CFP: Teaching Hub at the Eastern APA 2021- Teaching Sustainability

Sustainability is closely connected to the content of many philosophy courses, often in surprising ways. These connections offer valuable opportunities to address these issues, recruit students, demonstrate the relevance of philosophy to contemporary concerns, and train generations of students to think critically about their role in the environment. Environmental issues can either be the subject of an entire course or make up a smaller component of courses with a broader focus. 

For this reason, the APA Committee on the Teaching of Philosophy (CTP) and the American Association of Philosophy Teachers (AAPT) seek panelists for a session on teaching sustainability across the philosophy curriculum at the AAPT-APA Teaching Hub at the 2021 APA Eastern Division meeting, January 4 – 7, in New York, NY.

We envision approximately three different presentations on interesting or innovative ways to integrate environmental sustainability into philosophy courses. We hope to focus discussion on both contents and methods, that is, we would be interested in both what kind of texts dealing with environmental issues best fit traditional philosophy courses at various levels, and in innovative proposals regarding course structure, assignments, and pedagogical strategies that are best suited to discussing sustainability.  

Consistent with the ethos of the AAPT, we expect presentations to be short, maybe fifteen minutes, engendering the sharing of ideas about different ways to teach sustainability among participants. As Teaching Hub sessions are expected to be highly interactive, we will appreciate proposals which include concrete ideas for interactivity. 

Submissions: To submit a proposal for consideration,  please email a proposal of no more than 500 words, prepared for anonymous review to Alessandra Buccella ([email protected]) by Friday, July 17, 2020, with the subject line “TH Sustainability session.” Please include a brief explanation of both your vision of what teaching sustainability in a philosophy course amounts to and the relevant experiences that led you to such vision. Supporting material, such as syllabi, handouts, or a CV, is also welcome; we are interested in ensuring representation of a range of voices. In the body of the email, please include your name, institutional affiliation (if any), position (if any), and contact information. The organizing committee will select 3–4 participants for the session by the end of July and will aim to assemble a session that is diverse in many respects, including career stage and institutional affiliation. We expect to select presenters by July 31st, 2020.

Deadline for Proposals: July 17th 2020

Selection of Presenters: July 31st 2020

For questions about this session, please contact Alessandra at [email protected]. For questions about the Teaching Hub at the Eastern APA, contact Rebecca Millsop at [email protected].

The AAPT-APA Teaching Hub is a series of interactive workshops and conversations designed specifically for philosophers and created to celebrate teaching within the context of the APA divisional meetings. Jointly organized by the APA Committee on the Teaching of Philosophy (CTP) and the American Association of Philosophy Teachers (AAPT), the Teaching Hub aims to offer a range of high-quality and inclusive development opportunities that address the teaching of philosophy at all levels, pre-college through graduate school.

For general information about the AAPT-APA Teaching Hub, please check out the AAPT website and Facebook page and the CTP website and Facebook page.