The "Work In Progress" (WIP) seminar is a weekly space for Philosophy postgraduates to present in-progress work and receive feedback in a risk-free, supportive setting.
It is informal, graduate-led, and always followed by a well-spirited trip to the pub. 🍻
🕙 When/where is the WIP?
When: Every Thursday, except Week 6 (Reading Week). Starts at 5pm, finishes no later than 6:15pm.
Where: S1.50, except Week 1 (October 9).
📝 How does it work?
Every week, a postgraduate presents in-progress work, with a Q&A at the end.
Attendance optional but recommended. All are welcome, whether MA, MPhil, faculty, or visitors.
📅 Format
Presentation: 30 minutes
Open Discussion / Q&A: 30 minutes
Material: Anything, really. Could be an assessed essay (for MAs), a supervision essay (for MPhils), or a thesis section (for PhDs).
Style: Flexible - slides, handouts, or simply talking.
Audience: No prior reading or background knowledge is expected. Visiting PhDs
should
can present.
Should I present? ("I have nothing ready; I hate public speaking; etc.")
All graduates are encouraged to present at least once per year.
Simply signing up for a date is a great way to give yourself a deadline to work towards. (This is what most people do.)
Remember, the WIP is an informal and supportive space. Its whole purpose is to give graduates a chance to take risks, test out ideas, and get constructive feedback from peers.
Presentations need not (in fact, should not) be watertight or polished pieces at all. You are encouraged to present work at all stages of the writing process - first drafts, substantial sets of notes, etc.
Guidance for Presenters
What to present. Any reasonable piece of in-progress work, e.g. an assessed essay, a thesis section, a writing sample, a conference paper, a project outline, etc.
Recommended length. Aim for 3,000 to 5,000 words, so you can comfortably present within the 30-minute time slot.
Presentation balance. Be mindful of how you structure your time. A common pitfall is over-explaining the setup and running out of time for the main argument. A good rule of thumb is max. 10 minutes for groundwork and 20 minutes for the parts you actually want feedback on.
Submission deadline. Email your title and abstract to the organisers by Sunday evening beforeyour presentation, e.g. if presenting Week 5, email it by the end of Sunday in Week 4.
All in-progress work is welcome. No magnum opus - early drafts, partial sections, project outlines, and even sets of notes are all encouraged.
Why you should present. The WIP is a unique opportunity to improve your work for two reasons. First, preparing your paper for presentation helps you clarify your ideas and make your argument more concise and accessible. Second, it gives you a low-pressure environment to test arguments, get feedback, and respond to objections without the stress of formal assessment.
Unwind. The seminar is informal, friendly, and designed to encourage open discussion. Not only is it a great opportunity to unwind with other graduates and faculty during the work week, but there is also a well-earned pub trip after.
Current Schedule for Term 1 (2025/26)
A list of seminars occurring in the current academic term can be found below:
All WIPs take place on the Thursday of the specified week, at 5pm, in room S1.50.
Wk 1 - 9th October - Tiago Rodrigues (MPhil) - 'Can You Know the Value of Parenthood Before Having a Child?'
Wk 2 - 16th October - David Lopez Baeza (MPhil) - 'Internalism About Reasons and the Tutelage of Experience'
Wk 3 - 23rd October - Shaun Clamp (MPhil) - 'Testing the Limits of Feeling and Form: Reappraising Susanne K. Langer's Aesthetic Theory in Light of the Poetic Sublime'
Wk 4 - 30th October - İsmail Deniz Demirkan (PhD) - 'Incompleteness of the Philosopher King: Gödel and the Concept of Truth in Politics'
Wk 5 - 6th November - Alicia Klemm Silva (MPhil) - 'Frege on Sense and Reference'
Wk 6 - NO WIP DUE TO READING WEEK Wk 7 - 20th November - Ben Long (MPhil)
Wk 8 - 27th November - Dmitry Sereda (PhD)
Wk 9 - 4th December - José Xarez (PhD)
Wk 10 - 11th December - Emily Boocock (PhD)
