Master of Arts in Philosophy

Our Master's degree program is intended for a wide variety of students. We welcome those who would like to prepare for graduate work in philosophy at the doctoral level as well as those who do not plan to seek a Ph.D. Our program is rated among the top 10 in the country by The Philosophical Gourmet Report.

Our graduate requirements are flexible, and most students can complete the program in two years or less. We offer a variety of graduate courses, and independent study courses can usually be arranged for more specialized topics. Application deadline for Fall is February 15. Financial aid is usually offered in the form of a Graduate Assistantship, and many graduate students in our program obtain teaching experience while in the program. The application procedure can be found below.

For estimates on the cost of attending WMU, see www.wmich.edu/finaid/. For further information about graduate study at WMU, you may consult Graduate College.


Master of Arts Program Requirements

Below is a summary of the MA program requirements. For full details,
including relevant forms and deadlines, please click here.

Students may pursue the Master of Arts in Philosophy by completing either the "Non-Thesis" option, or (with the permission of the department) the "Thesis" option. The requirements for each are listed below. In both cases, the other requirements of the graduate college must also be met.

Non-Thesis Option Requirements

1. Complete at least 1 course (no less than 3 credit hours) in each of the three Concentration Areas listed below (the "breadth requirement");
2. Complete at least 3 courses (no less than 9 credit hours) in one of the Concentration areas (the "depth requirement");
3. Complete a minimum of 24 credit hours of 5000 or 6000 level courses in the Department of Philosophy; and
4. Complete a minimum of 32 graduate credit hours. (With the authorization of the Department Graduate Advisor, students may count up to 8 credit hours of courses from other departments.)

Thesis Option Requirements

1. Complete at least 1 course (no less than 3 credit hours) in each of the three Concentration Areas listed below (the "breadth requirement");
2. Complete at least 3 courses (no less than 9 credit hours) in one of the Concentration areas (the "depth requirement");
3. Complete a minimum of 24 credit hours of 500 or 600 level courses in the Department of Philosophy;
4. Complete a minimum of 32 graduate credit hours. (With the authorization of the Department Graduate Advisor, students may count up to 8 credit hours of courses from other departments.); and
5. Complete 6 credit hours of PHIL 7000. Please see the Graduate Advisor for details.
   

Concentrations

The department offers graduate courses in philosophy in three Concentration Areas: Metaphysics and Philosophy of Mind; Epistemology and Philosophy of Science; and Theoretical and Practical Ethics. Students must declare a concentration by the end of their first semester but may, with departmental approval, change this at a later date. Students fulfilling their depth requirement in Metaphysics and Philosophy of Mind must take PHIL 6330 (Metaphysics). Students with a Concentration in Epistemology and Philosophy of Science must take PHIL 6320 (Theory of Knowledge), and students with a Concentration in Theoretical and Practical Ethics must take PHIL 6310 (Ethical Theory).

Courses that can, given the proviso below, count for credit in Metaphysics and Philosophy of Mind are PHIL 5070, 5120, 5200, 5400, 5600, 5700, 6000, 6100, 6200, 6330, and 6500.

Courses than can, given the proviso below, count for credit in Epistemology and Philosophy of Science are PHIL 5070, 5120, 5200, 5250, 5550, 5600, 5700, 6000, 6100, 6200, 6320, and 6500.

Courses that can, given the proviso below, count for credit in Theoretical and Practical Ethics are PHIL 5070, 5120, 5340, 5440, 5600, 5700, 6000, 6100, and 6310.

Proviso: For courses listed under more than one Concentration, the faculty member and student will come to an agreement concerning which concentration a given course will fall under. Students may count a given offering of a course only under one Concentration.

PHIL 5980, 7000, and 7100 do not count for credit under any Concentration.


Graduate Courses

5-level classes are open to graduate students and undergraduate juniors and seniors with at least 12 credits of Philosophy, and who have met specified prerequisites.

PHIL 5070: The Continental Tradition in Philosophy (2-4 hrs.)
An examination of the Continental tradition in Philosophy. Topics may vary from term to term. Examples include: phenomenology, existentialism, post-modernism, structuralism, deconstructionism, critical theory, and hermeneutics. Prerequisites: 12 credit hours in Philosophy, including PHIL 3010. May be repeated for credit, with advisor's approval, when topics vary.

