Departmental news

The month of October sees the publication of a new book by Keith Ansell-Pearson, co-authored with Rebecca Bamford. The book presents a detailed, focused study of Friedrich Nietzsche’s text, ‘Dawn: Thoughts on the Presumptions of Morality’ (1881). This is a text which Nietzsche conceived as representing a break with the obscurantism of German philosophy and a work of sceptical enlightenment. Ansell-Pearson and Bamford approach Nietzsche’s text as a work of experimental philosophy that seeks to disable dogmatism in philosophy and invites its readers to actively participate in the activity of critical and novel modes of thinking.

The authors explore the contemporary relevance of Nietzsche’s text in relation to the enlightenment theme of combatting fear, superstition, moral and religious fanaticism, and other themes relevant to today’s reader, and they do so in a format that is both engaging and accessible. ‘Nietzsche’s Dawn’ is the first specific study in the English-speaking world of this neglected but key work, and contextualises its achievements within the context of Nietzsche’s life and other writings. See here for publication details: https://www.wiley.com/en-gb/search?pq=Keith%20Ansell-Pearson%7Crelevance

Dr Daniel Vanello has joined the Department as part of the prestigious Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellowship Scheme. He returns to Warwick, having completed his PhD with the Department in 2017, where he researched the role of emotional experience in our learning moral value. Daniel was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Geneva (2017-18) before undertaking a two-year Irish Research Council Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Dublin (2018-20). Daniel’s research interests lie in the intersection between ethics and the philosophy of mind and psychology. A main topic of his research is: what is moral understanding, and how do we acquire it? He also has an interest in the phenomenological tradition, with a focus on the early works of Jean-Paul Sartre.

The Department of Philosophy has been ranked at an impressive 3^rd place in the Good University Guide for 2021, published by The Times and The Sunday Times respectively. This notable achievement is yet another League Table success for the Department, which recognises its developing academic reputation, quality of teaching and outstanding research provision.

Dr Andrei Bespalov has joined the Department as a WIRL COFUND Fellow with the Institute of Advanced Study. Andrei has a PhD in Political Science from Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona, 2019) and also holds a Candidate of Philosophical Sciences degree in social philosophy from Lomonosov Moscow State University (2004), where he taught between 2004 and 2015. Andrei’s current research interests centre on political philosophy and theories of public reason. His Fellowship while with the Department will focus on Sceptical Liberalism: Maintaining Public Reason in the Age of Disagreement. His research will aim to redefine public reason in fallibilistic terms, leading to a liberal conception of political society that is more agonistic and yet more accommodating to pluralism about justice than the standard Rawlsian view.

The University Guide, produced annually by The Guardian, has ranked the Department of Philosophy an impressive 6th place in its League Table for 2021. This new ranking builds on the Department’s performance from previous years, and reflects its growing reputation for inspirational course content, outstanding academic research and teaching expertise. Additionally, the University of Warwick is placed 8^th in the 2021 League Table of Universities, which is also an advance from its 2020 ranking.

We are delighted to announce the appointment, from 1 September 2020, of Dr Adina Covaci as a Teaching Fellow, specialising in moral and political Philosophy. Adina, who studied for her PhD at the University of Leeds, has previously taught at the University of Bristol. Adina will develop her research interests during her Fellowship, which include moral deference and topics in applied ethics, and will undertake teaching in both moral and political philosophy.

Lorenzo Serini, currently studying for his PhD in Philosophy with the Department, has been awarded an IATL/IAS Early Career Teaching Fellowship, from October 2020 to July 2021. During the Fellowship, Lorenzo will develop both his teaching and research profile, and will contribute to teaching in the Institute for Advanced Teaching and Learning (IATL). Lorenzo will also organise and deliver an interdisciplinary event on the Emotions, bringing together students and speakers from multiple Departments, and will prepare a number of publications and postdoctoral applications. Congratulations, Lorenzo!

Vera Okojie has been selected as one of the winners in the University’s Outstanding Student Contribution Awards for 2020.

This award to Vera, who graduated with a Degree in Philosophy in June, recognises both her enormous dedication to the life of the Department and to the University community as a whole, as well as her significant achievements academically.

Vera will be presented with her Award at her postponed Graduation Ceremony, when new dates are announced.

Congratulations, Vera!

 Dr Thomas Crowther is a Commendee in this year’s WATE Awards, which recognises his outstanding contribution to the teaching of Philosophy during the course of this academic year. Tom says:

I am very happy to have been recognised through WATE. I am very proud to be a teacher, and particularly proud to be a teacher at the University of Warwick. I care very much about the work I do in teaching and supporting my students, whether it is inside or outside the classroom. Being recognized by WATE is evidence that I am doing at least something right! This will invigorate me to develop further as a teacher; particularly in negotiating the challenges of moving to blended learning.

Irene Dal Poz and Lorenzo Serini have also won awards in the WATE PGR category. This award acknowledges respectively both Irene and Lorenzo’s gifts of communication and their imaginative flair for engaging students through their teaching. 

We are delighted to announce excellent student feedback in the 2020 National Student Survey (NSS). Notably, the Philosophy BA course received 100% overall satisfaction. We also celebrate strong scores across Philosophy courses (including PPE), particularly in the areas of Teaching Assessment, Feedback, Academic Support and Student Voice, all of which demonstrate a very high level of satisfaction.