Warwick Mind and Action Undergraduate Philosophy Conference

Attention 2nd, 3rd and 4th year Philosophy Undergraduates! 

We invite applications to give a talk at

the first annual

~~ Warwick Mind and Action Undergraduate Philosophy Conference ~~ 

Saturday 20th November 2021 

via Zoom 

Hosted by WMA 

The conference is an opportunity to present some of your best work, and to discuss it with leading academics, graduate students, and your undergrad peers from other universities. If you’re considering applying for graduate work in philosophy, this would be an excellent opportunity to get feedback on a potential work sample, or just to develop some of your ideas in conversation with other philosophers interested in the same topics as you (and let’s be honest, a conference talk on your CV won’t look bad!).  

You don’t need to be applying for further study (in philosophy, or at all) to apply, of course – you might just fancy the opportunity to discover some new topics, to meet new likeminded people, to hone your presentation skills, or just to discuss, debate, and argue the day away (as it befits a philosopher to do). Philosophy conferences are one of the main ways in which professional philosophy ‘gets done’. So perhaps you’re just curious to see how they work, and to be involved in a conference at undergraduate level. 

Topics  

The conference is organised by the Warwick Mind and Action Research Centre (WMA). WMA is the centre in the Warwick Philosophy Department for research in the philosophy of mind and action, ‘broadly construed’, and interdisciplinary work with psychology.  We take ‘broadly construed’ seriously! You are encouraged to apply to give a talk in any of the following areas of philosophy: 

• philosophy of mind 
• philosophy of action/moral psychology 
• epistemology 
• philosophy of psychology or psychiatry 
• philosophy of language 
• any of the above in the context of history of philosophy 
• interdisciplinary work with all branches of psychology 

The plan for the day: 

The undergraduate sessions 

There will be 3 undergraduate sessions, each lasting 1 hour (30 mins for the talk itself, and 30 mins for discussion).  

‘Further study in philosophy’ information session  

An optional session for delegates interested in further study in philosophy. The session is an opportunity to get a sense of the difference between the various higher degrees (MA, MPhil, PhD), what they each involve, what to think about if you’re keen to apply for any of them, how funding works, and so on. You’ll be able to ask any other questions you might have too.   

Keynote lecture  

A talk by a WMA academic, followed by discussion. 

To apply: 

Send the following materials via email to [email protected], by no later than 15th October. 

• A cover sheet detailing: 

• your name 
• your degree title 
• year-group 
• your institution 
• the title of the talk you’d like to give 
• your email address 
  
   

• An essay or paper you have written, which will form the basis of the talk you will give if your application is successful (no more than 3,000 words, and suitable for a talk of at least 20 minutes). This doesn’t have to be something you’ve written specially for the conference – why not just send us your favourite thing you’ve written during your degree so far? 
  
   
• An abstract for the talk you want to give/the paper you’re submitting (a paragraph (approx. 50-200 words) describing the content of the paper you’re submitting) 

What happens next? 

We will assess the applications and hope to be able to let you know if you’ve been successful by the 5th of November.  

Even if you are not selected to give a talk, you are of course very warmly encouraged to attend the event – which will be free for all participants. 

We look forward to receiving your application, and to discussing philosophy with you at the event!

Registration by email to [email protected]