Concordia Philosophy Student Weekly Tabloid Vol. 12
Another week passes in the Fall term semester. Another week of time.
Time—the constant sequence of events thrown upon us and we cannot resist. Despite this, we still have our choice in the moment of a situation. But, what should we do? We generally do what we determine as good. Whatever we determine this “good” to be in accordance with our ends.
Another week means another round of news from your Students of Philosophy Association! This is what we determine as good and what we should do. Hopefully, our news is good for you too.
Here’s the 12th Volume of the Concordia Philosophy Student Weekly Tabloid! Bringing you all the hottest and best events and relevant philosophy news.
This week, we disseminate news about:
- A Special General Assembly about boycotting philosophy classes!
- Our Annual General Assembly and first social event
- A work-integrated learning program
- Various events: A climate workshop, a talk about indigenous reconciliation, Theology in the City, and voting on campus
- The FutureBound program
- Library research workshops
- A teaser of SoPhiA’s new communal space
- SoPhiA’s library of books
A Special Assembly Concerning a Fall Reading Week Strike
As you may have heard, many student associations are gearing up to boycott classes from Oct 3-7, as a way of taking our own reading week.
We are holding a Special General Assembly—a place for philosophy students to gather to take part in democracy to vote for or against our official participation in this strike. Come join us on September 29th at 5pm to discuss and vote for or against boycotting classes during the first week of October.
Some arguments in favor of the strike:
- Most universities in Quebec and Canada have had a Fall reading week for years.
- We deserve a week-long break from classes to rest, visit family and catch up on course work.
- The university has had years to prepare a Fall reading week and chose not to give us one this year.
Some arguments against the strike:
- A strike would be disruptive: students are still expected for attendance and coursework submissions during the strike.
- We already have October 10th and 11th off, like a mini reading week.
- Strikes can lead to confrontations.
- Students actively picketing classes still are not really having a break.
We require your participation on whether you want or don’t want a strike. If you don’t vote, you leave others decide what will happen. The assembly should last no more than one hour.
What: Assembly of philosophy students to vote for or against a reading week strike
When: Thursday, September 29, 5-6pm.
Where: Philosophy Department S-05
More information on the strike
Annual General Assembly and First Social Event
We’re hard at work planning our Annual General Assembly and our first social event!
We will have our first social event immediately after our Annual General Assembly (AGM), which will most likely take place on October 6th or Oct 13th from 4:30-6:30pm, then the social event at 7:00pm (we’ll head over together). Keep your calendars open, just in case!
What is an AGM? An AGM is the meeting of all members of SoPhiA. This includes the executives and all students in philosophy. All philosophy students are considered regular members of SoPhiA.
During the General Assembly we convene to do business:
- We vote in new executive members (you can nominate yourself directly at the AGM)
- Introduce your executive members
- Discuss this year’s budget & events
- Students can propose a motion(s) which mandates SoPhiA to act on
- The floor will also be open to discussion or questions (tell us what your gripes are with the philosophy program!)
The open positions you can run for are listed on our website, along with the position descriptions. Running is simple as saying “I want to run” during the assembly. Optional is to give a little “about me”. (Note, any “interim” positions listed above will also be open).
It’s important to support SoPhiA by attending the AGM, because we need a minimum amount in attendance to be formally in session (this is called “quorum”). And in doing so, you help us help you better!
After the AGM, we will head out together to the bar afterward.
Anyway, here’s a teaser to keep you in suspense 😉
Humanities+ Work-integrated Learning Experience
Are you looking for practical training on skills required for the workplace? Do you feel unprepared for the work world after your degree?
Humanities+ offers a program that provides extracurricular courses focused on skill development and personal and professional growth to give you the soft skills required to be a strong workplace asset. The program will take place over the winter term.
You will:
- Learn Digital skills
- Learn Professional skills
- Learn Placement skills
- Take part in a work-integrates learning experience
You must be enrolled in a humanities program (e.g., philosophy) and have at least 30 credits completed by January 2023. You must also commit several hours a week over the entire Winter semester to the program’s courses.
The applications open on September 6th and the final deadline to apply is Sunday, December 4th, 2023 at 11:59 p.m.
Who: Student Success Center
What: Humanities+ work-study program
When: Throughout the winter 2023 term
Where: Online
Various Events
There are several events in the next week that may be interesting to philosophy students. Here are a few:
- September 22: The Climate Fresk Workshop
- “Join the Climate Fresk workshop to take part in a collaborative, scientific, and creative game to better understand the issues of climate change.”
- September 22: Searching for a path to reconciliation
- “Concordia’s Jurist-in-Residence Morton S. Minc in conversation with Paul John Murdoch, Partner, Murdoch Archambault Avocats, inc on the challenges of fostering mutual respect and understanding between Canada’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in the search for reconciliation.
- September 23, 27, 28, & 29: Voting on campus for the provincial elections
- Did you know you can vote on campus between your classes!?
- “All eligible students, faculty and staff are welcome to vote on campus on the dates listed below, regardless of their district, in the LB atrium (1400 Boul. De Maisonneuve Ouest, Montréal, Québec).”
- September 26-30: Theology in the City: Legacy: Wisdom, Experience, Knowledge
- “The third edition of Theology in the City brings together keynote speakers, scholars in theology and other fields, and graduate students to explore the theme of wisdom, experience and knowledge. Free and open to all. Presented in-person on the Loyola campus.”
See more of Concordia’s events
FutureBound Skill Workshops
The Student Success Center offers a line of skill workshops in their FutureBound program. The FutureBound workshops offer a chance for students to pick up soft skills outside the classroom that can transfer to the workplace.
The workshops are grouped into five categories:
- Career development
- Communications & Digital Capabilities
- Innovation & Entrepreneurship
- Leadership and Collaboration
- Growth & Balance
If you complete four workshops from any one specific category, you get a certificate stating that you have completed training in that category.
I’ve attended many of these workshops in my years at Concordia and can say that they offer new soft skills that apply to any part of your life. A few of the skills I’ve picked up include:
- Working more effectively in groups
- Being a better public speaker and presenter
- Working more effectively with Excel
- Designing workshops and presentations
- Networking with others
Who: Student Success Center
What: Futurebound workshops
When: Various dates throughout the year
The New SoPhiA Space (SoPhiA Agora)
Do you wish there was a dedicated space for philosophy students on campus?
Are you looking for a place to connect with peers?
Need a cool spot to find conversation and discuss philosophy?
Here’s a bit of a teaser, but SoPhiA is currently working on upgrading our current space to make it more cozy, communal, open, and inviting. Stay tuned for updates!
SoPhiA Book Library
If you didn’t know, SoPhiA has a library of over 650 books! We have books from different domains of philosophy and some outside philosophy (psychology, business, political science, and even novels). We even have textbooks for some of your courses! (e.g., PHIL-210, 235, 260, 266, and more)
What’s better is it’s completely free! What’s better than free textbooks?
You can borrow a book for an hour, or even the whole semester. Just drop by our office or send us an email.
You can see our complete library of books online on our Librarika virtual library.
What: Books!
Where: The SoPhiA library (in our office space)
Do you know of any cool philosophy-related events in Montreal or the Concordia Community? Please let us know and we will advertise them here!
**Pictures are for representative effect only and aren’t actual photos of the events, products, or services we report on.
Students of Philosophy Association 