Department of Philosophy

Minorities and Philosophy Chapter

MAP (Minorities and Philosophy) is an international organization of philosophy students who aim to examine and address issues of minority participation in academic philosophy. Though primarily led by graduate students, MAP also relies on faculty support and encourages undergraduate participation. Currently, MAP has 134 chapters throughout the world.

 Our Brandeis University MAP chapter started in February 2018. Since then, we have had a few meetings with the department concerning the climate. Last year, we organized a movie screening of Princess Mononoke which led to a discussion about environmental ethics and intersections with race, class, and oppression. Our chapter is still very new. We are in the process of planning for more events this year and hope to have them continue. 

The Tufts-Brandeis MAP Reading Group

We meet bi-weekly. Undergraduate students are welcome to join!  There is no standing commitment: meaning that you can join any or all meetings. It's worth noting that there is an expectation that participants will have read the material prior to the meeting so we can focus on discussion of the article as opposed to explanation of it.

This reading group, led by the MAP Representatives from Tufts and Brandeis, will explore philosophical works written by, with, or in support of members of underrepresented groups.  The content of readings is purposefully unstated so as to encourage members of this reading group to share and present works relevant to their own research and interests. First and foremost, we are informed by the mission of MAP to address structural injustices in academic philosophy and to remove barriers that impede participation in academic philosophy for members of marginalized groups.  This means that we have a duty to respect, support, and honor members of underrepresented groups through our reading choices and discussion. 

If you are interested in participating, please

 

Brandeis-Tufts MAP Social and Political Graduate Conference

Tufts MAP and Brandeis MAP are co-hosting our first grad conference in 2021 !

Conference Date: May 8th, 2021

Location: Online, via Zoom

The Keynote Speakers:

Kate Moran (Brandeis University)

Lionel McPherson (Tufts University)

Graduate and Undergraduate students are welcome to attend the conference. To RSVP, please email Yimao Liu at  thegradcon@gmail.com. (Please do not send paper submissions. We will be in communication about more conference information and Zoom link.

Call for Papers  

We invite paper submissions from current graduate students (MA and Ph.D.).  Any paper on social and political philosophy is welcome. We especially encourage members of underrepresented groups in philosophy to submit. The following must be received by  Tuftsbrandeismap@gmail.com before April 1st 11:59 pm (EST):

  • A paper (approximately 15 pages in word or pdf) prepared for anonymous review.
  • Abstract (less than 400 words)
  • In the body of the email: please include your name, institution, program, and title of the paper. 
  • The papers should be suitable for a 20 minutes presentation followed by 20 minutes of Q&A.

 Our mission of the MAP chapter at Brandeis is to help develop a healthier and more inclusive climate in the philosophy department. We are going to have regular on-going meetings with the department faculty that will continue to help our chapter grow. We are working with the department to invite philosophers who are either a member of an underrepresented group and/or work in MAP-related areas to speak at our departmental Colloquium Series. We are also hoping to resume our (in-person) Monthly Coffee and Chat event that aims to provide space for people to chat about their experience with philosophy and its climate someday.

Students, if there is anything you want to bring to the department's attention or if you want to help organize an event, please contact one or all of our representatives:  Nicolas Heliotis,  Kevin Doherty, and  Yimao Liu