Past Events

Spring 2008

• A Critique of Commodified Knowledge and Education (from Africa to Maine) - C. George Caffentzis and Walter E. Russell

Spring 2004

• Metaphysics and Globalization - Robert Neville
• The Slavery Reparations Movement in the U.S. and Africa - Bob Brown
• The Micro-Politics of Capital: Marx and the Prehistory of the Present - Jason Read

Fall 2003

• "Aesthetics & Ethics Are One" Lecture
• 3 Day Teach-In: The Israeli/Palestine Problem | The History of U.S. Foreign Policy in the Arabic World | Follow-up on the Meaning of "The War on Terror"
• Ethics of Laughter Panel - Nancy Gish, Assunta Kent, Dusan Bjelic, Lois Hinckey, and Brian Giles
• Junior High Philosophy Club

Spring 2003

• Teach-In for Peace
• Scandalous Eyes
• Ethics of Laughter
• The Media and the War
• Globalization, Fundamentalism, and Gender
• Creativity, Politics, and Gender

Fall 2002

• A summer social event to re-connect with other majors and minors
• Philosophy and Physics Panel
• Philosophy of Comedy Panel
• Philosophy and Social Change Panel
• Graduate School Q&A
• How to Get into Grad School
• Philosophy paper peer editing session and workshop
• Philosophy Conference(s)
• Parties and other social opportunities
• Edmund Burke and the Taste of Ambition
• Society for The Advancement of American Philosophy, the 29th Annual convention headed by Professor Gavin
• Speaking of Beauty

January - December 2002

• April 4 is the first day of the "Borders" Conference
• April 11 Philosophy Department Symposium meeting -- 10:00 A.M. in the Philosophy House. Everyone is more than welcome!
• April 16 Science Fiction and Philosophy event -- 7:00 - 9:00 P.M. in Campus Center A & B. Please, see Prof. Bobro if you have any questions.
• April 19-20 Tufts Conference. Registration for the 20th is $10. See Tim or Tony NOW or visit the Tufts web site www.tufts.edu to register.
• April 29 "What is Faith" -- panel discussion in Campus Center A & B 7:00 - 9:00 P.M.
• Visit the Philosophy Department end-of-year party -- check with Brenda McGovern for details. 

1999-2001

This is the 21st Century: Freedom, Privilege, and Civil Rights in the wake of Terror" will be held probably on Wednesday, Sept. 26th, from 1:30 - 4:00 in Campus Center A and B. Confirmed panelists (as of Tuesday evening) include Eileen Eagan (History) and George Caffentzis, Jason Read, and Robert Louden (Philosophy). Other panelists have been contacted. If you know of anyone interested in being a panelist, ask them to contact me by e-mail or by telephone (207)780-4258. The format will be (loosely): each panelist will give a 10-15 minute talk. After each panelist speaks, the floor will be open to discussion.

Fundraiser:
May 3rd: End of Semester Concert Location and Time TBA

April 5th: Nietzsche: Who or What is the Ubermensch? (discussion) 7-10 P.M. Campus Center ABC

Spring trip to Boston! (Saturday, April 21st.)
Due to the dearth of undergraduate conferences in New England this spring, we have instead decided to take a trip to the Boston Museum of Science for the day. After leaving the museum, we will all head off to Chinatown for dinner before returning home. The cost to students is $5 plus you will have to pay for your own dinner and T-tokens. If interested, please contact the Symposium or Daryl Morazzini before Thursday, March 22nd. Open to all students!

THE MADMAN: A Panel Discussion on Nietzsche
Professors Conway, Louden, Gavin, and Grange were panelists in a discussion on Nietzsche's famous passage, "The Madman," from The Gay Science.

Philosophy Regains its Senses: Thinking About Food
Raymond Boisvert, Professor of Philosophy at Siena College in New York, gave this lecture on Monday, April 17, 2000.

Happy Marriage or Irreconcilable Differences: Pragmatism and Tragedy
Raymond Boisvert, Professor of Philosophy at Siena College in New York, gave this lecture on Monday, April 17, 2000.

The Role of Emotions in Ethics
Susan Stark, Professor of Philosophy at Bates College, gave this lecture on Wednesday, April 26th.

Plato's Republic
This panel discussion took place on Monday, November 29th. Panelists included Professor Lois Hinckley from Classics, Professor Gary Johnson from History, and Professors Jerry Conway, Kate Wininger, George Caffentzis, and Robert Louden from Philosophy. The discussion centered on the following questions: 

What is the most misinterpreted aspect of The Republic?
What is the historical significance of The Republic?
How do you approach understanding and/or teaching The Republic?

What Makes One a Philosopher?
This discussion took place on Thursday, October 21,2000.

What is Religion?
In the spirit of USM's convocation on "Religion and the Human Experience" this year, the first event of the semester was a roundtable discussion on the topic, "What Is Religion?" This event took place on Thursday, September 30th. Attendance was wonderful, and there was a great discussion.

Journey After Death
Janet Doucette spoke about philosophical aspects of near-death experiences on Friday, Nov. 5.

Arthur Evans
Arthur Evans, author of the new book A Critique of Patriarchal Reason, addressed the USM community on Tuesday, November 16th.

Saral Sarkar
Saral Sarkar spoke about his book: Eco-socialism or Eco-capitalism? A Critical Analysis of Humanity's Fundamental Choices in the Fall semester.

Maria Meis
Maria Meis, author of Eco-feminism: Reconnecting a Divided World and Patriarchy and Accumulation on a World Scale: Women in the International Division of Labor, spoke about her book in the Fall semester.

A Very Open Mic Night
Get 5 minutes in front of a microphone to sing, perform a song, read a poem, read a passage from a book, read a favorite philosophical section, act out a dramatic work, tell some jokes, display a strange talent, or just ramble on about something on your mind!

This is the 22st Century: Freedom, Privilege, and Civil Rights in the Wake of Tragedy
Panel (George Caffentzis, Kim Cook, Eileen Eagan, Robert Louden, Jason Read, and Kate Wininger)

1998 - 1999

Morality, Power Politics, and Sensationalism:
The Deeper Implications of the Clinton Scandal
Panelists in this discussion included: State Representative Michael Brennan, Julien Murphy, Philosophy Professor and Associate Dean of USM's College of Arts & Sciences, and Rev. Steven Notis of the United Methodist Church.

Student Paper Presentation>
Wayne Palmer presented his paper Pro-Choice, Whose Choice? discussing ethical issues surrounding men's rights in abortion.

Student Paper Presentation
Kristen Hauck presented her translation of Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra, as well as her experiences and problems with the translation process itself.

Student Paper Presentation
Ramona Moore presented her paper, What's this Philosophy Stuff All About? which discusses teaching philosophy to children. 

Student Paper Presentation
Tim Arnold presented his paper, Heidegger's Existential Analytic, which discusses Heidegger's hermeneutics.

A Philosophical Open-mic Night
This was an open discussion where each participant received 5 minutes to say anything on his or her mind.

Guest Lecture
Dr. Edward Pols, Professor Emeritus from Bowdoin college, discussed his new book, Mind Regained.