|
Center for Values
CHPS
Theology Forum
Summer Seminar
RMPC
Philosophy & Film
Philosophy Club
Reading Groups
Center for Values Outreach
POPCO
SPICO
Morris Colloquium
Think!
Research Ethics
Ethics in Film
|
July 13th through 31st, 2009: Boulder, Colorado.
Sponsored by the Department of Philosophy
at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
The Seminar is intended for outstanding undergraduates who are considering graduate school in philosophy. The aim is to introduce students to the atmosphere of a graduate-level seminar, giving participants a chance to explore and sharpen their philosophical abilities before they commit to a graduate program.
In addition to offering the experience of a graduate seminar, we hope participants will benefit from meeting other students with similar interests and from interacting with prominent faculty in the field. Anyone interested is encouraged to apply, but the program is particularly intended for two kinds of students: first, for those who do not have access to graduate-level classes at their own colleges; second, for those whose undergraduate institutions are not well-known as "feeder schools" into graduate programs. The Seminar is designed to prepare participants for graduate school, and to help participants gain admission into the best programs.
The class size will be between 15 and 20. The course is highly intensive, meeting five times a week for three weeks, for three hours a day, with a further student-led discussion session in the evenings. The readings will be dense and difficult, and students will be expected to participate extensively. Several papers will be required. Preference will be given to students with significant background in philosophy who have not yet applied to graduate school.
Topic: Identity
The topic of the Seminar changes every summer. In 2009, the Seminar's topic will focus on metaphysical and ethical questions concerning identity. Likely topics include:
-
memory and identity
-
individuation and natural kinds
-
the nature of persistence
-
identity and change
-
defining death
-
responsibility for the past
-
responsibility for the future
The seminar will be jointly taught by the faculty of the Department of Philosophy, with various guests. Scheduled participants include:
-
David Boonin (Pitt, Ph.D. 1992)
-
Eric Chwang (Princeton, Ph.D. 2003)
-
Chris Heathwood (UMass, Ph.D. 2005)
-
Dan Kaufman (UMass, Ph.D. 2000)
-
Kathrin Koslicki (MIT, Ph.D. 1995)
-
Bradley Monton (Princeton, Ph.D. 1999)
-
Robert Pasnau (Cornell, Ph.D. 1994)
Successful participants will receive three credit hours at the graduate level, which may be applied to either undergraduate or future graduate study.
Past Seminars
Some topics and syllabi from seminars past:
Summer in Colorado
The seminar will take place on the campus of the University of Colorado at Boulder. Located at the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains, 25 miles northwest of Denver, Boulder is perhaps the most attractive college setting in the country. Participants will be encouraged to explore the city of Boulder and the nearby mountains. Weekend outings will be organized.
Tuition and Housing
Tuition: $750
Housing: approximately $400
Applications
There is no application form.
Applicants should collect the following:
- A cover letter including your name, mailing address, email address, and an account of who you are and why you are interested in the program.
- A letter of recommendation from someone who has taught you philosophy.
- A copy of your college transcript. (An unofficial copy is fine.)
Mail this information to:
Summer Seminar
Department of Philosophy
University of Colorado
232 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0232.
To receive full consideration, applications must be received by April 1st. Decisions will be made within a month.
For more information, contact Robert Pasnau: pasnau@colorado.edu.
To learn more about Philosophy at CU Boulder, go to our homepage.
Some participants in the 2008 seminar, hiking in Rocky Mountain
National Park.
Feedback from Former Participants
"It is no understatement to say that this seminar changed my life. I came into the program unsure whether I wanted to continue with philosophy after I graduated from college, and I left knowing my heart was set on staying in the field for the rest of my life. The classes and papers were as rewarding as they were challenging -- very! -- but the heart of the seminar lay elsewhere. I found incredible and lasting friends, and my closest confidantes in philosophical matters, living alongside me in the dorm rooms and hiking with me through the spectacular scenery of the Rocky Mountains. They have helped me through my applications to graduate school and celebrated with me as we all headed off to top Ph.D. programs across the country, and we still fondly recall our times together in Boulder. The program taught us more philosophy than any of us were expecting, but more than that it gave us a glimpse of the life of the modern philosopher, and we liked what we saw very, very much. I cannot recommend the CU Summer Seminar highly enough."
Julia Bursten (BA, Rice University)
Graduate student in History and Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh
"The program created a unique and informal atmosphere
ripe for philosophical discussion among undergraduate contemporaries who
possess similar abilities and motivations, yet whose diverse interests
represent the entire philosophical spectrum.... I am convinced that my
selection as a Rhodes Scholar in December of 2002 would have been
impossible had I not participated in the Summer of Philosophy program."
Adam Cureton (BA, University of Georgia)
Philosophy graduate student, Oxford University
"Whether simply going out to dinner or on a Saturday hike
in the Rocky Mountains, we were offered an opportunity to conduct and
discuss philosophy on an everyday basis. This, to me, was what made my
time in Boulder such a unique experience.... We spent time in seminar
absorbing and analyzing various positions in philosophy of mind, but we
were also able to take this information and discuss it among like-minded
individuals during the rest of the day."
Andrew Courtwright (BA, Rice University)
Philosophy graduate student,
University of North Carolina
"I drew swords with a McDowell enthusiast from Toronto, drank
with a cognitive psychologist from Birmingham, and chatted up God with a
Catholic from Notre Dame.... It is this sort of dialogue that
undergraduates rarely, if ever, have the opportunity to participate in,
since nothing comparable is found in paper conferences or one-week
workshops."
Phillip Rutherford (BA, Reed College)
Philosophy graduate student, Princeton University
"I believe that the lessons I learned from the seminar were
some of the biggest reasons for my admission to graduate school."
Joseph Corabi (BA, St. Joseph's University)
Philosophy graduate student, Rutgers
University
|
