Prof. Marcy Lascano
Joins Department
The Department is pleased to welcome a new faculty member, Prof. Marcy Lascano (Ph.D., U. Mass., Amherst), who specializes in Early Modern Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, Medieval Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, and Medical Ethics. Her husband Jason Raibley will teach ethics for us part time, while completing his Ph.D. at U. Mass, Amherst this term.
Faculty Searches Underway
The University has given the Department the go ahead to hire three new full-time faculty this year. One hire will be in the area of ethical theory/applied ethics/political philosophy; for the other positions the area of specialization is open. Candidates for these jobs will be on campus in early spring and information about their visits can be found on the department website: www.csulb.edu/~philos.
New Office Manager
Clarice Ross has replaced Donna Reese as the department’s Administrative Support Coordinator. Ms. Reese has taken a new position with the Academic Senate and Ms. Ross comes to us from Economics. A student of Comparative Literature and Mechanical Engineering, Ms. Ross has spent two years studying in France. We welcome Clarice and wish Donna the best in her new position.
2005-06 Scholarship Winners
*
Friends of Philosophy Scholarship:
$500 - Nicholas Allen
* Dr.
Pei-Sung Tang Memorial Scholarship:
$500 - Joe Z. Moss
*
Violet Tang Memorial Scholarship:
$500 - Alex Wilson
*Whittington Scholarship:
$500 - Joao Paulo Pereira
Former student publishes novel
Jack Bowen (M.A. 1999) recently published The Dream Weaver: One Boy’s Journey Through the Landscape of Reality (Pearson/Longman, 2006). The book follows a teen-age boy through a philosophical quest for meaning through discussion and debate with a mysterious “old man.” Jack is currently completing an anthology of articles to accompany the novel. The former All American water polo athlete teaches philosophy at De Anza college and also directs the aquatics program at the Menlo School in Menlo Park. For more information see:
Want to Help?
You can help to support current and future CSULB philosophy students by contributing to our Friends of Philosophy scholarship fund. Please send contributions to:
Department of Philosophy
California State University
Long Beach, CA 90840-2408
Please make checks payable to Friends of Philosophy.
Mark these dates:
October 20th and 21st
The Department is pleased to host the 10th California Conference in Early
Modern Philosophy, dedicated to the communication and exchange of the
latest research within the field.
The California Conference in Early Modern Philosophy will feature invited talks by Martha Bolton, Rutgers; Steven Huizenga, UCSB; Alan Nelson, U. of NC; Todd Ryan, Trinity College; Tad Schmaltz, Duke; Jennifer Smalligan, UC Berkeley; Alice Sowaal, CSUSF; John Whipple UCI.
Women in Philosophy Conference
The Student Philosophy Association (SPA) and the Department of Philosophy will co-sponsor a conference on women in philosophy on November 8th. Invited speakers include Dr. Debra Jackson, CSU Bakersfield, Dr. Ann Garry, CSU Los Angeles, Dr. Marcy Lascano, CSU Long Beach and Dr. Georgia Warnke, UC Riverside.
Cognitive Science Conference Set
A conference on mirror neurons and cognition is set for February 22nd-24th, 2007 on campus. Sponsored by the CSULB Center for Cognitive Science, participants include Marco Iacoboni UCLA, Jaime Pineda UCSD, James Blair NIH, Martin Hoffman NYU, Colin Allen UI, Amy Coplan CSUF, Alvin Goldman Rutgers, Shaun Nichols UA, Jennifer Wright, UW. First noticed in monkeys, mirror neurons function both in an individual’s actions/reactions and in their perception of another individual’s actions/reactions. For instance, in the areas of the brain that coordinate perception and action mirror neurons fire at various stages of object selection and grasping--both when one selects and grasps a cup, and when one watches another select and grasp a cup. Such neurons even seem to show sensitivity to the action’s larger mental context, such as one’s expectations. Researchers from all areas of cognitive science exploring the representational properties of these neurons, as well as their role in such diverse mental activities as motor learning and social interaction, will present their work and discuss the implications of this work for our understanding of cognition.