In The News: Department of Philosophy

Children are curious by nature, but when philosophy is added to encourage critical and creative thinking, the results often accompany them in the following years of their formation. This week, Amy Reed-Sandoval, professor in the Department of Children's Philosophy at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) talks with Luz and Michelle about “Children's Philosophy without Borders,” a free online program created for children from speaks Spanish. What benefits does it bring to children and their families, especially during the pandemic?

As COVID-19 surges yet again, Mexican cemeteries will close during the Día de Muertos (Mexican Day of the Dead) holiday, which is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd and is often celebrated by bringing orange marigolds (cempasúchil flowers), hired musicians, and picnic lunches to the graves of deceased loved ones.
The forces that have kept us in exile want us to lose touch with our sense of democratic agency—they want us to feel that we have forever lost our worlds.
Philosophy for Children Without Borders (Filosofía Infantil Sin Fronteras), formerly known as Philosophy for Children in the Borderlands (previously), has launched a free, virtual philosophy course for Spanish-speaking youth.
Dr. William Ramsey is an established philosopher currently working at UNLV, he is also one of the most experienced rock climbers on the planet. Bill has recently sent the 5.14a Jumbo Pumping Hate at the age of 59. We were so fortunate to have the opportunity to chat with Bill on our latest episode of theDIHEDRAL Podcast which can be found here (as well as your favorite podcast hosts including iTunes, Amazon and Spotify). We are also lucky enough to share the following motivational tool/piece written by Dr. Ramsey.

Of the many moral and political challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, two have been particularly salient: the ongoing disputes over mask-wearing, and those about how to care for children during the pandemic, with schools and childcare centers closed and families practicing an often-taxing social distancing.

Seventy-five years ago today, the American bomber Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on an unsuspecting city. Within a matter of seconds, steel girders evaporated and a city disappeared, with more than 140,000 killed.
Reading about the closures of several philosophy departments has me worried that our centuries-old experiment of liberal arts education is ending. The United States has been trying to transform liberal arts education into pre-professional training for well over a decade, at least since the 2008 recession; and that desire has accelerated, with students and their parents demanding the expansion of programs and majors they believe will lead straight to well-paying, secure jobs.

The celebrated new Hulu program "Taste the Nation," hosted by acclaimed writer and "Top Chef" star Padma Lakshmi, is a "journey across America" to explore the cuisines and connected life-stories of different immigrant groups. It makes an important statement about the value of immigrants in Trump's America, but the immigrant rights movement must learn key lessons from what it misrepresents and ignores.

The celebrated new Hulu program "Taste the Nation," hosted by acclaimed writer and "Top Chef" star Padma Lakshmi, is a "journey across America" to explore the cuisines and connected life-stories of different immigrant groups. It makes an important statement about the value of immigrants in Trump's America, but the immigrant rights movement must learn key lessons from what it misrepresents and ignores.

The Department of Homeland Security recently moved to declare migrant farmworkers—including those who are legally undocumented—essential critical infrastructure workers.
In Socially Undocumented: Identity and Immigration Justice (Oxford University Press, 2020), Amy Reed-Sandoval reframes the question of immigration justice by focusing on the historical development and lived experiences of socially undocumented identity.
