Come start off the year with the college tradition! USU Philosophy will have its usual table, with some free books (and there’s free food at the top of the hill). Stop by and say hi!

Philosophy usually employs a handful of UTFs each term, usually to help with Intro, Social Ethics, or Ethics. If you’ve had any of these classes, and have done well, and would like to serve as a UTF, please send me a note (charlie.huenemann@usu.edu). In addition to the joy of helping other students learn interesting stuff, you are awarded a small stipend.

Lots of events this spring! See this flier for Chasen Robbins’ honors thesis defense next week:

On Friday the department of Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies is hosting an undergraduate research symposium. There will be two groupings of philosophy presentations, as follows:

NOTE: The schedule has changed; instead of two sessions as announced earlier, there will be just one, as follows:

Room: Main 225: Philosophy and the Human Situation

(This session will run from 3:30-5:45, with a short break at its midpoint)

Moderator: Charlie Huenemann

Alex Bullock, “Optimistic Determinism: An Exploration into Happiness Without Free Will”

Jadyn Carter, “Yes, We Can Indeed Handle the Truth”

Frank De Jong, “The Problems of Writing about Non-Materiality”

—

Lauren Huffcutt, “The Demon in our Pocket”

Jessica Krebs, “Long Stories, Short Stories, or No Stories: What Do We Need for Meaningful Lives?”

Adam Tak, “The Virtue of Rolling Rocks Up Hills Without Ever Ending, That’s It, Forever”

Cristian Chavez, “Free Will and Quantum Mechanical Time”

Everyone is welcome!

Next week:

If you are interested in joining philosophy’s honor society, Phi Sigma Tau, please send me a note expressing that interest (charlie.huenemann[@]usu.edu). Please note that you may have expressed that interest in the past, and I may well have forgotten; so, just to be sure, let me know again!

To join Phi Sigma Tau, you need to meet the following requirements:

• You must have completed 1.5 semesters at USU;
• You must have a 3.3 cumulative GPA;
• You must have completed (or are now completing) three Philosophy classes;
• You must have a B average in your Philosophy classes.

Note that you need not be a minor or major in Philosophy.

We will have a dinner and induction ceremony (which is a highly-cultivated display of silliness) sometime over finals week. It costs $25 to join.