PHIL 5120: Aesthetics (3 hrs.)
An investigation of the many philosophical issues which arise from the study of the arts and aesthetic experience Topics include such issues as the ontology and identity of works of art, whether art can be defined as to distinguish art from non-art, the status of aesthetic values, the relation of ethics to aesthetics, the status of feminist perspectives m the arts, and significance of the arts in human life. Prerequisite: 12 credit hours in philosophy.

PHIL 5200: Philosophical Applications of Symbolic Logic (3 hrs.)
This course is designed to expose graduate students to the range of philosophical applications of modern symbolic logic. Starting with the sentential and predicate calculi, the course explores various extensions, which may include alethic modal logic, deontic logic, tense logic, relevance logic and counterfactuals. In addition, the course will address salient issues in the philosophy of logic and may include an investigation of the logical paradoxes and/or the controversy surrounding quantified modal logic. Prerequisites: l2 hours of philosophy, including either PHIL 2250 or PHIL 3200.

PHIL 5250: Decision Theory (4 hrs.)
Can there be a formal theory of what it is to be rational in one's beliefs and actions? This course is an introduction to decision theory, which claims to be just such a theory of rationality. Attention will be given to both its mathematical development and the issues it raises in the philosophy of science, the theory of knowledge, and action theory. A working knowledge of high school algebra is assumed. Prerequisites: PHIL 220, 225 or 320; and two other courses in philosophy, mathematics (above the level of MATH 110), or computer science (above the level of CS 105).

PHIL 5340: Moral and Philosophical Foundations of Health Care (3 hrs.)
In this course philosophical reflection and biological science are combined in a critical examination of the nature and purpose of the health sciences. Topics to be considered include: the aims of the health sciences, the interplay of fact and value in health care, competing images of humankind embedded in health science, patient autonomy, dignity and medical paternalism. Prerequisite: l2 credit hours in philosophy and/or biological sciences or experience in a health professional field.

PHIL 5400: Philosophy of Mind (2-4 hrs.)
A study of the philosophical problems surrounding our understanding of the nature of mind, mental states, and consciousness, and their relation to mater, and states of the brain and/or central nervous system. Possible topics include cognitive science, artificial intelligence, the relation of mind to body and/or behavior, teleological and mechanistic explanations of human behavior, the philosophical foundations of psychology, behaviorism, functionalism, the nature of intentionality, the concept of a person, the privacy of mental states, knowledge of other minds, and questions regarding free will and determinism. May be repeated for credit, with advisor's approval, when topics vary Prerequisite: 12 credit hours in Philosophy, including PHIL 3010.

PHIL 5440: Practical Ethics (3 hrs.)
This course will examine the relationships between ethical theory and practice, especially in the area of professional life. We will consider questions concerning moral imagination, deliberation, and justification, as well as how principles and norms guide our complex activities Case illustrations from various professions (e. g., medicine, laws, government, science, psychiatry, etc.) will be used to highlight some of these issues. May be repeated for credit, with advisor's approval, when topics vary Prerequisite: 12 credit hours in philosophy.

PHIL 5550: Advanced Philosophy of Science (2-4 hrs.)
A detailed examination of some of the central problems in contemporary philosophy of science, Topics may vary from term to term. Typical topics include: nature of scientific explanation, theory structure and change, scientific realism vs. various anti-realisms, or Issues In the special sciences, e g., the physical, biological or social sciences. Prerequisite: l2 credit hours in Philosophy. May be repeated for credit, with advisor's approval, when topics vary.

PHIL 5600: Philosophy at Pre-College Levels (2-4 hrs.)
A content-oriented course that explores topics, reading materials, and ways of approaching them in the teaching of philosophy at the pre-college level. A special emphasis is put on critical and creative thinking.

PHIL 5700: Philosophical Topics (1-4 hrs.)
An examination of special philosophical topics. Topics to be listed in the Schedule of Course Offerings. Prerequisite: Specific course prerequisites may be stipulated far specific topics and substitutions for philosophy may be allowed. Usually at least one of PHIL 3000 or PHIL 3010 will be required. May be repeated for credit, with advisor's approval, when topics vary. May be offered in an accelerated format.

