Description
In 2013, the Philosophy for Children Fellowship Program for graduate students was established at the University of Washington. These fellowships are open to graduate students in any University of Washington department or college.
Fellows are involved primarily in the Center’s “Philosophers in the Schools” program, which sends UW graduate and undergraduate students into Seattle K-12 schools to lead philosophy sessions, as well as the Washington State High School Ethics Bowl and other related activities.
For academic year 2021-2022, each Philosophy for Children fellowship is $4,500.
Fellow Responsibilities
- Enrollment in our fall quarter course (PHIL 205, Philosophy for Children, taken as PHIL 584), our winter quarter course (PHIL 398, Philosophy for Children Practicum, taken as PHIL 584), and our spring graduate Philosophical Inquiry in Schools course, PHIL 595.
- Involvement in teaching philosophy in Seattle schools and mentoring undergraduate students involved in the “Philosophers in the Schools” program.
- Participation in the Washington State High School Ethics Bowl, including helping to organize the event and attendance and involvement at the competition.
Total time commitment is expected to be an average of 4-5 hours per week (not including attendance in the philosophy for children courses) for the three quarters of the academic year. Each fellow is assigned a mentor to help guide and support their fellowship work.
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Instructions & Application”]
The fellowship application process consists of the following:
- Please submit a one-page statement describing your interest in being involved in the “Philosophers in the Schools” program. Please include complete and current contact information. Experience in philosophy, K-12 teaching or philosophy for children is not required for this fellowship.
- Each applicant should attach to his or her statement one letter of support from a faculty member in the applicant’s department who can speak to the student’s suitability for this fellowship. If you are not yet at UW, please submit a letter of support from a faculty member at another institution.
Deadline
All application materials must be submitted electronically each year by May 20.
Erica Bigelow
Department of Philosophy
Erica Bigelow is a second-year Philosophy Ph.D. student. Her research interests include feminist theory, philosophy of disability, and contemporary social epistemology. Prior to coming to UW, Erica earned a B.A. from Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts, where she also studied English and Political Science, and an M.A. in Philosophy from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Erica is passionate about public education and the role the Center plays in creating vibrant communities of thinkers and learners.
Melissa Diamond
College of Education
Melissa Diamond is a first year M.Ed student in the College of Education's Social and Cultural Foundations program. In 2020, she graduated from the University of Washington with a B.A. in philosophy and a B.S. in computer science. She intends to use her background in philosophy to study education, with a focus on the ethical questions surrounding environmental education in the context of global climate change. As an undergraduate, a highlight of her experience was her work as a tutor for the UW Department of Philosophy's Writing Center, and she is thrilled to continue doing philosophy with students through her fellowship with the Center for Philosophy for Children. In her free time, Melissa loves to cook and bake, go backpacking, and work on improving her film photography.
Philosophy for Children Graduate Fellows
2019-2020
Elina Castellano
Ari Hock
Nic Jones
2018-2019
Natalie Janson
Nic Jones
Jordan Sherry-Wagner
Christina Zaccagnino
2017-2018
Natalie Janson
Jordan Sherry-Wagner
Christina Zaccagnino
2016-2017
Bridget DuRuz
Darcy McCusker
David Phelps
2015-2016
Bridget DuRuz
Joey Miller
Dustin Schmidt
Debi Talukdar
2014-2015
Di’ Anna Duran
Janice Moskalik
Debi Talukdar
2013-2014
Janice Moskalik
Alain Sykes