Selected Opportunities and Resources in Philosophy

Competitions
Summer Programs
Websites
Books | Magazines & Journals

PHILOSOPHY COMPETITIONS

Davidson Fellows Awards
Students ages 17 and under submit a significant piece of work in science, technology, mathematics, literature, music, philosophy, or "outside the box." Eight to fifteen students are typically selected each year and named a Davidson Fellow. Fellows receive a $50,000, $25,000, or $10,000 scholarship and are recognized for their achievements in Washington, DC.(775) 852-3483 x423; www.davidsongifted.org/fellows

International Philosophy Olympiad
Students gather in a different country each May, where they have four hours to write a philosophical essay in a language other than their own. Winners receive medals and are featured on the website of the International Federation of Philosophical Societies.
www.fisp.org/olympiad.html

Kids Philosophy Slam
Students compete for over $5,000 in prizes by writing, creating poetry, music, or artwork about their personal experiences regarding a philosophical question posed each year (2010: Is the Pen Mightier than the Sword?). www.philosophyslam.org

PHILOSOPHY SUMMER PROGRAMS

Opportunities at CTY
At the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth, students who have earned qualifying test scores can explore a range of math, science, and humanities topics in summer and online courses. This list features courses in philosophy and ethics.

CTY Summer Programs (multiple sites)
Grades 7-11; 3 weeks; residential. Course offerings include Etymologies, Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Existentialism, Ethics, Bioethics, Introduction to Logic, and Logic: Principles of Reasoning. (410) 735-6277; www.cty.jhu.edu/summer

Additional Summer Programs
Grades specified refer to students' 2010-11 status. All programs are residential unless otherwise noted.

Boston University Summer Term (MA)
Grades 11-12; 6 weeks; residential and commuter. Qualifying students choose two honors courses, which include Introduction to Philosophy, Great Philosophers, Politics and Philosophy, Reasoning and Argumentation, Philosophy of Science, History of Ancient Philosophy, and History of Modern Philosophy.
(617) 353-1378;
www.bu.edu/summer/program_high_school_students/honors

Choate Rosemary Hall Summer Programs (CT)
Grades 9-12; 2 or 5 weeks. In The Big Questions, students examine human attempts to understand such concepts as God, faith, fate, free will, good, and evil. In First Principles, they examine liberalism, conservatism, racism, feminism, human rights, capitalism, socialism, and communism. Additional course offerings include Exploring Ethical Dilemmas. Students in the John F. Kennedy Institute in Government explore topics that include Foundations of Economics and Political Thought.
(203) 697-2365; www.choate.edu

Columbia University Summer Programs for High School Students (NY)
Grades 9-12; 4 weeks; residential and commuter. In Philosophy of Food and the Body, students explore philosophical concepts as they relate to attitudes about food. In Debating the Ethics of War and Political Violence, they examine the relationship among war, politics, and ethics. (212) 854-9666; http://www.ce.columbia.edu/hs

Cornell University Summer College (NY)
Grades 10-12; 3 or 6 weeks. Students in the 6-week program take two courses which may include Introduction to Philosophy, and Contemporary Moral Issues. Those in the 3-week program focus intensely on a single course which may include Introduction to Political Philosophy, or Nature and Culture: History, Philosophy, and the Environment. (607) 255-6203; www.summercollege.cornell.edu

Davidson Institute THINK Summer Institute (NV)
Ages 13-16; 3 weeks. Students qualifying for this intensive program may take Introduction to Philosophy, where they explore basic problems in ethics, political theory, metaphysics, and epistemology. (775) 852-3483 x6; www.thinksummerinstitute.org

Duke University TIP (multiple sites)
Grades 7-10; 3 weeks. Course offerings for qualifying students include Philosophy of Knowledge and Philosophy of Time.
(919) 668-9100; www.tip.duke.edu/summer

Harvard Secondary School (MA)
Grades 10-12; 7 weeks. Students in this program experience life on Harvard's campus while taking courses alongside college students. Offerings include Introduction to Philosophy, Deductive Logic, Philosophy of Mind, and Introduction to Biomedical Ethics.
(617) 495-3192; http://www.summer.harvard.edu

