past map events & projects

Organized by type of event, with hosting university in brackets. Lists for previous academic years may be found here:
Events, projects, and activities are organized by individual chapters in their own capacities, and their contents do not necessarily reflect the views of MAP. Chapters work with a high degree of autonomy and minimal intervention from the central organization. Event organizers, however, are encouraged to take steps necessary to ensure events are safe and inclusive spaces for attendees.
2017-2018

SPEAKERS
  • Kevin Richardson (NCSU): “Do the Laws of Semantics Lie?” [Ohio State]
  • Luvell Anderson (Memphis): “Understanding Racial Realities” [Ohio State]
  • Elena Ruíz (Michigan State): “On the Politics of Coalition,” pre-read workshop [University of Michigan]
  • Sonya Özbey (Michigan): “‘Those That Have Blood and Qi’: Humans’ Animality and Animals’ Humanity in the Xunzi” [University of Michigan]
  • Stephen Angle (Wesleyan): “Why Adding Non-Western and Comparative Philosophy to a Philosophy Department is a Good Idea, and How to Do It Right” [Boston University]
  • Annette Martin (NYU) “Implicit Bias: Yes, Our Problem” [NYU]
  • Satya P. Mohanty (Cornell): “Social Identity, Intersectionality, and Epistemic Privilege” [New School]
  • Jill Gordon (Colby): “Black Bodies Matter: A Reading of Ta-Nehisi Coates' Between the World and Me”
  • Alyosxa Tudor (LSE): “Cross-Fadings - Epistemological Reflections on Racism and Migration in Feminist and Antiracist Knowledge Production” [University of Cambridge]
  • Shaireen Rasheed (Long Island University): “Anti-Racist Pedagogy in a Post-Election Climate” [Columbia University]
  • Mark Richard (Harvard): "How Do Slurs Mean?" [Tufts University]
  • Brian Epstein (Tufts):  "Biko on black and non-white: Improving social reality" [Tufts University]
  • Meena Krishnamurthy (Michigan): “White Blindness” [SUNY Buffalo]
  • Janet Kourany (Notre Dame) “Human Enhancement” [University of Notre Dame]
  • Sr. Prudence Allen (International Theological Commission) “Philosophy and The Concept of Woman” [University of Notre Dame]
  • Maurizio Albahari (Notre Dame) “Migration on the Mediterranean: Who’s Morally Responsible for Refugee Deaths?” [University of Notre Dame]
  • Daniel Nolan (Notre Dame) “Temporary Marriage” [University of Notre Dame]
  • Tamara Metz (Reed) "Marriage and the Neoliberal Politics of Care" [Reed College]
  • Troy Cross (Reed) "Why Science Keeps Getting Things Wrong" [Reed College]
  • Helen Edelman (Reed) "Psychiatry, Neoliberalism and the Ontology of Mental Illness" [Reed College]
  • Anthony Nguyen (USC) "Time Travel and Free Will" [Reed College]
  • Yasha Sapir (Reed)  "Akrasia" [Reed College]
  • William Brown (Reed) "A Puzzle Concerning Sovereignty and Emergencies” [Reed College]
  • Kathryn Gines (Penn State) “Intersectionality, Intermeshedness, and Multiplicity: Critical Engagements with Simone de Beauvoir's "The Second Sex” [Villanova University]
  • Elizabeth Viera-Patron (CMU) “Inclusive Pedagogy” [Carnegie Mellon University]
  • Patrick Walsh (CMU) “Elizabeth Anscombe” [Carnegie Mellon University]
  • Patrick Walsh (CMU) “Queer Figures from the History of Logic” [Carnegie Mellon University]
  • Falguni Sheth (Emory): “Race, Violence, and Vulnerability: Walls that We Do Not See” [New School]
  • Robin Dembroff (Yale): “Oppressive Categories” [Ohio State, Yale]
