Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Philosophy Conference

CALL FOR PAPERS:

Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Philosophy Conference: Providence College Date: March 21, 2026.  Providence College.  Providence, Rhode Island

Keynote Speaker: Professor John Russon (University of Guelph)

The Philosophy Department at Providence College celebrates undergraduate scholarship in philosophy and in the humanities—and we particularly support attempts by undergraduates to make philosophy speak to and with other disciplines.

Our first annual interdisciplinary conference on March 21, 2026 seeks to provide a welcoming forum for undergraduates to share their scholarship in what we might call engaged philosophy. In this call for papers, we solicit submissions of undergraduate work in either a branch of philosophy—ancient, medieval, modern, contemporary—or in an interdisciplinary connection between philosophy and psychology, philosophy and business, law or politics, and philosophy and health or nursing or medicine, etc. We welcome submissions in Continental and Analytic thought. And we welcome submissions in ethics, either general or applied.

Accepted papers will be presented in person and discussed among those attending the conference. Each paper should be written for a 20-30 minute presentation time (approximately 10 typed pages).

We are also seeking respondents for accepted papers.  Each commentary should be written for a 10-minute delivery (approximately 5 typed pages), to be delivered after the presented paper. Following the response, there will then be time for approximately 20 minutes of question and answer. Students interested in being involved in the conference without submitting a paper are very welcome to attend or to provide ac ommentary. Please let us know of your intention to attend, as that helps in planning. Also, please indicate if you would like to be considered for the presentation of one of the commentaries and let us know your particular interests in philosophy.

Keynote speaker Professor John Russon will give the keynote address to the conference early in the morning on Saturday, March 21, 2026. Professor Russon is Distinguished Presidential Professor and Research Leadership Chair at the University of Guelph. He is author of numerous books in Continental philosophy, including Human Experience, Bearing Witness to Epiphany, and Sites of Exposure. His research interests include Aristotle, Hegel, Merleau-Ponty, and Indian philosophy.

Submission Guidelines: Please email the following to [email protected] by January 12, 2026:

A 2500-3000 word paper (.docx or .pdf) prepared for blind review.

B) In the main body of the email please include (i) your first and last name, (ii) paper title, (iii) paper abstract, (iv) institution.

The subject line should read: LastName PCPHL Undergrad Paper Submission.

We encourage papers to discuss pure philosophy or the relationships of philosophy with other interdisciplinary subjects. These topics can include but are not limited to exploring ancient thought used in current discourse and institutions, such as analyzing Plato's Republic to discuss government, community, virtue, religion and or spirituality. The conference also looks for papers discussing the ethics of; medicine, psychology, AI, law, and sports. We welcome any intersectionality between specialized areas of study and philosophy. 

Deadline for Submission: January 12th, 2026