Iowa State University Office of Pre-collegiate Programs for Talented and Gifted (IA)
Grades 8-11; 3 weeks. In Socrates, Plato, and the Origin of Greek Philosophy, qualifying students in grades 8-10 examine the life and work of Socrates and its influence on later philosophical thinking. Those in grades 8-11 may take Artificial Intelligence, in which they explore machine-learning topics in computer science as well as such topics as reasoning, planning, decision-making, and learning. (800) 262-3810;
www.opptag.iastate.edu/summer

Johns Hopkins University Precollege Program (MD)
Grades 10-12; 5 weeks; residential and commuter. Offerings include Foundations of Modern Political Philosophy, Introduction to Eastern Philosophy, Democracy and Ancient Political Thought, and Bioethics. (800) 548-0548;
www.jhu.edu/summer/precollege/summer

Northwestern University CTD (IL)
Grades 7-12; 3 weeks; residential and commuter. Qualifying students in grades 7 and 8 may take Foundations of Philosophy. Those in grades 9-12 may choose from Ethics and Contemporary Issues, and Reason and Imagination: The Philosophy of Cognition. (847) 491-3782;
www.ctd.northwestern.edu/summer

NYU Pre-College Program (NY)
Grades 10-12; 6 weeks; commuter. Rising juniors and seniors may select from an extensive list of philosophy courses, including Introduction to Philosophy, History of Modern Philosophy, Philosophy of Law, The Ancient Greeks and Their Influence, Minds and Machines, Ethics, Medical Ethics, Topics in Modern Political Thought, and Logic. (212) 998-2292; www.nyu.edu/summer/2010/highschool

Stanford University High School Summer College (CA)
Grades 11-12; 8 weeks; residential and commuter. Offerings include Introduction to Moral Philosophy, Introductory Logic, and Happiness: Positive Psychology and Philosophy.
(650) 723-3109; http://summer.stanford.edu

Summer at Brown Precollege Program (RI)
Grades 9-12; 1-3 weeks. Students choose one or two courses from an extensive list of philosophy offerings, including Introduction to Philosophy, Giants of Philosophy, The Meaning of Life, Themes from Existentialism, Skepticism, Ethical Dilemmas in Foreign Policy, Freedom and Responsibility, Mind and Matter, Existential Questions of the Heart, and Science, Perception, and Reality. (401) 863-7900; www.brown.edu/scs/pre-college

University of Pennsylvania Pre-college (PA)
Grades 11-12; 6 weeks; residential and commuter. Students choose two courses, which include Introduction to Philosophy, History of Ancient Philosophy,?Political Philosophy, Introduction to Decision Theory, and Mortal Bioethics: Issues in the End of Life. (215) 898-7326;
www.sas.upenn.edu/lps/highschool/summer/precollege

University of Virginia Summer Session (VA)
Grades 11-12; 4 weeks; commuter. Qualifying students take one course alongside college students. Offerings include The Nature of the Mind, Why Be Moral, and Human Minds and Artificial Intelligence. (434) 924-3371;
www.virginia.edu/summer/courses

Washington University in St. Louis (MO)
Grades 10-11; 5 weeks; residential and commuter. Students taking Logic and Critical Analysis work to develop critical reasoning skills; those in Introduction to Environmental Ethics focus on problems such as the obligation to future generations. In Introduction to Aesthetics, students examine the question of what is art, and in Biomedical Ethics they explore issues that include genetic engineering, euthanasia, and the allocation of medical resources. Additional course offerings include Philosophy, and Great Philosophers. (866) 209-0691;
http://ucollege.wustl.edu/programs/highschool

Yale University Exploration Summer Programs (CT)
Grades 10-12; 3 weeks; residential and commuter. In Beyond the Matrix: Philosophy of Physics, students consider theories of Einstein and Newton as well as popular science fiction while exploring such questions as what is possible and what is real. Students taking Does God Exist? investigate the influence of religious tradition, philosophical argument, and scientific research for insight into ethics, morality, and the meaning of life. Also offered is Questions in Time: Introduction to Philosophy.
(781) 762-7400; www.explo.org

PHILOSOPHY WEBSITES

American Philosophical Association
This site features a variety of educational resources, including links to the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy and a comprehensive Philosophy Research Base.
www.apaonline.org/resources/guides.aspx

Ask-A-Philosopher
The motto at this site is "You ask. Philosophers answer," and here, dozens of panelists answer philosophical questions on any topic. Ask a question, browse categories to find answers to questions already posed, or lose yourself in the Concept Cloud, where you can read questions and answers on topics from self-interest to Santa.
http://www.askphilosophers.org

