Student Research
The Philosophy Section strives to support and recognize our students' research and writing in philosophy.
Undergraduate Symposium and Graduate Research Conference
Every year several of our students present their original research at EMU's Undergraduate Symposium and Graduate Research Conference. Sharing the results of your research at these events gives you the valuable experience of presenting at a conference and lets others recognize your scholarly work.
Undergraduate Symposium Presentations
2025
- Aleksei Alward, "Critiquing Innate Knowledge in Plato's Philosophy of Education" (Faculty Mentor: Kristopher Phillips)
- Jonah Hsukey-Wright, "From Kalipolis to Capitol Hill: Plato's Oligarchic Parallels to the US Political System" (Faculty Mentor: Kristopher Phillips)
- Jason Folk, "A Scientist and a Journalist Walk into a Bar: An Exploration of Science-Media Relations" (Faculty Mentor: W. John Koolage)
- Nicholas C. O'Donnell, "Xiao: A Pillar of Social Structure and Connecting Link Between Confician Texts" (Faculty Mentor: Brian Bruya)
Graduate Research Conference Presentations
2024
- Justin Reamer, "On Triage" (Faculty Mentor: John Koolage)
- Joshua Caine-Welch, "Determining the Nature of Tian" (Faculty Mentor: Brian Bruya)
- Amy Gardner, "Liking, Enjoying: Hao and Confucius' Philosophy" (Faculty Mentor: Brian Bruya)
- Brett Jensen, "The Panoptic Effects of Technology" (Faculty Mentor: Kate Mehuron)
- Austin Meek, "Autonomy in the Dialogues of Confucius" (Faculty Mentor: Brian Bruya)
- Edgar Vasquez, "The Confucian Dilemma of Service in an Unjust World" (Faculty Mentor: Brian Bruya)
- Dylan Wolfe, "Moral Substitutionism, Speech Act Theory, The Conversational Record, and Substitutional Pluralism" (Faculty Mentor: Jill Dieterle)
M.A. Theses, Coursework Papers and Projects
In addition to regular coursework, students may undertake a research project for credit toward graduation. Students considering a thesis, coursework paper, or project should talk with the professor with whom they would like to work.