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Philosophy

THE DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY
GUIDELINES REGARDING COLLEGE STANDARDS ON SCHOLARSHIP

Part B of section 2.3.2., Criteria of Evaluation, in the Faculty Handbook was revised on March 29,1999 and now reads:

"Scholarly or Artistic Engagement: Scholarly or artistic engagement must be ongoing. Projects may change, and the pace of activity associated with them may vary. But because such engagement strengthens teaching, the College expects its Faculty members to keep themselves professionally involved in the creative work of their discipline by the regular and disciplined pursuit of knowledge and the development of one's skills. While all items on the list are valuable, the first has special importance.

  1. Active and effective participation in one's field, through publications, exhibitions, or performances.
  2. Active participation in scholarly or artistic discourse, through the presentation of invited lectures, conference papers or posters; or through active scholarly involvement in conferences; or through the receipt of grants.
  3. Active work with students on artistic, scholarly, or research projects that go beyond regular courses.
  4. Exchange of information, ideas, and techniques with peers.
  5. Acquisition of new skills or the pursuit of secondary fields of scholarly interest."

The department of philosophy understands the criteria to include, in general, within the meaning of "scholarly engagement" all such professional activities which are carried out in the "pursuit of knowledge" and the "development of one's skills". And it further understands that among the above listed items of examples, the new legislation gives special importance to the first item. Examples of activities that should count as instances of the kind of activities described in categories 1-5 above follow below.

Category 1: Paradigmatic examples of this category are publication of books, edited anthologies, textbooks; or publication of articles in professional journals or in edited anthologies; or publication of essays in such respectable journals as The New York Review of Books, Commentary, Harpers, Art in America, The New Criterion, Daedelus, and the like.

Category 2: Good philosophical research and production requires discussion and study amongst people with the right expertise. Consequently, participation in conferences, colloquiums, specialized faculty seminars; working as a research fellow at specialized libraries , and delivering lectures at colleges and universities are extremely important activities. Such work requires additional research and preparation, and is often a necessary condition for revision of work in progress to the point that publication may be possible. In addition, the professional connections one makes at such conferences, seminars, libraries and universities are professionally invaluable and may lead to further scholarship opportunities as well as bring the College notoriety. Representative examples of activities fitting into this category include presenting papers at conferences sponsored by the American Philosophical Association, the Ohio Philosophical Association, the Society for Existentialism and Phenomenology, the Collegium Phenomenologicum, the Society for Philosophy and Psychology, the Kierkegaard Society , and the like. Delivering lectures at colleges and universities as an invited lecturer or visiting professor, presenting original work at research libraries such as the Hong Kierkegaard library, participating in N.E.H summer seminars, are also examples that fit into this category because participating in these activities is highly selective and requires presenting original work to a highly specialized audience.

Category 3: Examples that fit into this category include leading McGregor summer research projects, Independent Studies, Honors Projects, and Senior Exercise projects.

Category 4: Examples of this category include active participation in the philosophical life of nearby institutions (such as Ohio State University which has a highly ranked philosophy department) and in Web-based discourse ( such as moderated, specialized discussion lists).

Category 5: This category is obviously quite large but would include doing the requisite study necessary to acquire expertise in other areas of philosophy or studying foreign or classical languages necessary for research. Preparing for and teaching new courses would fall into this category as well.

JED,4/2000