  • Sarah Borden (Wheaton): Aristotle was really a Feminist [Notre Dame]
  • Ann J. Cahill (Elon): “Overcoming Objectification” [UNC-Charlotte]
  • Ann J. Cahill (Elon): “Toward a Theory of (Inter)Vocal Justice” [UNC-Charlotte]
  • Lindsey Stewart (University of Memphis): "'I Ain't Thinking 'Bout You': Black Liberation Politics at the Intersection of Region, Gender, and Class." [UNC-Charlotte]
  • Liam Bright (CMU/LSE): “W.E.B. DuBois” [CMU]
  • Nancy Tuana (Pennsylvania State University): “The Forgetting of Race in the Anthropocene” [U of Washington]
  • Shelley Wilcox (SFSU): “In Defense of Sanctuary Policies” [Michigan]
  • Susan Nieman (Director Einstein Forum): “Working Through the Past: What Americans Can Learn from the Germans [Michigan]
  • Jose Medina (Northwestern): “Taking Racial Violence Seriously” [Michigan]
  • Lorna Finlayson (University of Essex): “On Feminism and Multiculturalism” [Cambridge]
  • Meena Krishnamurthy (Michigan): “White Blindness” [University at Buffalo]

CONFERENCES & PAPER WORKSHOPS
  • “On Bridges and Walls: Toward a Philosophy Without/Beyond Borders” [New School]
  • Spring Workshop Series, “NY-MAPWorks” [NYU, Columbia, New School, Rutgers, & CUNY]
    • ​Helios Bajwa (New School), “The Violence of Inclusion: Borders, Ideology and Migrant Labor in Singapore” [NYU]
    • Alejandro Naranjo Sandoval (Princeton), “Gatekeeping Generics: How Our Utterances Shape the Social World” [NYU]
    • Sofia Ortiz-Hinojosa (Vassar), "Virtue Epistemology in Sor Juana" [New School]
    • Martin Abreu Zavaleta (NYU), "Communication and Variance" [New School]
    • Aaron Landau (Columbia), “Learning from Injustice: Pragmatism as Nonideal Theory” [CUNY]
    • Dee Payton (Rutgers), “Processing Blame on Fragmented Grounds” [CUNY]
    • Fatema Amijee (Simon Fraser), "Feminist Islam" [Columbia]
    • Filipa Melo Lopes (Michigan), “Gender and the Social Standing Thesis” [Columbia]
    • Wendy Salkin (Harvard), “Democracy Within, Justice Without: The Duties of Informal Political Representatives” [NYU]
    • Shannon Brick (CUNY), "Can Pictures Make Us Morally Better?” [NYU]
  • PWISP conference: conference in social & political philosophy [Princeton]
  • 2018 Annual Southeast Conference of Applied Philosophy: "Philosophy in Urgent Times” [UNC-Charlotte]
  • Symposium on Race and Equity in Philosophy for Children [U Washington]
    • ​Zeus Leonardo (UC Berkeley) keynote address
    • Ben Luker (University of Hawai'i at Manoa)
    • Amy Reed-Sandoval (University of Texas at El Paso)
  • “Philosophy Undergraduate Conference" [Western]
    • Veromi Arsiradam (Western):  "Philosophy and Social Justice”
  • “Inclusive Methodology and Pedagogy” [U Penn]
    • David Curry (SUNY: Potsdam)
    • Emily Esch (College of Saint Benedict / Saint John’s University)
    • Ann Cahill (Elon University)
    • Ruthann Pierson Crapo (Minneapolis Community & Technical College)
    • Daniel Collette (Saint Norbert’s College)
  • Paper Workshops [Yale University]
    • Serene Khader (CUNY), “The Conservatism of Socially Constitutive Identity”
    • Antuan Johnson (Yale), “A ‘Real’ Non-Ideal Theory”
  • Philosophy and Martial Arts Event [University at Albany SUNY]
    • Keynote: Komarine Romdenh-Romluc (University of Sheffield)
  • “Power and Identity: Philosophical Reflections on Liberation” [University of Cambridge]