PHIL 5980: Readings in Philosophy (1-4 hrs.)
Research on some selected period or topic under supervision of a member of the Philosophy faculty.

6-level courses are open to graduate students only.

PHIL 6000: Colloquium (2-4 hrs.)
A seminar in which one or more faculty involve the students in their current research. Topics may vary from term to term.

PHIL 6100: Seminar in the History of Philosophy (2-4 hrs.)
A close reading and discussion of selected classics written by major philosophers from the ancient, medieval, or modern period. Selections may vary from term to term.

PHIL 6200: Philosophy of Language and Logic (2-4 hrs.)
An examination of the relation of language to the world, andlor the philosophical basis of standard and nonstandard logics. Possible topics include the nature of reference and predication, the distinctions between a priori and a posteriors, between analytic and synthetic, and between necessary and contingent propositions, the roles of proper names, general terms, and pronouns, and the truth conditions of sentences, as well as questions concerning the philosophy of modal logic, tense logic, free logic, deontic logic, epistemic logic. paraconsistent logic, first and second order logics, and probability calculus. May be repeated, with advisor's approval, when topics vary.

PHIL 6310: Ethical Theory (2-4 hrs.)
A study of theories of Ethics and Morality Topics may vary from semester to semester. May be repeated for credit, with advisor's approval, when topics vary.

PHIL 6320: Theory of Knowledge (2-4 hrs.)
An examination of the nature of truth, belief, and evidence. Topics may vary from term to term. Examples includes questions about the nature of perception, a priori and a postenori knowledge, skepticism, epistemic foundations, epistemic justification, and other related topics.

PHIL 6330: Metaphysics (2-4 hrs.)
An examination of the underlying nature of reality. Topics may vary from term to term. Examples include: questions about the fundamental kinds of entities that comprise reality, the existence of God, universals and particulars, space and time, causation and free will, mind and matter, identity and change, and other related topics.

PHIL 6500: Philosophy of Religion (2-4 hrs.)
An examination of philosophical issues related to religion. Topics may vary from term to term. Examples include: the nature and existence of God, the problem of evil, theistic and scientific explanations, pantheism, the relation between faith and reason, the nature of religious experience, life after death, miracles, religious epistemology, and the theological foundations of ethics. May be repeated, with advisor's approval, when topics vary.

PHIL 7000: Master's Thesis (1-6 hrs.)

PHIL 7100: Independent Research (2-4 hrs.)


Placement Record

Our graduate students have been accepted at leading Ph.D. programs, such as: Brown University; Cambridge University; Pittsburgh HPS; University of Notre Dame; University of Chicago; University of Wisconsin at Madison; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; University of California at Berkeley; University of Colorado at Boulder; University of Iowa; Univeristy of Minnesota at Minneapolis; University of Texas at Austin; Syracuse University; Purdue University; Michigan State Univeristy; University of Illinois; Loyola University; University of Georgia; Miami University; Duke University; University of Rochester; and others.

Our graduate students have also eventually (after their Ph.D.) obtained tenure-track jobs at Philosophy Departments with good Ph.D. programs, such as York University and Florida State University.

Over the past six years we have been very successful at placing our graduates in excellent Ph. D. programs with full funding. For a detailed placement record for the years 2001 through 2008 (which excludes some people due to confidentiality reasons), see this document . A summary may be found below.

Of our graduates in 2008, thirteen applied to Ph.D. programs. All thirteen entertained funded offers. Placement Record: 100% With Funding: 100%

Of our graduates in 2007, six applied to Ph.D. programs. All six entertained funded offers. Placement Record: 100% With Funding: 100%

Of our graduates in 2006, ten students applied for philosophy Ph.D. programs. All ten entertained offers, and nine entertained funded offers. They accepted offers at University of Pittsburgh (HPS), Cambridge University, University of Texas, Ohio State University, University of Iowa, University of Massachusetts, Michigan State University, University of Miami, and University of California, Santa Barbara. They declined offers from other great schools, including Notre Dame and Wisconsin. Placement Record: 100% With Funding: 90%

Of our graduates in 2005, five students applied to philosophy Ph.D. programs, and all five were placed, four of whom also received funding. They were accepted to University of Pittsburgh (HPS), Duke University, University of Maryland, Purdue University, and University of California, Santa Barbara. Placement Record: 100% With Funding: 80%

