Report

First Annual Graduate Conference – Institute of Philosophy, KU Leuven, April 1, 2011

This past April 1st marked the first annual Graduate Student Conference at the Institute of Philosophy in Leuven. The conference featured an unprecedented number and variety of speakers, making it the first of its kind at the Institute in recent years. Its goal was to provide an open, interdisciplinary forum for students to share their research interests while discovering the work being done by their peers. Showcasing graduate work at the MA, MPhil and PhD levels, the conference was well attended by the students and faculty.

Rather than focus on a single specialization, the conference featured a total of eleven sessions, spanning topics both Analytic and Continental, historical and contemporary, fundamental and applied. Themes of note included Contemporary Political Thought, Language and Logic, Hegel, Phenomenology, Philosophy and Theology, Critical Theory, and Performance and Cinema. Each session was chaired by a faculty member, who opened the discussion period with a question for the speakers. A total of 39 students delivered papers.

The day culminated in a keynote speech by Professor Bence Nanay, from the University of Antwerp.  Clad in white, Professor Nanay delivered a lively and well-attended talk in the Mercierzaal. His topic, “Aesthetics as Philosophy of Perception,” explored the possibility of understanding aesthetics as the study of perception, and made reference to the work of the visiting Francqui Chair, Professor Jerrold Levinson, also a specialist in aesthetics.

The conference spanned the whole day, with a generous assortment of refreshments served at breakfast, lunch, and in the afternoon. A reception held in the Raadzaal continued well into the evening, where students, staff, faculty and other guests mingled over refreshments.

We would like to extend warm thanks to those who made this event possible, through their participation, organization, and attendance. We thank the International Programme Director, Professor Russell Friedman, and the Doctoral Programme chair, Professor Stefaan Cuypers. Special thanks goes to the members of the conference committee – Dave Tracey, Carol Linnitt, Luke McInnis, Miguel Paley, Ivan Penkov, Dustin Zielke and Stephen Hudson– as well as to other volunteers helping with moderating and refreshments - Allison Boutillier, Jillian Dobson, Stephen Hall and Robyn Penney and to the International Programme Secretary, Emilia Brodencova, for their hard work and dedication in making this event a success.

Robyn Penney

July 2011