Those of you at the Eastern Division meeting of the American Philosophical Association in Washington, D.C., are invited to join us for a SPEP Session and Reception on:

Wednesday Evening December 28th Group Session V – 5:15 – 7:15 P.M.

Chair: Debra Bergoffen (American University)

Speaker: Leonard Lawlor (Pennsylvania State University)

“What Happened? What is going to Happen? An Essay on the Experience of the Event”

Commentator: Ann Murphy (Fordham University)

Reception to Follow.

The 2012 SPEP Call for Papers for the 51st Annual Conference in Rochester, NY hosted by Rochester Institute of Technology and Nazareth College is now available.

• 2012 Call for Papers (Rochester, NY)

The Deadline is 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time, Wednesday, February 1, 2012. Please make sure you download and read the details of the call for papers and panel proposals.  All submissions are considered under a blind review process. The deadline for nominating books for Current Research Sessions is also Wednesday, February 1, 2012.

A massive protest movement has emerged in response to an economic crisis, rapidly increasing wealth inequity, and diminishing employment and educational opportunities for an entire generation. The recent financial crisis, facilitated by Wall Street malfeasance, has only exacerbated a devastating decades-long trend that continues to socialize risk and privatize profit. This trend toward increasing economic injustice has disproportionately affected communities of color and left tens of millions homeless, jobless, and overburdened with student loans and underwater mortgages.

As educators and students, we have witnessed decreases in state funding for education, coupled with increases in tuition costs, the privatization of research, the commodification of campus spaces, the use of precarious and part-time positions, and attacks on collective bargaining. This has had a disciplinary effect on educators and students alike, hindering the pursuit of higher education, open and critical inquiry, as well as democratic participation.

SPEP stands in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement, which represents a direct challenge to these social and political inequities and economic injustices, as it reclaims social spaces for democratic deliberation and participation and pushes back against a growing suspicion of social solidarity and the public good. SPEP encourages its members to support these principles and practices in the Occupy movement through any and all of the unique resources available to them.

The passage of the following resolution is not intended to endorse the methodologies or conclusions of the Pluralist’s Guide to Philosophy but to express, on behalf of the SPEP membership, appreciation of and support for the efforts of the Pluralist’s Guide to inform prospective students about graduate programs friendly to philosophical pluralism. For a statement regarding SPEP’s position on all ranking statements see: http://www.spep.org/?page_id=78.

Proposal for Resolution for SPEP Members Regarding the Pluralist’s Guide to Philosophy (accepted, with amendments, 10-21-2011 at the SPEP Business Meeting)

I. The membership of the Society of Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy supports the independent efforts of the new Pluralist’s Guide to Philosophy to:

1. provide new sources of information on areas of philosophy that remain underrepresented in most doctoral programs in the discipline and
2. provide information on the conditions for women and minorities in graduate philosophy programs.

The membership of SPEP has long championed pluralistic approaches to philosophy, as well as increased diversity in a field that continues to have the lowest representation by women and people of color compared to all other disciplines in the humanities and social sciences.

II. For the same set of reasons, the membership also supports the new APA-sponsored Guide to Graduate Study in Philosophy, which complements the Pluralist’s Guide by providing a comprehensive survey of all Ph.D. and M.A. graduate programs in the U.S. It includes concise information on women and people of color among faculty and graduate students as well as figures on average number of years to completion of the degree and placement data, while furnishing a profile of departments’ distinctive emphases.

III. We commend those committed to providing enhanced information about doctoral programs in philosophy in the US, as well as those working to promote diversity in the profession. While we appreciate those who have engaged in constructive dialogue about both Guides and their production, we condemn the incivility that has marked some criticisms, especially ad hominem attacks on the Pluralist’s Guide’s organizers and contributors as well as on SPEP and its membership despite the latter’s independence from the construction of this Guide. We are grateful to the authors of and contributors to both Guides for their work. Philosophy currently faces unprecedented marginalization within the academy; we support efforts to move past archaic divisions and find common ground.

We look forward to seeing everyone in Philadelphia later this week!

In preparation for the business meeting on Friday, October 21st at 5:30 in the ballroom at the Sheraton Society Hill, we are posting two items for your review.

1. The 2011 Advocacy Committee Resolution: the resolution concerns SPEP’s support for pluralistic approaches to philosophy, including the independent efforts of the new Pluralist’s Guide to Philosophy.
2. SPEP Ad Hoc Governance Committee Memo: the memo articulates a motion to be brought to the floor in which the creation of an Ad Hoc Committee on SPEP Governance is proposed.

We also invite you to participate online via various social media sites. The hashtag we will use for the conference is: #SPEP11. If you take pictures and post them on Flickr or elsewhere, if you blog or tweet about the conference, please do use the hashtag so they can be easily located and followed.

Center City Philadelphia is organized according to what can be called the Milesian Plan, that name coming from the 6th century BC Milesian school, used by Alexander the Great and later the Romans in setting up colonies.  This means Philadelphia is laid out along an easily navigable grid pattern with one longitudinal and one traverse artery, Broad and Market Street respectively.

Philadelphia is also city of neighborhoods.  Sheraton Society Hill is located in the heart of Philadelphia’s Old City district.  Old City, anchored by Second Street, (just a short walk from the SPEP hotel) is a combination of beautiful old buildings, cobble stone streets, tourists, boutiques, galleries and lots of bars and restaurants.

Many of your dining and entertainment needs can be met right here.  The 2011 SPEP food and drink guide 2011 we provide here indicates the best options in this neighborhood and in the city generally.

Price ranges for entrées are indicated on a relative scale of one to four dollar signs ($ – $$$$).  Finally, if you want to be out and about without paying a fortune in cab fare, you can hop on any of the westbound buses on Walnut St. or go up to Market Street to catch the Market-Frankford line armed with $2 to head to addresses beyond walking distance in Center City.

The Sheraton Society Hill has SOLD OUT of rooms at the SPEP room rate for Wednesday evening through Saturday evening (Tuesday and Sunday are still available).

Please click on the link below to see a list of nearby hotels:

http://www.hotels.com/de1662411/hotels-near-old-city-philadelphia-philadelphia-united-states/

Many of the hotels found there offer moderate room rates (and some rates are displayed in the link).