MACON – Mercer University junior Anna Bates has been selected to participate in the Summer Immersion Program in Philosophy (SIPP) at Brown University, a two-week program for undergraduates interested in pursuing a graduate degree in philosophy who are members of groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in the field.
“Everyone in the Philosophy Department is extremely proud of Anna. She has a brilliant mind for philosophy, and her work ethic is exemplary. With nominations for the Marshall and Rhodes fellowships, and now her acceptance into SIPP, it is wonderful to see her getting so much well-deserved recognition,” said Dr. Charlotte Thomas, professor of philosophy.
The residential program, which will take place July 17-30 on the university's campus in Providence, Rhode Island, will consist of two daily seminars.
Dr. Nina Emery, assistant professor of philosophy at Brown and co-founder of SIPP, will lead a seminar on “The Philosophy of Time,” while David Estlund, Lombardo Professor of the Humanities at Brown, will lead a seminar on “Global Justice.”
“Philosophers always have to ask themselves what it means to do philosophy and to be a philosopher. This program is an opportunity to look at those questions in a concrete way by immersing in graduate-level philosophy and learning about what professional philosophy is like for members of underrepresented groups,” said Bates. “Personally, I am always flabbergasted at the lack of women in philosophy, both historically and presently. Perhaps it's accidental, but I don't think so. And, as a woman in philosophy, it's something that I refuse to leave unexamined.”
Bates, from Houston, Texas, is a philosophy and English literature double-major, who transferred to Mercer from Sweet Briar College last fall.
A recipient of the Theodore Nordenhaug Scholarship, her primary interest is ancient philosophy, particularly Plato. She has presented her research on the interlocutors in the Platonic dialogues and other work at several conferences, and was inducted into Phi Sigma Tau Honor Society. She has served as a research assistant for the Philosophy Department, a teaching assistant for a seminar on Plato, and will serve as a preceptor this fall.
Bates aspires to be a professor, scholar and lifetime student of philosophy, and will begin applying to Ph.D. programs at the beginning of her senior year.
SIPP at Brown University welcomes applications from students currently in their junior year of undergraduate studies who are interested in pursuing a career in philosophy and who identify with a traditionally underrepresented group in the field. These groups include women, African-Americans, Chicano/as, Latino/as, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, LGBTs, economically disadvantaged communities and people with disabilities. For more information, visit www.sippatbrown.com.
