The Department of Philosophy at the University of Prince Edward Island invites applications for Sessional Instructors for the Fall 2023 semester. All positions are subject to final budgetary approval.

Please note: the courses offered below will be taught in person, unless otherwise specified as an online course.

PHIL 2070 – Philosophies of War and Peace

This course investigates the complex issue of war and violence, peace and justice, and the future of war. Is war a necessary part of the human condition? What are the ethics of war? The course examines the opposing positions of political realism, just war theory, and pacifism. The course will focus on the meaning of war for philosophers in particular, and study World War II veterans who became philosophers such as Stuart Hampshire, R.M. Hare, J. Glenn Gray, John Rawls and others. Michael Walzer's classic account, Just and Unjust Wars, and additional historical writings by Tolstoy, Arendt, Hobbes, Marx, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King may be studied to understand the debate over the meaning of the problem of war for philosophers and how they attempt to cope with it. 

Lectures: Three hours a week
Class meeting times: Tuesdays 5 to 7:45 pm

PHIL 2090 – Special Topics: Philosophy of Art and Aesthetics

This course explores some basic questions about the nature of beauty, creativity, art, and aesthetic judgement.  We will study various ways that artists imagine, create, and perform works of art, and various ways that people use, enjoy, and criticize art. In our exploration of aesthetics, we will also explore how art can affect our emotions, influence beliefs and shape identity; the relationship between aesthetic perception and moral understanding; gender and art; cultural diversity and artistic traditions; what insight art can give us to the nature of reality.  Along the way, the course will engage students in a series of explorations of visual art, poetry, film, advertising, street art, music and nature to explore these questions in particular contexts.  Authors may include Plato, Aristotle, John Dewey, Leo Tolstoy, Theodore Adorno, other well-known western philosophers of art, and Audre Lorde, Heesoon Bai, Nkiru Nzegwu, Susan Sontag, and selected Indigenous artists and philosophers.  

Lectures: Three hours a week
Class meeting times: Wednesdays 7 to 9:45 pm

PHIL 3840 – Rationalists/Empiricists

This course is an introduction to early modern philosophy through the study of the most important works of the rationalists (Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz) and the empiricists (Locke, Berkeley, and Hume). 

Lectures: Three hours a week
Class meeting times: Tues/Thurs 2:30 to 3:45 pm 

Qualifications:

• Successful applicants will have a Ph.D. in Philosophy
• Previous teaching experience and/or publications focused on: 1) the teaching of philosophy, and/or on: 2) political philosophy or philosophy of international relations or political or ethical theory related to war and pacifism will be an asset

Note:  Preference will be given to qualified candidates with seniority on the UPEI Sessional Roster in the academic unit.  

Application Instructions: 

Applicants can apply for any one or more of these positions. Applicants should submit a letter of application, updated curriculum vitae, a sample course syllabus, and the names of three references to:

Dr. Pamela Courtenay–Hall, Assoc. Prof. and Chair
Department of Philosophy
University of Prince Edward Island
Charlottetown, PE, C1A 4P3
Tel: (902) 894-2838 or 566-0331
pcourtenay@upei.ca

UPEI is committed to equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation and believes in providing a positive learning and working environment where every person feels empowered to contribute. UPEI is committed to the principle of equity in employment and encourages applications from underrepresented groups including women, Indigenous peoples, visible minorities, persons with disabilities, persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity, and others with the skills and knowledge to productively engage with diverse communities.

Closing date for applications is May 2, 2023.