BBC: In Our Time Philosophy Resource (iTunes)
Listen to a discussion of philosophy on iTunes, take the Philosophy Quotes Quiz, or cast your vote for the greatest philosopher. (If you haven't yet decided, click on any name on the Philosopher Timeline to learn more about a particular philosopher.)
www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/inourtime/greatest_philosopher.shtml

The Digital Locke Project
In an ongoing project sponsored by Oxford University Press, influential philosopher John Locke's manuscripts are presented along with historical and philosophical notes, as well as reconstruction of the genesis of the texts. Future planned additions include historical footnotes and introductions. Not for the fainthearted, but fascinating to contemplate, and watching the site evolve is simply way cool.
www.digitallockeproject.nl

EpistemeLinks
This comprehensive site provides more than 19,000 categorized links to philosophy resources on the Internet, as well as lists of books and jokes on philosophy.
www.epistemelinks.com

Ethics in Science and Engineering National Clearinghouse
This site, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, is an up-to-the-minute compendium on ethics and responsible conduct of research in science and engineering. Visitors can learn the latest Research Ethics News, read the "Paper of the Day," and check out the most popular downloaded items from the site (What ethical concepts are other currently interested in?).
www.ethicslibrary.org

Great Issues Forum
This forum of the Graduate Center of the City University of New York explores critical issues through a single thematic lens. The 2009-10 issue is religion, which will be examined by civic and religious leaders, scientists, and philosophers. www.greatissuesforum.org

Philosophical Humor
Why did the philosopher cross the road? To find out, check out this site, which is actually a list of links to a variety of sites containing philosophical humor.
http://people.brandeis.edu/~teuber/humor.html

PhilosophyPages.com
This well-organized site includes a dictionary of philosophical terms and names, a survey of the history of Western philosophy, a philosophy study guide, links to other philosophy sites, and more.
www.philosophypages.com

Society for Philosophical Inquiry
This site features advice on how to start a philosophy club, how to become a conscientious thinker and doer, and much more.
www.philosopher.org/en/SPI.html

Squire Family Foundation
This philanthropic organization helps promote the study of ethics for secondary school students. Accordingly, their website features an extensive list of ethics and philosophy resources, philosophy topics in the news, and a Philosophy Toolbox for students and teachers. Be sure to check out their blog, The Philosophical Student.
www.squirefoundation.org/forstudents

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
A virtual encyclopedia of philosophy, each entry in this comprehensive reference work is maintained and updated by experts in the field.
http://plato.stanford.edu

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PHILOSOPHY BOOKS

How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer (Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt, 2009)

Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy by Simon Blackburn (Oxford University Press, 2007)

Philosophers Explore the Matrix by Christopher Grau (Oxford University Press, 2005)

The Philosophy Files by Stephen Law (Orion Childrens, 2002)

The Philosophy Gym: 25 Short Adventures in Thinking by Stephen Law (Thomas Dunne Books, 2003)

Philosophy, Invention, and Engineering ed. by Derek Hall (Brown Bear, 2009)

Philosophy for Teens by Sharon Kaye and Paul Thomson (Prufrock Press, 2006)

Sophie's World: A Novel about the History of Philosophy by Jostein Gaarder (Berkeley Trade, 1997)

The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff (Penguin, 1983)

Young Person's Guide to Philosophy by Jeremy Weate (DK Children, 1998)

MAGAZINES & JOURNALS

The Philosopher's Magazine
This international magazine includes news, essays, reviews, and features that present "top-class philosophy in an accessible and entertaining format." The website offers interactive features related to the magazine's content. www.philosophersnet.com

Philosophy Now
This bimonthly magazine includes articles on all aspects of Western philosophy, book reviews, news, cartoons, and even short stories of interest to students, academics, and general readers. But be warned: The publisher's aim is to "corrupt innocent citizens by convincing them that philosophy can be exciting, worthwhile, and comprehensible."
www.philosophynow.org

Questions: Philosophy for Young People
This annual journal showcases the work of precollege philosophers and those doing philosophical work at the pre-college level. Each issue includes philosophical discussions, drawings, and philosophical writing by students in a newsletter format.
http://depts.washington.edu/nwcenter/resourcesquestions.html