PHILOSOPHY of EDUCATION SOCIETY

October 2007 Update

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President's message: By Michael Katz

As I write this, I am off to Peru and the Gallapagos for three weeks—the joys of semi-retirement.  But, one notes that excitement is building in Cambridge and Boston, the scene of our next PES conference, April 11-14th at the fabulous Hyatt Hotel overlooking the Charles River; the Red Sox are in the post-season; the Patriots are looking powerful, and even the Celtics may have a decent team (for you sports nuts like me).  We will have spring in New England—hopefully with good weather.   

Hillary Clinton said “it takes a village to raise a child.” Well it takes a village to put on a conference and I am very proud of the PES team that is putting on this conference. Ron Glass has assembled a wonderfully diverse program committee that includes several European folks—who I hope will encourage their colleagues to cross the Atlantic for the conference as I have joyfully sojourned to the PESGB Oxford conference for the past five years—and will do so again this year.  Susan Verducci writes the following about the extraordinary Presidential Luncheon roast of Denis Phillips: "During the President's luncheon we will be honoring the career of Denis Phillips, who recently retired from Stanford.  As you might imagine, the sharpest of wits will be drawn for this occasion, so be sure to sign up to attend."  Harvey Siegel will emcee this event and, of course, Denis will get his chance to roast the roastees. Kal Alston is the chair of the elections committee and has the formidable challenge of finding a replacement for our wonderful Executive Director, Sasha Sidorkin—so if you are interested or could persuade someone with organizational talent and a compulsively responsible character to sign up—write any of us on the Executive Board—or write Kal herself with ideas at kalston@syr.edu.  Joe Meinhart, from the University of Oklahoma, has stepped up to volunteer to do the book exhibit—Thanks for that.  And KellyAnn Kolodny, from Framingham State,  a woman whom I still have not met, has taken responsibility for the hospitality committee, after doing yeoman service helping me scout the hotels in Boston.  So—I feel especially blessed to be leading such a wonderful team—planning a joyful, stimulating conference.

But the rest depends on all of you—to submit papers, plan on coming, invite colleagues and friends to enjoy some Sam Adams beer, some Boston sea food, and other New England delights—like historic landmarks.  Mark the dates, commit to coming, get involved in PES again—or for the first time in awhile.  This should be a conference to remember if all goes as planned.  Of course, I do remember a clichéd line about “planning” that gives me pause.  We plan, God laughs.  There are clearly things we have little control over.  In the meantime, I wish all of you a wonderful fall semester.   Write me if you have issues you want to discuss: Mskatz1944@yahoo.com.  I hope to see many of you in Cambridge. 

Program Chair's Message: By Ron Glass

It’s time . . .
...to polish up your manuscript and submit it for consideration to be included at our 64th annual meeting to be held in April 2008 in Cambridge, MA. The Open Journal System is ready and waiting for your essays and for proposals for an alternative session or a work in progress informal session. Some of you have been busy, and we already have seven papers in the queue. The submission deadline is 5:00 pm, November 1, 2007.  

NOTE: If you are already registered in the OJS system, you will not need to register again. If you are new, complete the registration and list yourself as an author for Philosophy of Education 2008. If you have difficulty, or are unable to remember your user name or password, please email Joyce Atkinson (atkinson@uiuc.edu). Please don’t wait until the last minute to familiarize yourself with OJS and prepare to make your submission.

As you prepare your essay, you may want to keep in mind these reviewing criteria: Does this paper have: a well-formed question? a clearly articulated claim? a persuasive argument? Is the argument: crafted using appropriate philosophical tools/approaches?  situated in philosophical and/or historical context? situated in the context of practice? compelling? provocative? Is the essay: well-crafted? well-organized? Is the question or claim: meaningful? original? important to the field of philosophy of education or to philosophical reflection on educational practice? likely to provoke members’ interest and response?   

Those who submit a proposal can expect an up or down decision on their submission no later than January 11th. You will have reviewer comments and your respondent’s name no later than January 25th.  We will ask you to complete any revisions and provide your respondent with a final copy of your paper no later than February 22nd.
Planned program highlights include:

  • Richard Bernstein’s Kneller Address on Democracy and Education;
  • President Michael Katz’s Presidential Address focused on the ethics of teaching;
  • A dialogue on Evil and Education between Richard Bernstein and Nel Noddings;
  • A variety of alternative sessions, special interest group sessions, and opportunities for discussing works in progress;
  • Program participation by new members and graduate students;
  • A strong dose of philosophical reflection on both perennial and topical ethical and political issues.

