Eastern Michigan University

January 10, 2024

The Graduate Research and Creative Activity Conference (formerly the GRC), is an annual event for graduate students of all disciplines, colleges, and degree designations (master’s and doctoral) to present research and creative projects in a professional conference format. We encourage all graduate students to showcase their work!

More information can be found on the Graduate Research and Creative Activity Conference website.

We also invite all graduate students to view our previously recorded GRCAC workshop, which details the application process, important dates, and tips on crafting a successful presentation. You can click here for the workshop recording, as well as view the presentation slides.

Dr. Kristopher Phillips wins 2023 Prize for Excellence in Philosophy Teaching

The Department of History & Philosophy is delighted to congratulate Dr. Kristopher Phillips (Assistant Professor of Philosophy) for having won the 2023 Prize for Excellence in Philosophy Teaching from the American Philosophical Association. Dr. Phillips, who is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Pre-College Philosophy and Public Practice, joined the Eastern Michigan University faculty in August 2023, having previously held a tenure-track position at Southern Utah University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa.

Dr. Phillips states that he aims to foster a classroom environment wherein students are active participants in rigorous, critical, but mutually supportive dialogues about topics of philosophical interest. “By framing my courses in terms of the cultivation of intellectual and dialogical virtues, I encourage students to see education as more than a means to a promising financial future - instead it is a way to become a more thoughtful interlocutor, a better reasoner, and a more intentional and reflective learner.”

Considering philosophy education in terms of an ongoing dialogue highlights, Dr. Phillips says, “that (a) students learn better through active participation, (b) when students feel a sense of ownership, they are motivated to think carefully and critically about course content, and (c) by engaging in thoughtful dialogue with one another, students actually do philosophy, rather than merely learn about philosophy.”

In addition to helping students learn philosophical material, Dr. Phillips “draws attention to specific virtues both by modeling and highlighting student behaviors in class which embody intellectually or dialogically virtuous behaviors. By reminding students that we are working together in pursuit of a virtuous dialogue and encouraging everyone to be excellent interlocutors, students quickly internalize and increasingly exhibit intellectually virtuous behaviors.”

Dr. Phillips’s research lies at the intersection of early modern philosophy, philosophy of education, and precollege and public philosophy. He is the co-founder of two philosophy summer camps for high school students, the Iowa Lyceum and the Utah Lyceum, and is currently developing another Lyceum program for Eastern Michigan University.

EMU Orientation Platform Recognized by ReUP for Effectiveness for Nontraditional Learners

EMU’s orientation platform has been recognized by ReUP as one of the most effective online orientation tools for adult learners and returning students.

According to ReUP: “Reimagining orientation begins with welcoming nontraditional learners, identifying opportunities for engagement, and ensuring orientation and events serve this specific audience.” In their guide to orienting non-traditional learners, ReUP names Eastern Michigan University as an example of strategies in action, specifically via events and orientation:

The guide showcases EMU’s creation of a “specialized online orientation where learners can focus on the customized modules that are most helpful to them.”

Find more resources and information for nontraditional learners on the ReUP Blog.