Philosophy Alumni EventHow are you thinking about your philosophy major now?

Saturday, April 16, 2016
9:30 am to 5:00 pm

This day‐long event will bring together alumni from all generations, current Gustavus philosophy students, and current and retired faculty, for a day of short talks by alumni and good conversations over coffee and meals.

We invite you to give a brief talk (eight minutes?) on our theme. How are you thinking about that philosophy major now? Does it inform the way you live your life? How you do your job? Interact with friends or family? Read a book? We envision these talks as modeled after the famous TED® talks you can find on the internet, but feel free to design your eight minutes in any way you wish. (Interested in coming, but don’t want to give a talk? We’d love to see you!)

Why are we doing this? Three important reasons compel us.

  • First, because we want to learn about you. What have you been up to since we last met?

  • Second, because our current students need to hear from you! Students are anxious to think about how majoring in philosophy will shape their own lives. Some of their questions are practical (“Will I ever get a job with a philosophy degree?”). Others are more abstract (“What will it look like to try to live according to my principles?”). No one is better equipped than you, our alums, to help them to start drawing links between their lives at Gustavus and their “afterlives.”

  • Third, because we, the faculty, want to learn how we can strengthen our philosophy major. How can we more intentionally use the major to help students think about their lives after Gustavus?

Please RSVP by March 25 by filling out the form below or by e-mail to philevent16@gustavus.edu.

Current Gustavus Philosophy students should register here.

Tentative Schedule of Events

All events are held in Old Main, unless otherwise specified.

9:30    Welcome, registration, coffee

10:00  Talks, Session One*

11:00  Coffee and conversation break

11:30  Lecture by Deane Curtin, who retired in May, 2015.

12:30  Lunch, Gustavus Dining Service

1:30    Talks, Session Two*

2:30    Coffee and conversation break

3:00    Lecture by Douglas Huff, senior member of the philosophy department

4:00    Closing reception, Gustavus Dining Service

*Depending upon the number of participants, we will hold concurrent sessions, and will mix participants by year of graduation and occupation. We want to cross-pollinate!

 

This form is no longer available. Please contact web@gustavus.edu with further questions.