Of our graduates in 2004, four students applied to philosophy Ph.D. programs, and three were placed with funding. They were accepted to University of Virginia, University of British Columbia, and University of Miami. Placement Record: 75% With Funding: 75%

Of our graduates in 2003, five students applied to philosophy Ph.D. programs, and four of them were placed with funding. They were accepted to University of Rochester, Michigan State University, Saint Lous University, and University of Iowa. Placement Record: 80% With Funding: 80%

Of our graduates in 2002, two students applied to philosophy Ph.D. programs, and one was placed with funding. He was accepted to the University of Iowa. Placement Record: 50% With Funding: 50%

Of our graduates in 2001, five students applied to philosophy Ph.D. programs, and all five were placed with funding. They were accepted to University of Texas, University of Colorado, Arizona State University, and Wayne State University. Placement Record: 100% With Funding: 100%


Admissions

Application deadline for Fall is February 15. In addition to satisfying the admission requirements of the Graduate College, applicants are expected:

1. to have completed a minimum of twelve semester hours of undergraduatework in philosophy, including:
2. a course in the history of modern philosophy, and
3. a course in symbolic logic, and
4. to have achieved a 3.0 or above overall grade point average in the applicant's undergraduate philosophy courses.

If you do not meet the above requirements, please contact the department's Director of Graduate Admissions, Zvi Biener, for advice. You may be able to obtain a provisional admission.

Prospective students from abroad must apply through the Office of International Student Services and direct questions regarding the international application procedure to oiss@wmich.edu. U.S. citizens and those who have an I-551 Permanent Resident Card or have asylum or refugee status must apply using the On-Line Graduate Application.

GRE scores must be sent directly to the WMU Admissions Office.

In addition, please send to the philosophy department this departmental information sheet, as well as a personal statement (maximum length of two pages) highlighting your abilities, interests, and goals in pursuing an MA in philosophy.

Applicants who wish to be considered for a graduate assistantship must, in addition to the above, submit three letters of recommendation and a writing sample directly to the department. Applicants should collect letters of recommendation (with letter writer's signature across the envelope seal) and mail them together to the philosophy department.

The departmental address is Philosophy Department, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo MI 49008-5328.

Students who wish to be considered for financial aid should also consider applying for a Thurgood Marshall Assistantship (see the graduate college's financial aid page). For other financial aid information see WMU's financial aid page.

Questions regarding the application procedure should be direct to the department's Director of Graduate Admissions, Zvi Biener.


Graduate Assistantships

Historically, most full-time students accepted into the program have received financial aid. For 2006/2007 the total award for a satisfactorily completed Appointment is $15,992.00 for out-of-state GAs or $12,908.00 for in-state GAs allocated as follows: $10,542.00 as stipend, and a tuition scholarship (tuition waver) of $5,540.00 (out-of-state) or $2,456.00 (in-state). The tuition scholarship is applicable only toward registered program hours. Additional credit-hours taken by the student over those covered by the tuition scholarship (currently 4 credit-hours) will paid out of the stipend; further tuition expenses and fees are the responsibility of the student.

Philosophy Graduate Students (both GAs and non-GAs) may also compete for the Heraclitean Society Essay Prize (currently $1,000.00 total, often divided between two or more winners).

Graduate Assistant Appointment awards are contingent upon the following conditions: 1) satisfactory completion of 12 graduate credit hours during the academic year; 2) maintaining a program grade point average of 3.0 or higher; 3) completing 600 hours of service activities as assigned, averaging 20 hours per week for weeks classes are in session over the course of the award; and 4) adherence to all University policies, regulations, directives, guidelines and student codes.

In their first year, most Graduate Assistants in the Philosophy Department are assigned to assist Professors teaching large classes, perhaps including leading discussion sections. Beginning in the Summer Sessions and through their second year, with the guidance of a faculty mentor, most have responsibility for teaching classes on their own. Some Graduate Assistants may alternatively be assigned to provide research assistance. Students from underrepresented groups should consider applying for the Graduate College's Thurgood Marshall Assistantship, explained on the graduate college's financial aid page.





