The theme of this year's conference & post-conference pedagogy workshop, Higher Education, Democracy, and Controversy, reflects the difficulty in creating and maintaining respectful discourse in higher-education classrooms, especially surrounding controversial empirical, moral, and political issues. 

Some argue that this is an equity issue. Undergraduate students who come from rural and/or underprivileged areas are more likely to experience alienation on campus, sometimes because they have never been exposed to certain “politically correct” language or ideas, and sometimes simply because they lack the financial and social capital that their peers have. It seems crucial (and follows from democratic and civic values) to foster safe learning environments for all students, especially those students who are more likely to feel alienated on college campuses and in elite spaces. 

At the same time, some argue that the aim of higher education is purely epistemological, and not civic or democratic. Proponents of this view might hold that free speech and academic freedom must be properly protected for higher education to perform its proper social function: education. 

What is the appropriate relationship between higher education, knowledge-production, teaching, free speech, and democracy? How can higher education instructors and professors be effective teachers in the light of these relationships? 

Keynote

"Democratic Education, Equity and Free Speech in the College Classroom" 

Harry Brighouse 

University of Wiscosin-Madison, Mildred Fish Harnack Professor Of Philosophy And Carol Dickson Bascom Professor Of The Humanities

The Graduate Student Conference on Philosophy and Education (GSCOPE) first came to fruition at Teachers College, Columbia University in 2005 as an opportunity to connect student scholars with philosophical interests surrounding education. In its tenure, the conference has grown and expanded, featuring presenters and student participants from over 30 universities, representing 15 countries.

The conference aims to foster the following core objectives:

• To provide a space in which students with a range of academic backgrounds, but with philosophical interests in education, can meet and converse with others with similar interests.

• To help cultivate budding scholarship by providing opportunities for students to participate in activities fundamental to professional academia (presenting findings, responding to challenges, etc.).

• To provide an opportunity for future scholars in the field to learn about diverse methods for engaging with philosophy and education.

• To provide a collegial and intimate setting for the exploration of concerns and ideas related to these fields.