On the lighter and social side, there will also me much to stimulate and amuse you:

  • The roast of Denis Phillips and Denis’ roast of the roasters;
  • A return to the tradition of the Presidential Reception in the Presidential Suite;
  • Musical interludes…... and much more!

Respondents and Chairs Needed: All those willing to add their names to the “potential respondents” or “potential session chair” lists please email me (rglass@ucsc.edu) of your interest, your area(s) of expertise, and how you can be contacted between January 2nd and January 18th, 2008.

Executive Director's Five Cents: By Sasha Sidorkin

  1. The Conference Registration is now open, and so is the Hotel reservation link.
  2. Graduate Student rooms are also available for reservation, although there is no rush
  3. Please pay your dues to avoid interruptions in your Ed Theory mailings. You can login and check on the status of your membership as well as update your address. I will also send a personalized e-mail to all procrastinators this week.
  4. At Blackwell's request, the Executive Board has reconsidered the Grace Period policies: If you neglected to pay your dues before or just after July 1 of each year, you will receive only one more issue of the journal and three months of on-line access.

Election results: By the same

The election committee was elected as follows:

  1. Kal Alston (Chair)
  2. Barbara Applebaum
  3. Bob Floden
  4. Frank Margonis
  5. Emily Robertson
  6. Harvey Siegel
  7. Daniel Vokey

Thanks to all who stood for the elections and those who voted.

Announcements

  • Call for papers. The XXII World Congress of Philosophy 2008, Seoul, Korea. http://www.wcp2008.or.kr
  • Call for Proposals: Canadian Philosophy of Education Society's 2008 meeting in Vancouver, BC: http://www.philosophyofeducation.ca/Conferences/index.html
  • Call for Papers: Cave Hill Philosophy Symposium, Conversations IV: Reflections on Tertiary Education February 28 and 29, 2008 Hosted by the Department of History and Philosophy, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados. Contact persons: Dr Frederick Ochieng'-Odhiambo: fochieng@uwichill.edu.bb; Mr Ed Brandon: edbrandon@gmail.com ;Ms Roxanne Burton: roxanneeburton@gmail.com
  • The New England Philosophy of Education Society (NEPES) conference will be held at the Henry Whittemore Library at Framingham State College on Saturday, October 13, 2007 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The keynote speaker is Dr. Timothy Reagan from Central Connecticut State University. For additional information, please contact Dr. Kelly Kolodny at kkolodny@frc.mass.edu.
  • Philosophy of Education Society of Australia Conference, Wellington, December 2007. Our conference has attracted wonderful presenters and an exciting range of papers. This is the largest conference ever organised by our Society. It is to be held in early December at the National Museum of New Zealand on the Wellington harbour. www.pesa.org.au
  • The INSTITUTE FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF PHILOSOPHY FOR CHILDREN (IAPC) announces its first Online Course in Philosophy for Children, offered each September, January and June. Inquiries to Joanne Matkowski: matkowskij@mail.montclair.edu; (973) 655-4278.
    • The IAPC announces its 2008 Summer Seminars in Philosophy for Children: an Advanced Seminar May 22-31 and an Introductory Seminar August 17-27
    • Thinking: The Journal of Philosophy for Children is a refereed forum for the work of both theorists and practitioners of philosophical practice with children, including philosophical argument and reflection, classroom transcripts, curricula, empirical research, and reports from the field.
  • SUMMER ISSUE 2007 OF THE JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL CONTROVERSY NOW ONLINE The Volume 2, Number 2, Summer 2007 issue of the Journal of Educational Controversy is now online. The topic of the new issue is: Developing Dispositions: Professional Ethic or Political Indoctrination? There is also a special section on the "Politics of 'Social Justice,' " that debates NCATE's reclarification of its use of "social justice." UPCOMING ISSUES: Schooling as if Democracy Matters Publication date: Winter 2008 Thinking and Teaching about Poverty and Class Publication date: Summer 2008 Deadline for manuscripts: December 31, 2007 http://www.wce.wwu.edu/Resources/CEP/eJournal
  • VI International Congress on Philosophy of Education. Madrid, 19-21 June 2008. http://www.ucm.es/info/confiled/

New Books by PES Members

  • Claudia Eppert and Hongyu Wang, eds. (2007), Cross-cultural Studies in Curriculum: Eastern Thought, Educational Insights (LEA/Routledge).
  • Nel Noddings, When School Reform Goes Wrong (TC Press, 2007).
  • Ignacio Gotz, The law as Pedagogue, PublishAmerica.
  • Tammy A. Shel, THE ETHICS OF CARING: Bridging Pedagogy and Utopia. Sense Publishers.

CONTACT: PES Executive Director Jeff Milligan
850-644-8171; milligan@coe.fsu.edu