IV—Special Programs, Organizations and Awards

Programs
The Department and the Philosophy Club sponsor the Great Debates, a series of debates by BGSU faculty members and outside authorities on controversial topics of the day. Recent debates have included such topics as “Is It Wrong to Eat Animals?” and “Are People Just Biochemical Machines?”

The Department also sponsors a colloquium series in which noted philosophers present papers on topics of philosophical interest.

Organizations
The Philosophy Club is an organization of students interested in Philosophy. It co-sponsors the Great Debate series, and holds activities throughout the academic year. A number of Philosophy students are also members of the Law Society, a group of students who intend to apply to law school at the end of their undergraduate studies at BGSU.

Awards
The Philosophy Undergraduate Innovation & Research Awards are competitive awards that recognize excellence in Philosophy at Bowling Green State University. This program celebrates student achievement in rigorous analysis, innovative argumentation, and the creative authorship of essays, critiques and other papers. Up to six awards will be made annually. These awards carry both a book prize and a prize of $100 each. Papers that have been written for any BGSU undergraduate course in Philosophy are eligible for the competition. The winning papers will be presented by their authors at a special spring semester conference at which undergraduate participants and attendees will have the opportunity to discuss both substantive philosophical issues and matters of professional development and scholarship. For further information, see the departmental website, or contact Dr. Kathleen Dixon at kmdixon@bgnet.bgsu.edu.

The department also recognizes up to three outstanding junior or senior majors each spring with the Ramona Cormier Book Award, the Robert Goodwin Book Award, and the Tom Tuttle Book Award. For these awards, a GPA of 3.5 or higher is required. Each award carries a $100 certificate to the BGSU student book store. Students are recognized at a College of Arts & Sciences ceremony in the spring.

The Jonathan S. Heskett Memorial Book Award is given annually to the graduate or undergraduate philosophy student pursuing a degree in environmental policy with a concentration in environmental ethics or philosophy. Candidates for this award must submit a one-page paper demonstrating their perspective on the meaning of life to the department chair. The deadline for application is the end of February. The prize accompanying this honor is currently $600.