  • “Resistance and Love After Foundationalism [U South Florida]
    • Keynotes: Jose Medina (Northwestern) & Elena Ruíz (MSU)
  • ​​“2018 Minorities and Philosophy Conference” [Florida State University]
    • Keynote: Lisa Miracchi
  • Conference on Public Philosophy [University of Bristol]
    • Keynote: Christopher Bertram
 
DISCUSSIONS AND PANELS
  • Discussion of access and forced intimacy experienced by persons with disabilities [Ohio State]
  • Discussion night on “Symbols of Prejudice on College Campuses,” focusing on a mural depicting the KKK at a university lecture hall [Indiana University]
  • MAP Graduate Panel: K. Kenneth Edusei (Michigan State): “Materiality, Affectivity, and Hermeneutic Bypass”; Alvaro Sottil de Aguinaga (Michigan): “Reflective Equilibrium and Ideology”; Rebecca Harrison (Michigan): “Against Epistemic Neutrality: On the Presumption of Innocence in Sexual Violence Cases” [University of Michigan]
  • Prof. Kristen Case (Maine-Farmington) spoke about her experience on the margins of philosophy. There was then an hour-long discussion about personal experiences on the margins of philosophy and how to make philosophy a more diverse and inclusive field. [University of Maine, Farmington]
  • Skype Discussion of “In-Between: Latina Feminist Phenomenology, Multiplicity, and the Self” with the author, Mariana Ortega [University of South Florida]
  • "Is Philosophy for Everyone (Straight, Cis, Able-bodied, White Men)? A Panel/Discussion with Minorities and Philosophy" with three faculty speakers---Dr. Lucius Outlaw Jr., Dr. Idit Dobbs-Weinstein, Dr. Kelly Oliver---and audience participation [Vanderbilt University]
  • Brown Bag Lunch Series: Casual meetings with professors and other students to discuss their work and socialize. Professors were Dr. Elisabeth Paquette (Ethics & Applied Philosophy; Women and Gender Studies), Dr. Andrea Pitts (Ethics & Applied Philosophy; Latin American Studies), and Dr. Eddy Souffrant (Ethics and Applied Philosophy; African/a Studies) [UNC-Charlotte]
  • “Is Buddhism Religion or Philosophy?” Led by Louise Williams [Notre Dame]
  • “The Metaphysics of Autistic Identity” Led by Michael Waddell
  • Making Academic Philosophy Accessible for Underrepresented Groups in Germany and Europe [Freie Universitaet Berlin]
    • Speakers: Eva von Redecker (HU Berlin) & Daniel James (Uni Duisburg-Essen)
  • “What it’s like to be a Minority” Panel [Vanderbilt]
    • Dr. Lou Outlaw Jr., Dr. Idit Dobbs-Weinstein, and Dr. Kelly Oliver  
  • Political Targeting [U Washington]
    • Gillian Wickwire (SafeCampus), Dahmar Smiles (UW Community Engagement Officer), Victoria Adams (Victim's Advocate, UWPD), Sam Sumpter (UAW Local 4121, Philosophy Graduate Student)
  • “Diversifying Syllabi” [U Oklahoma]
    • Drs. Amy Olberding and Wayne Riggs
  • Perspectives on Mass Incarceration Panel
    • Moderated by local organizer Stephanie Holt (NC Organizer). Panelists included: Dr. Eric Junious (Mulitcultural Postdoctoral Student in UNCC's Criminal Justice Studies); Dr. Andrea J. Pitts (UNC Charlotte Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Latin American Studies); Dr. Rima Vesely-Flad (Director of Peace and Justice Studies at Warren Wilson College); and Ash Williams (NC Organizer).) [UNC-Charlotte]
  • Senior Thesis presentations [Reed College]
    • Ophelia Vedder, "Sexual assault and the limits of consent."
