Concordia Philosophy Student Weekly Tabloid Vol. 25
The Winter term is only a week away! We hope you all had a decent rest over the holiday and for new students, welcome!
We are resuming our Students of Philosophy Association “newsletter”, the Concordia Philosophy Student Weekly Tabloid, as a way for us to communicate to philosophy students SoPhiA-related news and community events related to philosophy and university life.
This term, we’ll try releasing these newsletters every Monday (It works with my schedule).
The university is closed until January 8th, 2023 and the Winter 2023 semester begins on Monday January 9th.
This first week is jam-packed with events for philosophy students, so be sure to read on ahead!
Here’s the 25th 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:
- Updates on the Philosophy building closure
- A special speaker talk in early January
- New student & academic skill events
- Our Sheila Mason Bursary
- A philosophy department speaker talk
- A Master in Philosophy Graduate Information Session
- A call for editors
- Various Concordia events
The Philosophy Department (S-annex) Remains Closed
Near the end of the Fall semester, a structural failure occurred in the philosophy department building, which prompted the building to close as they assessed its safety. The building remains closed for now.
From the information we have, the building will reopen in January with the exception of the M annex first floor. We assume this also means the S-annex basement and our SoPhiA space.
We won’t hold regular office hours for January, but if you’d like to meet with us, we have a physical space available or can do so through Zoom.
If you need to reach us, see our executives page.
If you need to access the closed areas of the S-Annex for whatever reason, then contact security at 514-848-3717 or visit the security desk on the ground floor of the Hall Building.
SoPhiA’s Inclusivity Project Speaker: “How Should We Think Today?” On the Importance of Philosophy in the Ecological Crisis
SoPhiA is excited to announce an exciting lecture happening in January featuring guest speaker Dr. Andrew Biro from Acadia University!
As news, images, and stories of the catastrophic effects of climate change have gained increasing visibility over the past years, the need for fundamental transformations in our current economic and social systems has perhaps never been so crucial. As vulnerable populations around the world suffer from devastating floods and scorching droughts, and entire species become extinct due to the decimation of their natural habitats, the question now arises: How should we think differently, and how can we?
In his lecture, guest speaker Dr. Andrew Biro, a professor at Acadia University who specializes in Critical Theory and Environmental Political Theory, will be addressing the question of the importance of philosophy in the ecological crisis. This lecture will be followed by a roundtable discussion where students and audience members will have a chance to share their experiences and thoughts and be part of creating a necessary conversation on philosophy, ecology, and the need for critical thinking.
This a great opportunity for students and staff to be part of an intergenerational discussion on the ecological crisis.
Organized by the Inclusivity Project (as part of SoPhiA).
To RSVP, email: inclusivity.sophia@asfa.ca
If you are interested in responding to one or more prompts by December 31st to help guide and facilitate discussion, please fill out this form here:
https://forms.gle/faWoVSKMEHUgwJBg8
Who: Dr. Andrew biro (Acadia University)
What: A lecture talk & roundtable
When: January 6th, 2023 4pm
Where: 4th Space Concordia
See the Facebook Event
New Student & Academic Skill Events
Are you a new philosophy student at Concordia hoping to get oriented to the campus and learn its ins and outs? Hope to pick up some useful skills that will be extremely helpful in your courses? There are many events during the first few weeks of the term for just that. See below for any such events!
- Welcome Crew drop-ins: Jan 9-13, 10am-4pm
- Webster Library Tour: Jan 9, 2pm; Jan 10, 2pm.
- Arts and Science Faculty Tour:
- Jan 9, 3pm;
- Jan 11, 10:30am;
- Jan 13, 10:30am.
- Meet a Friend on Campus:
- Jan 10, 10am;
- Jan 12, 3:30pm.
- Social events:
- Learn academic skills:
See the list of all Orientation events.
See also a useful video with tips for first-years. I agree with most of these tips.
Sheila Mason Bursary
Each year, SoPhiA provides our Sheila Mason Bursary, an essay-based student bursary, to one or more lucky students! We do not evaluate academic performance or GPA, but how well the student engages in promoting diversity and inclusivity in the philosophy or Concordia community.