Graduate Student Publications & Conference Presentations

Our M.A. students are encouraged to publish and to present their papers in peer-review journals and to participate in professional and top graduate student conferences. Below is a representative sample of those achievements.

Publications

• Lane DesAutels, "Sober and Elgin on laws of biology: a critique," Biology & Philosophy, forthcoming.
• David Charlton, “The Common Morality of Interviewers: Evaluating Moral Guidelines of Non-Journalists,” in Howard Good & Sandra L. Borden (Eds.), Ethics and Entertainment. McFarland & Co. Forthcoming, 2010.
• Marcus P. Adams, “Empirical evidence and the knowledge-that/knowledge-how distinction,” Synthese, forthcoming.
• Marcus P. Adams, “Triage Priorities, Ethical Obligations, and Military Physicians,” in Physicians at War: The Dual-Loyalties Challenge, F. Allhoff, ed. (Dordrecht: Springer, 2008), 213-234.
• Marcus P. Adams, Review of Mind: Key Concepts in Philosophy by Eric Matthews, Metapsychology Reviews 11.33 (2007): 14 August.
• Marcus P. Adams, “Conflictand Conscience,” American Journal of Bioethics 7.12 (2007): 28-29.
• Daniel Murphy, “For the Compatibility of Quantum Cosmology and Theism: Contra Smith,” Philo (conditionally accepted December, 2007).
• Ryan Pflum, “Dialogue and Disagreement After 9-11,” (co-authored with James Spiegel) in Matthew Morgan (ed.), The Day Everything Changed? Looking at the Impact of 9-11 at the End of the Decade (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, forthcoming).
• Ryan Pflum, “Ethical Dimensions of the Big Dig Collapse,” in Charles E. Harris, Michael S. Pritchard, and Michael J. Rabins, Engineering Ethics: Concepts and Cases, 4th ed. (New York: Thomson Wadsworth, forthcoming).  
• Ryan Pflum, “The State of U.S. Bridges,” in Charles E. Harris, Michael S. Pritchard, and Michael J. Rabins, Engineering Ethics: Concepts and Cases, 4th ed. (New York: Thomson Wadsworth, forthcoming).
• John DePoe and James McGlothlin, Double-wide book review of Victor Reppert's C. S. Lewis's Dangerous Idea and Angus Menuge's Agents Under Fire, forthcoming in Faith and Philosophy.
• John DePoe, book Review of Allan Gibbard's Thinking How to Live in Philosophia Christi 7, no. 1 (2005): 219-221.
• Joanne Lau, “The West Gate Bridge: Who was responsible?,” in Fritz Allhoff and Anand J. Vaidya (eds.), Business & Professional Ethics, 2 vols. (Calgary: Broadview Press, forthcoming).
• Jonah Schupbach, “On a Bayesian Analysis of the Virtue of Unification,” Philosophy of Science (forthcoming).
• Jonah Schupbach, “Must the Scientific Realist Be a Rationalist?,” Synthese (forthcoming).
• Jonah Schupbach, “Paley's Inductive Inference to Design: A Response to Graham Oppy," Philosophia Christi 7, 2 (2005): 491-502.
• Daniel J. Wirth, “Earnings and Ethics: Thinking about Enron,” in Fritz Allhoff and Anand J. Vaidya (eds.), Business & Professional Ethics, 2 vols. (Calgary: Broadview Press, forthcoming).