    • Dagan Douglas, "Using Social Epistemology and Judgment Aggregation to Adapt Anthropological Theory and Practice"
  • "Roundtable on Minority Success in Philosophy" [University at Albany, SUNY]
  • “Philosophy Outreach” [University of Bristol]
    • Keynote: Grant Bartley

INFORMAL GET-TOGETHERS
  • Saw George Takei speak on diversity and otherness; went for ice cream after [Indiana University]
  • Women’s Tea [NYU]
  • Fall Mixer: hosted at faculty representative's house for MAP members with food/drink. [Emory University]
  • Meet and Greet [University of Maine, Farmington]
  • Meet and Greet [University of Cambridge]
  • Two Meet and Greets [University of Warwick]
  • Meet and Greet [Duquesne University]
  • Launch Party to get undergraduates engaged and excited about MAP activities. Undergrads played philosophy games and were asked to brainstorm what things they would like to see happening from the department in general. [University of Notre Dame]
  • Valentine’s Day Black Mirror (“San Junipero”) Screening & Discussion [NYU]
  • POC social event [Vanderbilt]
  • MAP Drinks: a social event for graduate students from underrepresented groups to have a safe space to talk about issues that affect them, and (more broadly) to hang out together [NYU]
  • Women in Philosophy Academic Lunches [Yale]
  • Quarterly meeting for undergraduates [UC Davis]
  • Meeting with Undergraduate Philosophically Oriented Women on Diversifying The Canon [UC Davis]
  • Coffee and Conversation; MAP Launch Party [University of Iowa]

WORKSHOPS/TRAINING
  • AAPT inclusive pedagogy workshop [Indiana University]
  • Syllabus Diversification Workshop, headed by Prof. Meena Krishnamurthy [University of Michigan]
  • COMPASS Workshop for diverse undergraduates applying to philosophy grad school [University of Michigan]
  • Inclusive Pedagogy workshop [Boston University]
  • Inclusive Pedagogy workshop [Western University]
  • Undergraduate Writing workshop [NYU]
  • Spring Workshop Series, “NY-MAPWorks” [NYU, Columbia, New School, Princeton, Rutgers, CUNY]
  • Workshop with Prof. Emmalon Davis on the status of minorities in academia [New School]
  • PhD and Post-Doc application workshop [University of Cambridge]
  • Undergraduate Writing workshops [Columbia University]  
  • “Going to Graduate School” workshop for juniors and seniors considering graduate school in philosophy [Columbia University]
  • Graduate workshop on diversity in our classrooms and allyship (co-hosted with the Institutional Diversity office) [Temple University]
  • Applying to Grad School Panel [NYU]
  • Imposter Syndrome Workshop (graduate students who experience imposter syndrome got together to play "imposter syndrome bingo" and discuss their experiences with imposter syndrome) [NYU]
  • Inclusive Pedagogy Workshop on safe spaces; Prof. Derek Anderson gave a presentation and led discussion [Boston]
  • ImPIEstor Syndrome workshop [Rutgers]
  • Writing Workshop for undergraduates [Sydney]
  • Social Political Workshops [Western Michigan University]
    • 1: Speakers: Ashley Atkins, Xhercis Mendez, Alison Bailey
    • 2: Speakers: Ashley Atkins, Alec Sculley, Elvira Basevich, Gretchen Ellefson
  • Undergraduate mentorship event with Susan Bredlau [Emory University]
  • Graduate student mixer [Emory University]

READING GROUPS
  • Indiana University: Charles Mills’ “Decolonizing Western Political Philosophy” (in anticipation of talk)
  • University of Michigan: Spanish-Language Philosophy Reading Group
  • University of Michigan: Race, Gender, & Feminist Philosophy Interdisciplinary Working Group
  • New School: Minorities and Philosophy reading group (reading included, for example, Satya’s Mohanti’s “The Epistemic Status of Cultural Identity: On ‘Beloved’ and the PostColonial Condition” and Emmalon Davis’s “Typecasts, Tokens, and Spokepersons”)
    • Also discussed George Ciccariello-Maher’s work as translator of Enrique Dussel's "Twenty Theses on Politics” with Ciccariello-Maher
  • University of Maine, Farmington: Aesthetics and Ethics
  • Emory University: Epistemic Injustice
  • Emory University: Philosophy Otherwise
  • University of Cambridge: Intersectional Feminism
  • Columbia University: Non-Western Philosophy, which read Indian Buddhist philosopher Jnanasrimitra’s Monograph on Exclusion & Nāgārjuna's Dispeller of Disputes
  • Temple University: Women in philosophy. (Discussed the underrepresentation of women in philosophy & ways we can be more inclusive of women both as students and as instructors.)
