We offer traditional areas of philosophy along with research and teaching in the more directly practical areas of bioethics, environmental philosophy and ethics, and social and political thought.
Faculty are producing important scholarship in traditional philosophical sub-disciplines. At the same time, we have established areas of concentration focusing on more immediate and practical concerns. In conjunction with scholars in MSU's medical schools and environmental and agricultural science programs, the department has achieved national distinction in ethical and theoretical debates about issues pertaining to health care, food and the environment. These efforts overlap with research and teaching on race and gender issues, democratic theory, ethics and development, and critical social theory. With our commitment to this combination of problems, we are a distinctive program with a purposeful and diverse graduate student body.
The graduate program supports interdisciplinary work in such programs as Environmental Science and Policy; Gender, Justice, and Environmental Change; African American and African Studies; Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior; Cognitive Science; and Women, Gender, and Social Justice. The global dimension of the department is illustrated by its Ethics and Development graduate specialization. The faculty has been ranked among the most productive in the nation and our graduate students hail from around the world.
The Somers Award recognizes graduate student instructors who have demonstrated a commitment to excellence, innovation and creativity in undergraduate teaching. Nominees are recommended by students and faculty for their strong ability to promote meaningful student-teacher interaction, as well as in creating a classroom environment that encourages active learning and critical thinking. Congratulations to Youjin for this great accomplishment!
We are pleased to announce the launch of our website for the SEPOS group of scholars here in our philosophy department. Please take some time to check out what this amazing group of philosophers have been up to, and keep an eye on the site for future updates and announcements.
We are excited to announce that the 9th Annual MSU Undergrad Philosophy Conference will take place on March 22nd-23rd. Mariam Thelos will deliever the keynote address on March 22nd, and six different undergraduates will present their papers on March 23rd. Todd Hedrick will also be hosting a reception at his house on the evening on March 22nd. See the conference schedule for information on times and locations.
Todd Hedrick's new book, Reconciliation and Reification: Freedom’s Semblance and Actuality from Hegel to Contemporary Critical Theory, provides a systematic overview of contemporary critical theory from a new perspective. It weaves together the legal-theoretic and psychoanalytic dimensions of critical social theory, and speaks to ongoing issues of alienation and authoritarian backlash in Western societies that are not succeeding in pacing social change in a democratically controlled and transparent manner.
