By: Melyssa Weeks
UPEI is hosting the first Atlantic Universities Philosophy Conference (AUPC), starting Friday evening at 7PM and ending March 17th. The conference is open to the public and students are encouraged to attend. For a full list of events, see the end of this article.
The conference will feature students from Atlantic Canadian universities who will present a piece on a desired topic of philosophy. There will be seven student presenters coming: several from UPEI and a few from Saint Mary’s University and Memorial University. The topics of each presentation are diverse and will portray the array of differentiation that philosophy has to offer.
The Cadre had a chance to speak with Dana Doucette, the creator and committee member of the AUPC, as well as the founder and current president of the philosophy society at UPEI. With such a diverse group of presenters, Doucette says it has been tough to group them together for sessions. Doucette is anticipating an audience of 20-30 people in attendance for this weekend’s events.
The Keynote address for the AUPC will be given by Dr. Jason Holt, professor in the School of Kinesiology at Acadia University, who is thrilled to have been selected as the keynote speaker for this conference. Holt said he has attended other conferences whose main focus were graduate students, but is excited to have the opportunity to attend this year’s undergraduate conference. Holt will be presenting “Kinetic Beauty: A Layered View†which will talk about the esthetics of sport and dance and what makes human movement beautiful. Holt described beauty as balance, vibrance, and expression.
Whether you have little to no experience in the field of philosophy or you are a philosophy student, the conference is open to everyone. You can attend one session or stay for the whole day. Admission is free.
Official Schedule of AUPC Events
FRIDAY, MARCH 16th
Faculty Lounge, Main Building
7:00 – 10:00 PM: Meet and Greet Social
SATURDAY, MARCH 17th
All sessions in Main 213
Snacks, Coffee/Tea in Main 505
10:00 – 12:00: Session 1
Jeremy Hatt (UPEI) – The End of Mass Work and the Problem of Leisure
Patrick Bunston (UPEI) – Meaning and Truth in the Age of Postmodernity
Natalie Martin (Memorial) – Black Mirror and the Human Condition *
12:00 – 1:00: Lunch
1:00 – 3:00: Session 2
Robbie Mason (SMU) – At What Cost: The Ethics of High-Performance Adolescent Sport
Dana Doucette (UPEI) – The Metaphor of “Iâ€
3:15 – 4:45: Session 3
JoAnna Howlett (UPEI) – Intention and Interaction in Art
Morgan Saniford (UPEI) – Virtue and Art in Roleplaying Games
6:00 – 7:30: Keynote: Dr. Jason Holt (Acadia) – Kinetic Beauty: A Layered View
8:00: Evening Social (Location TBA)