Presentations

• David Charlton, “Winning Isn't Everything: How the Monetary Structure of the BCS May Provide an Incentive to Lose,” International Association for Philosophy of Sport, Eastern APA meeting, scheduled December 2009.
• Anthony Shiver, “Temporal Versions of the Consequence and Mind Arguments,” 2009 Alabama Philosophical Society Conference, scheduled October 2009.
• Amanda Marshall, “The Intuitive Appeal of Multiple Realization,” Northwest Philosophy Conference, Pacific University, Forest Grove, OR, scheduled October 2009.
• Amanda Marshall, “The Particularist Challenge to Norm Expressivism,” Society for Philosophy in the Contemporary World session on Moral Reasoning at the Central APA, Chicago, IL, scheduled February 2010, Central States Philosophical Association, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, scheduled October 2009, and Rocky Mountain Ethics Congress, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, August 2009 (poster session).
• Amanda Marshall, “A Motivational Problem for Moderate Proponents of Reproductive Human Cloning,” Canadian Society for the Study of Practical Ethics. Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, May 2009 (Student Essay Award Winner, $200).
• David Charlton, “The Ethical Considerations of Virtual Child Pornography” (co-authored with Joshua Upson), Canadian Society for the Study of Practical Ethics, Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, May 2009.
• Tim Linnemann, “Building a House of Cards: Passing the Publicity/Stability Test for Unprincipled Accounts of Concept Identity,” Twelfth Annual Pitt/CMU Graduate Student Philosophy Conference: Truth, Meaning, and Evidence, March 2009.
• David Charlton, “Should Jon Stewart Do Hard-Hitting Interviews? Moral Obligations and Constraints of Non-Journalists,” Lecture Series, Center for the Study of Ethics in Society, Western Michigan University, March 2009.
• David Charlton, “The Common Morality of Interviewers: Evaluating Moral Guidelines of Non-Journalists,” Association for Practical and professional Ethics, February 2009. (Selected best paper by a graduate student at Association for Practical and Professional Ethics conference.)
• James Gibson, Comments on Flora Lee's “Reviving the Libertarian Flicker of Freedom Response,” Yale and UConn Graduate Philosophy Conference, 2009.
• Nick Sars, “Ought An Environmental Engineer Adopt An Environmental Ethic?” at Association for Practical and Professional Ethics Annual Meeting, March 5-8, 2009.
• Nick Sars, “Ought An Environmental Engineer Adopt An Environmental Ethic?” at the 3rd Annual International Applied Ethics Conference in Sapporo, Japan, 21-23 November 2008
• Jonathan Meyer, “On the Nature of Experimentation in Historical Science”, 24th Conference on the History and Philosophy of Science, (University of Colorado, Boulder) Oct. 11, 2008.
• Ryan Pflum, “Religion, Activism, and Politics,” panel discussion, The Center for Ethics in Society, Kalamazoo, MI, January, 18, 2008.
• Richard Gawne, “MySpace, Facebook and Employee Privacy” Science & Technology in Society: An International, Interdisciplinary Graduate Student Conference. Washington D.C. April, 2008
• Marcus P. Adams, “Triage Priorities, Ethical Obligations, and Military  Physicians,” American Philosophical Association, Central Division  (Chicago, IL), 17-20 April 2008.
• Ryan Pflum, “Testimony and Epistemic Priority,” American Philosophical Association Central Division, Chicago, IL, April 17-20, 2008.
• Ryan Pflum, “Butler's Account of Self-Deception and Some Problems it Poses for Motivationism,” American Philosophical Association Pacific Division, Pasadena, CA, March 18-23, 2008.
• Marcus P. Adams, “Darwin and Analogical Reasoning,” International  Society for the History of Philosophy of Science (HOPOS), University of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC), 18-21  June 2008
• Daniel Murphy, “An Attempted Refutation of Middle Knowledge,” Society  of Christian Philosophers Pacific Regional Meeting. Azusa Pacific  University; Azusa, CA (February, 2007).
• Lane DesAutels, “Defending Motivational Humeanism”; University of Iowa  Graduate Conference, Iowa City, IA (Spring 2007)
• Lane DesAutels, “van Fraassen’s Appreciated Anti-Realism”; SUNY  Buffalo Graduate Philosophy of Science Conference, Buffalo, NY (Spring 2007)
• Ryan Pflum, “Testimony and Epistemic Priority,” Iowa Graduate Philosophical Association Annual Meeting, Iowa City, IA, April 27-28, 2007.
• Ryan Pflum, “Comments on Newhard,” Ohio Philosophical Association Annual Meeting, Wooster, OH, April 17, 2007.
• Marcus P. Adams, “How to Know-that,” Cognitio 2007 Social Cognition  Conference, University of Québec-Montreal,Institute of Cognitive  Science, 17 June 2007.