  • University of Pennsylvania: Epistemic Injustice
  • Princeton University: Undergraduate reading group
  • University of South Florida: Womanist Reading Group
  • University of South Florida: Ortega Reading Group
  • Tufts University: Mark Richard’s “How Do Slurs Mean?” and Brian Epstein’s  "Biko on black and non-white: Improving social reality" (in anticipation of talks)
  • Villanova University: Reading group on Kathryn Gines’ work
  • Vanderbilt University: Epistemic Injustice
  • Duquesne University: Guided Reading Group Discussions: a member volunteered to lead a discussion on a philosophical text from a minority perspective/concerned with minority issues with the goal of introducing new texts that could be taught at the introductory level. (Authors included Donna Harraway, Rosi Braidotti, and Robert Young.) Discussion was continued on Slack thread
  • Temple University: Reading group on contemporary articles (for example, “"Identity-in-difference to Avoid Indifference")
  • Carnegie Mellon University: Feminist Philosophy Reading Group with Pitt MAP
  • University of Washington: Feminist Philosophy Reading Group (focus on Kate Manne’s “Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny”)
  • University of Michigan: Philosophy of Immigration Reading Group
  • Vanderbilt: Disability Studies Reading Group
  • University of Oklahoma: Native American Philosophy Reading Group
  • Stanford: Classical Chinese Philosophy Reading Group
  • University of Iowa: Other Philosophy Reading Group
  • University of Memphis: Graduate Reading Group
  • Western Michigan University: Fanon Reading Group, Medical Ethics Reading Group
  • University of Cambridge: Reading Group on the Intersection of Gender/Race/Disability with Philosophy of Science
  • University of South Florida: Womanist Reading Group, Ortega Reading Group, Kant's Anthropology, Kant on Race
  • Princeton University: Undergraduate women’s reading group (open to women & gender minorities)
  • Princeton University: Social Philosophy Reading Group (read first five chapters of Kate Manne’s Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny)
  • University of Pittsburgh: Reading groups with Rebecca Kukla (Georgetown) and Danielle Macbeth (Haverford)

FILM SCREENINGS
  • Screening and Discussion of “Daughters of the Dust,” the first feature film directed by an African American woman distributed theatrically in the United States [University of Cambridge]
  • Screening and Discussion of “Highway of Tears,” which touches on the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada. [Western University]
  • Screenings and Discussions of three films aimed at undergraduate participation: “Crash,” “A Time for Drunken Horses,” and “Hotel Rwanda” [SUNY Buffalo]
  • Movie and Pizza Night: Screening of “Agora,” a fictionalized account of the life and death of Hypatia of Alexandria) [WUSTL]
  • Double Feature & Dinner: Screenings of “Moonlight” and “I Am Not Your Negro” and a Q&A after each showing. Dinner and snacks were served. [Temple University]
  • Attended local Black Lives Matter screening of “Do Not Resist” [Indiana-Bloomington]
  • Screening of “Persepolis” with Discussion [Temple University]
  • Screening of Netflix Document “13th” [Indiana]
  • Spring Film Series with Faculty Discussants [UNC-Charlotte]
    • Fatal Assistance (2012), Discussant Dr. Eddy Souffrant
    • Holy Motors (2012), Discussant Dr. Andrea J. Pitts
    • Rhymes for Young Ghouls (2013), Discussant Dr. Elisabeth Paquette
  • Deej (2017) followed by discussion mediated/facilitated by Philosophy Professor, Janette Dinishak [UC Santa Cruz]
  • Three film screenings for undergraduates [University at Buffalo]

OTHER ITEMS
  • Graduate Presentation on Metaphysics of Disability [Ohio State]
  • Created a set of “MAP Guidelines for Instructors” [Ohio State]
  • Information session for undergraduates considering a major or minor in philosophy [Boston University]
