I have moved up the deadline for UTF applications to November 1, so students can know what they are doing before they register for classes. So apply soon if you are interested!

Here they are!

Undergraduate Teaching Fellows (UTFs) assist a professor in teaching a class. They are awarded $750 for the semester, and are expected to attend the class they are assisting with and work with the professor in helping the students with the material. For more information about USU’s UTF program, please see this site.

We will be looking for 7 UTFs in philosophy this coming spring. If you are interested, please complete the Philosophy UTF application form.

PHIL 1000 INTRO TO PHILOSOPHY (BHU) – B. Gentry – MWF 8:30
PHIL 1000 INTRO TO PHILOSOPHY (BHU) – B. Gentry – MWF 2:30
PHIL 1120 SOCIAL ETHICS (BHU) – M. Otteson – MWF 1:30
PHIL 1120 SOCIAL ETHICS (BHU) – M. Otteson – MWF 12:30
PHIL 2200 DEDUCTIVE LOGIC (QI) – C. Huenemann – TR 12:00
PHIL 2400 ETHICS (BHU) – M. Ashfield – MWF 3:30
PHIL 2400 ETHICS (BHU) – M. Ashfield – MWF 11:30
PHIL 3100 ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY (CI) – M. Otteson – MWF 10:30
PHIL 3530 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS (DHA) – M. Ashfield – TR 9:00
PHIL 3580 ETHICS AND ECON LIFE (DHA) – H. Kleiner – MW 3:00
PHIL 3600 PHIL OF RELIGION (DHA) – M. Ashfield – MWF 2:30
PHIL 3800 PHILOSOPHY IN LIT (DHA) – C. Huenemann – TR 9:00
PHIL 3990 PHILOSOPHY/POP CULTURE (DHA): The Rise of the Podcast – M. Otteson – TR 10:30
PHIL 4310 PHLOSOPHY OF SCIENCE (DHA) – B. Gentry – MWF 11:30
PHIL 4530 ETHICS AND BIOTECHNOLOGY (DSC) – R. Robison – TR 1:30

There is an interesting exhibit now showing on campus at the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art. The exhibit is “Your place in the Multiverse” by Jean Lowe. It doesn’t have to do with quantum mechanics, but instead playfully presents us with the ways we present our lives and selves to ourselves in a capitalist culture. Lowe’s work “carefully and humorously unpacks the ironies and challenges of our 21st-century culture.”

There will be a lecture by John C. Welchman about Lowe’s work. Welchman is a professor at the University of California San Diego who works in modern and contemporary art history and critical theory, and will be discussing the thought of Theodor Adorno in this lecture. The lecture will be on October 19th, 12:30 pm, and held over Zoom, but if you want to attend you will need to register. More information here about the exhibit (including a virtual tour): the exhibit

Here is the link to register for the lecture: Register for lecture.

Michael Otteson, a teaching postdoctoral fellow in philosophy at USU, is hosting a series of podcasts in which he discusses public square issues with people he’s come across. (Think Socrates, with headphones!)

You can check them out here: Aggie Agora

Two upcoming events to consider entering into your calendar:

1. There will be an organizational meeting for Ethics Bowl: Wednesday, September 8, 3 pm, RWST 214. If you are interested but cannot attend, please contact Dr. Robison at rachel.robison@usu.edu. Ethics Bowl is sort of like Debate, arguing over questions of social ethics and applied ethics, though in a more constructive and collegial atmosphere.
2. There will be a kick-off meeting for Philosophy Club: Wednesday, September 15, 3 pm, RWST 214. Again, let Dr. Robison know if you are interested but cannot attend!

A hearty welcome to students new or returning! We hope the semester is off to a good start for you. We are planning to have multiple kinds of events through the coming year to nourish your yearning for philosophy. Best wishes, good luck, and stay safe!!!