• Lane DesAutels, “Distinctive Cognitive Phenomenology: Response to  David Gray” Western Michigan University Graduate Philosophy Conference, Kalamazoo, MI (Fall 2007)
• Alison Niedbalski, “Conflicting Desires and Desire-Like States: A Response to Liao”, First Annual Graduate Philosophy Conference. Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI (2007).
• Trin Turner, “How Science Solves the Generality Problem: Response to Ahlstrom,” 1st Annual Graduate Philosophy Conference, Western Michigan University; Kalamazoo, MI (2007).
• Daniel Murphy, “Sosa on the Necessity of an Externalist Criterion for  Epistemic Justification,” First Annual Midwest Regional Graduate  Conference. Northern Illinois University; DeKalb, IL (November, 2007).
• Amanda Marshall, “Believing, Not Ascribing: A Response to the Problem  of Conflicting Restrictions”, New Jersey Regional Philosophical  Association, Nov 2007.
• Ryan Pflum, “How Should We Talk About Illegal Immigration and Health Care Allocation?” panel discussion, The Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture: The Dialogue of Cultures, South Bend, IN, November 29-December 1, 2007.
• Trin Turner, “Bayes' is the New Black: Agent-Based Modeling and Bayesian Inference in Contemporary Biology,” International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology, University of Exeter; Exeter, England (2007).
• Alison Niedbalski, “Imagination (Is a Powerful Deceiver)”, The Australasian Association of Philosophy Annual Conference; University of New England, Armidale, Australia (2007).
• Alison Niedbalski, “From Charity to Understanding: Interpreting Davidson”, Second Annual Gateway Graduate Philosophy Conference; St. Louis, MO (2007).
• Alison Niedbalski, “Imagination and Interpretation: Or, How I Learned to Stop Fantasizing for the Love of Understanding”, WMU Brownbag Lecture Series; Kalamazoo, MI (2007).
• Christopher Boss, “As A Matter of Fact: A Defense of John Norton's Material Theory of Induction”, West Chester University Graduate Conference, West Chester, PA (2006)
• Alison Niedbalski, Graduate Student Panel, Rutgers Summer Conference for Diversity in Philosophy; New Brunswick, NJ (2006).
• Josh Heter, “The Impotence of Social Construction on Morality” presented at Virginia Tech Graduate Student Ethics Conference, Nov 2006.
• Josh Heter, “;In Defense of Indirect Doxastic Voluntarism” presented at the University of St. Louis Graduate Student Religious Epistemology Conference, Sept 2006.
• Adam True Bendorf, “Duhem and Kepler on Realism,” Midwest Junto for the History of Science, Madison, WI, April 28-30, 2006.
• John DePoe, “Evidentialism, Reformed Epistemology, and the Holy Spirit” - to be presented at the Midwest Regional Society of Christian Philosophers Meeting in Notre Dame, April 20-22, 2006.
• John DePoe, “In Defense of the 'Fatal Dilemma' Against Moderate Foundationalism” - presented at the third annual Miami University Graduate Student Conference in Epistemology, January 20-21, 2006.
• John DePoe, “A Bayesian Analysis of the Cumulative Effects of the Independent Eyewitness Testimony for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ” - presented at the Midwest Regional Society of Christian Philosophers Meeting, April 7-9, 2005.
• John DePoe, “Why Christians Should not be Compatibilists: A Response to Baker” - presented at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Philosophical Society, November 17-19, 2004.
• Joanne Lau, “The Problem with Q-Memory,” presented at the University of Iowa Graduate Philosophical Society's 2nd Annual Graduate Conference, April 14-15, 2006.
• Ed Luk, “Against Naturalized Epistemology,” presented at the Canadian Philosophical Association Congress, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, May 29-June 1, 2006.
• Chris Ragg, “The Implicit Essential Indexical,” presented at the Tenth Annual Brown Graduate Student Conference, October 14-15, 2005.
• Chris Ragg, “Truth, Tense, and Self-Ascription,” presented at the Eigth Annual Rocky Mountain Philosophy Conference, March 10-11, 2006.
• Chris Ragg, “Truth, Tense, and Self-Ascription,” presented at the University of Iowa Graduate Philosophical Society's 2nd Annual Graduate Conference, April 14-15, 2006.
• Chris Ragg, “Belief, Indexicality and Action” presented at the Philosophy of Mind, Language, and Cognitive Science Conference at the University of Western Ontario, April 1-2, 2006.
• Daniel J. Wirth, “Adams, Grace, and the Problem of Evil,” presented at the University of Iowa Graduate Philosophical Society's 2nd Annual Graduate Conference, April 14-15, 2006.