  • Co-Sponsored Canadian Society for Women in Philosophy (CSWIP) Conference [Western University]
  • Collated list of undergraduate summer opportunities (workshops; scholarship; summer schools) [Columbia University]
  • Contributed to new Climate Committee and Climate Statement for the department as a whole [Columbia University]
  • De-stressing event: hosted an arts & crafts afternoon, provided snacks and discussed different ways to maintain one's mental health during stressful times. We provided yoga sessions and various art activities while serving light snacks. [Temple University]
  • MAP Mixer and Reading Group Discussion: Discussed MAP's objectives & assigned a reading that pertained to the current demographics in philosophy [Temple University]
  • Art Gala: showcased the art of different students in the department, including underrepresented groups in philosophy (co-hosted with Undergraduate/Graduate Mentorship program). [Temple University]
  • Planned for department climate study and suggested department diversity statement [Duquesne University]
  • Contacted a local high school that serves underrepresented groups and offers a Theory of Knowledge course; proposed that students from the university teach a course there next semester [Wichita State]
  • Mentorship Program: Paired 17 undergraduate students with 17 graduate students. The program has helped predominantly women and minority students in the department forge good relations with graduate students. Undergrads report to the Phil Department Undergrad Director that those who are involved with the program are getting a lot out of it. Graduate mentors are expected to meet with mentees at least once a month and the department purchases a coffee for both mentor and mentee for each of those meetings. [University of Notre Dame]
  • Meetings to discuss race & disability [Ohio State]
  • Life of a Paper/Talk on Project Vox: Andrew Janiak spoke and led a discussion on Project Vox's work on women in the history of philosophy [Columbia]
  • Regular meetings discussing various issues on inclusion and diversity in philosophy [Columbia]
  • “Write Night” for Undergraduates [U Oklahoma]
  • De-stressing events during midterms/finals (co-sponsored with department & philosophy club) [Indiana]
  • MAP presentation for visiting prospective graduate students (discussed statistics about minority representation in philosophy as well as the role of our specific chapter in our department)  [Boston]
  • Discussion about experiences in philosophy with Lynne Tirrell (UConn) [Pittsburgh]
  • Prospectives’ week breakfast [Pittsburgh]
  • De-stressing Event (meditation, yoga, music, arts & crafts) for undergraduates and graduates [Temple University]
  • Philosophy You’ve Never Heard Of: An Interactive Experience [Notre Dame]
    • This game based event involved two components. First, the students played 60 second philosopher. They were each told to write down the names of as many philosophers as they could think of. Then they were put into teams, and each team received points for philosophers with the following characteristics: female, specialist in Non-western philosophy, part of a minority group, specializes in feminist thought. The team with the most points won. Second, we played a trivia based game. The group was in two teams. We announced a philosopher and asked the students to provide 1) topic philosopher studies 2) major ideas the person is famous for. There were some easy ones such as Descartes and Socrates, then al Ghazalli, Lao Tzu, Confucius, Buddha, Martha Nussbaum etc. We tried to get a range of lesser known, but commonly covered in intro to philosophy courses. The students got points for accurate info and the team with the most points won. We spent a few minutes on each philosopher getting accurate info out there after each round.
  • Pedagogy lunch discussion with Dr. Ann J. Cahill (Elon University) [UNC-Charlotte]
  • Created & finalized climate survey [UCR]