Student Opportunities
Philosophy students at Albion get involved and gain experience through a number of opportunities outside of class. Scroll through some of the possibilities below and don’t hesitate to contact the department for more information!
Philosophy Club
Movies, presentations, debate, and dialogue! For information about the Philosophy Club, contact Jeremy Kirby ([email protected]), or Dan Mittag ([email protected]).
Phi Sigma Tau
Albion is affiliated with this national honorary organization in philosophy, as students’ wishes dictate. Our local chapter has been active in arranging programs of intellectual significance to the campus and providing formal recognition to the academic achievements of our students.
Field Trips
Classes such as the Philosophy of Art or the Bertrand Russell Seminar often include field trips to libraries, museums, or galleries as part of the course. One of the Russell Seminar’s trips to the Russell Archives at McMaster University resulted in the students publishing in Russell: The Journal of the Bertrand Russell Archives.
Institutes, Centers, and Honors Program
The field of philosophy characteristically emphasizes critical reasoning and writing skills on the methodological side, and inquiry into value issues on the substantive side. This combination makes the study of philosophy an important and meaningful addition to the curricular initiatives offered at Albion by the Prentiss M. Brown Honors Program, the Center for Sustainability and the Environment, the James L. Curtis Institute for Social Change, the Gerald R. Ford Institute for Leadership in Public Policy and Service, the Lisa and James Wilson Institute for Medicine, the Fritz Shurmur Center for Teacher Development, and the Carl A. Gerstacker Institute for Business and Management, as well as the Pre-Law and Neuroscience concentrations. The websites of each include a description of relevant Philosophy courses.
Pre-Law
For more information about pre-law at Albion, see the program page.
For those students who are interested in the study of law at the undergraduate level, the Law, Justice and Society concentration, which is selected in addition to an academic major, aims to to affirm the intellectual importance of the study of law and society and to provide a framework whereby faculty and students may explore different approaches to law by using the resources of one or more disciplines. The curriculum is designed to equip students with the knowledge to understand legal institutions, practices and ideas, and also to grasp their relationship to larger social, economic and political forces.
Undergraduate Philosophy Conference and Symposium Opportunities
The Annual Pacific University Undergraduate Philosophy Conference
The purpose of this conference is to provide a forum for the presentation of philosophical work of undergraduates to their peers. Papers are required to be of philosophical content, but there are no specific restrictions on subject matter within the arena of philosophical discussion itself.
The Phi Sigma Tau Philosophy Honors Society
The Department of Philosophy at Texas State University, and the members of the Phi Sigma Tau Philosophy Honors Society, hold an Annual Philosophy Student Symposium. The symposium traditionally features presentations of philosophy papers written by undergraduate and graduate students of philosophy, as well as responses and discussion of each presentation by philosophy students and faculty in attendance.
Midsouth Undergraduate Philosophy Conference
The Midsouth Philosophy Conference and Midsouth Undergraduate Philosophy Conference is held at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN. Papers in any philosophical area are welcome.
Annual Richard Macksey National Undergraduate Humanities Research Symposium
Johns Hopkins University’s Richard Macksey National Undergraduate Humanities Research Symposium provides hundreds of students across all fields of the humanities the opportunity to share their work in the professional presentation style most common to their fields. Attendees also participate in professionalization and recruitment events during the three-day symposium, including panels on graduate admissions, careers in publishing, and networking. This is a one of a kind conference: there has been no other national platform for undergraduates in the humanities to share their work. The conference also proudly supports creative student projects and have been happy to host students reading original poetry, sharing original films, and presenting other creative endeavors.
More about the event will be updated as information is released.
Research and Fellowship Opportunities
The Humane Studies Fellowship at George Mason University.
The Adam Smith Fellowship is a one-year, competitive fellowship for graduate students attending Ph.D. programs at any university, and in any discipline, including economics, philosophy, political science, and sociology. Smith Fellows receive a stipend and attend colloquia on the Austrian, Virginia, and Bloomington schools of political economy. It is a total award of up to $7,000 for the year.
Internships
Michigan Civil Service Commission (MiCSC) Internship Positions
Publication Opportunities
Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest was established in 1989 by the Elie Wiesel Foundation. Thousands of students from hundreds of colleges and universities across the nation have participated. Through their writing, they explored their concerns and beliefs, their fears and their hopes.
A Priori, Brown University’s official undergraduate philosophy journal, is seeking submissions for its 2025–26 volume. Talented and dedicated staff will work closely with you to prepare your paper for their Spring publication. All contributors will receive a copy of the publication. The deadline is January 2, 2026.
Aperto Animo is an annual, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student-run philosophical journal that publishes the work of undergraduate students in the field of philosophy. Aperto Animo seeks to facilitate thoughtful philosophical discussions on campus, and to prompt students to explore philosophy outside of the classroom. The journal publishes submissions in a range of philosophical subcategories. Submissions can be anywhere from very brief explorations, to longer papers, but generally within the 2-to-15-page range.
Dianoia, Boston College’s undergraduate philosophy journal, has opened its submission window for Issue XIII, to be published in Spring 2026. Undergraduate students are encouraged to submit class essays, senior theses, or independent research papers to be considered for publication. Thoughtful, original work on any philosophical topic is welcomed. Submissions are open until January 16, 2026
Episteme, is Denison University’s student-run journal that aims to recognize and encourage excellence in undergraduate philosophy by providing examples of some of the best work currently being done in undergraduate philosophy programs.
STANCE, an International Undergraduate Philosophy Journal, is produced and edited entirely by undergraduate students at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Its aim is to enrich student learning by providing an opportunity for undergraduate students to have their original work reviewed by or published in a peer-reviewed academic journal. The undergraduate editors of Stance are trained in specific editorial skills. Several reviewers examine each contributed paper. Contributors are given constructive feedback, even if the paper is rejected. For accepted and ‘revise and resubmit’ papers, the feedback is typically substantial.
Prometheus Undergraduate Philosophy Journal and Conference, John Hopkins University. Prometheus is an undergraduate philosophy club run by students at Johns Hopkins University. The purpose of the club is to promote philosophic discourse of the highest standard by offering students an opportunity to engage in open discussion, participate in an academic conference, and establish a community of aspiring philosophers. Each year, Prometheus hosts a conference for undergraduates in philosophy.
Summer Seminars and Institutes in Philosophy
None posted at this time; please check again soon.