate students at all levels continue to earn competitive scholarships and awards which are awarded at our graduation ceremony.
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