The bursary is restricted to current undergraduate students enrolled in a major, minor or honours program in the philosophy department.
Those eligible for application include (as self-disclosed):
- Women
- LGBTQAI+ (lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer, asexual, intersex, and others included in this umbrella)
- BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of colour)
- Students with disabilities
The application process typically includes:
- Personal statement, which must include a description of community involvement, how the individual is working towards creating an inclusive environment within philosophy, and an explanation of financial need.(500-750 words)
- Essay, on the topics of queer, postcolonial, intersectional, feminist, or race theory (1500-2000 words)
- Letter of recommendation (e.g., from teacher, advisor, employer, etc.)
- C.V. (resume), updated to include information pertinent to the award
Start thinking now about compiling your application and if you have a great essay on queer, postcolonial, intersectional, feminist, or race theory topics from one of your courses, that’s completely acceptable as a submission! Or you can write your midterm in one of your courses on this topic and use it as a submission.
See more information from our 2022 bursary, including previous year’s winners, on our Inclusivity Project page.
Stay tuned with more updates on exactly how and when to apply!
Who: Undergrad philosophy students who self-identify as: women, LGBTQAI, BIPOC, or disabled
What: An essay-based student bursary
When: Deadline for application is March 17th, 2023
Philosophy Department Speaker: Emptiness, Negation, and Skepticism in the Mādhyamaka of Nāgārjuna and Sengzhao
Dr. Eric S. Nelson, Associate Dean of humanities and social Sciences and Professor of Philosophy at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, will be speaking on January 13, from 3-5pm in the J.W. McConnell Building, room 263 (Webster Library).
His talk “examines the practice-oriented background and philosophical significance of emptiness, negation, and skepticism in the Mādhyamaka Buddhism of Nāgārjuna and Sengzhao. It reconstructs several strands in the transition from Indian to early Chinese Mādhyamaka discourses, illustrating the centrality of diagnostic and therapeutic practices of linguistic and experiential emptying, non-implicative negation, and the “skeptical” suspension of assertion.”
Who: Dr. Eric Nelson(Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)
What: A philosophy lecture talk
When: January 13th, 2023 3pm
Where: Webster Library, room 362.
See the Event info
Master in Philosophy Graduate Information Session
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Philosophy are hosting a Master in Philosophy Graduate Information Session.
The session is hosted by Dr. Mattew Barker, Professor and graduate Program Director and Emma Moss Brender, the Graduate Program Assistant. They will answer questions and provide information such as how to apply, when to apply, the program options, and the program in general.
Registration required
What: Philosophy Graduate Program Information Session
When: January 10th, 2023 3pm
Where: Online
Call for Editors: The SoPhiA Review
Are you interested in taking part in a cool editing project? Want to be part of a fledging journal? Have awesome writing or editing skills?
SoPhiA is hoping to bring back this year its annual undergraduate journal, The SoPhiA Review! And we need your help!
We’re looking for people with a good eye, a capacity to read different texts, the ability to work in a team, and some editing skills. The candidates will be part of the editor team to read, edit, design, and publish student works in our annual journal!
The journal is usually published in the winter term, but the recruiting and planning of the journal occurs in the late fall.
Contact president dot sophia at asfa dot ca for more info.
Who: The SoPhiA Review
What: A call for editors
See some previous published works on our website.
Various Concordia Events
There are several events in the next week that may be interesting to philosophy students. Most have already been highlighted above in other sections. Here are a few:
- Winter Term Welcome Spirituali-tea at MFSC: January 10, 2pm
- “The MFSC wants to invite you to the first Spirituali-tea session of the Winter term and of 2023! Through this drop-in session, we want to welcome back our community, and to meet the new students that will be joining us at Concordia University. Come for some coffee, tea, and snacks, reconnect with one-another, and enjoy a good time at MFSC.”
See more of Concordia’s events
SoPhiA Book Library: Weekly Book Recommendation
This week’s highlighted book:
We do not have a highlighted book for you this week. To resume when we have access to our physical space. Feel free to have a look at our online 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)
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 