GSCOPE

The first meeting of what was to become the Graduate Student Conference on Philosophy and Education (GSCOPE) took place at Teachers College, Columbia University April 1st and 2nd, 2005. The conference was designed to meet four main objectives.

• First, the conference sought to provide a space in which students that had philosophical interests in education but who were not studying in a “philosophy of education” program could meet and converse with others with similar interests. There is an especially acute need for such opportunities because there are very few formal “philosophy and education” graduate programs in North America.
• Second, each program tends to have its own philosophical approaches and its own central concerns. Given the diversity in how philosophy and education is pursued in the different programs, GSCOPE sought to provide an opportunity for future scholars in the field to learn about these diverse methods and concerns.
• Third, the conference sought to provide an intimate setting for the exploration of concerns and ideas, thereby building a community of future scholars in the field.
• Fourth, GSCOPE also sought to help cultivate those future scholars by providing opportunities for them to participate in activities fundamental to professional academia such as presenting their research while responding to challenges and, for the hosts of the conference, organizing every facet of a conference including soliciting submissions, reviewing submissions, seeking funding and scheduling events.