Philosophy Department Graduate Student Organization
The Philosophy Department Graduate Student Organization (GSO) is a group devoted to voicing the concerns of graduate students in the department and providing a forum for graduate students to make decisions democratically.
Reading Groups
Members of the department (both faculty and graduate students) run several reading groups that meet throughout the year. Below is a list of some of the department’s current reading groups.
- Greek Reading Group
- Kant Reading Group
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Philosophy and Literature Reading Group
Talk-Shop Series
The Talk-Shop Series is run by graduate students, but open to everyone—from first-year graduate students to emeritus faculty. It's an opportunity for speakers to try out new lines of thinking in a relaxed, conversational setting, and for those attending to contribute to the development of work-in-progress while learning what their peers are up to.
Paper Publication Workshop
This annual workshop simulates the journal referee process so that advanced graduate students can receive feedback on written work appropriate for journal submission. One former participant commented, “There is just no way I would have my writing sample in the shape it's in--almost ready to send out to employers--if it weren't for the publication workshop. [. . .] The level of the comments I received and of what I was expected to provide others was much higher than in other contexts. It was what graduate school is supposed to be.”
Harvard-MIT Graduate Student Conference
Each year graduate students from Harvard and MIT organize a two-day conference on a special topic. The conference location alternates between campuses every other year.
Minorities and Philosophy (MAP)
MAP is a collection of students in English-speaking philosophy departments that aims to examine and address issues of minority participation in academic philosophy. Though primarily led by graduate students, MAP also relies on faculty support and encourages undergraduate participation.
Writing Accountability Group
The writing accountability group meets multiple times each week, providing a structured setting for students to focus on their writing. The aim of this peer-facilitated group is to enable students to write regularly and overcome the common pitfalls inherent to longer writing projects,
Poetry Night
Several times each semester, the department's library plays host to poetry readings by department members. This lively event brings together faculty, doctoral students, undergraduate concentrators, and scholars from area universities to share favorite poems and, on occasion, to present new work.
