Philosophy Graduate Student Conference

Kent State’s Philosophy Graduate Student Conference brings together scholars from across North America in remembrance of May 4, 1970.

On May 4, 1970, four Kent State students, Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer and William Schroeder were killed, and nine others wounded when the Ohio National Guard opened fire on a student protest against the Vietnam War. The Annual Philosophy Graduate Student Conference is one of the ways in which the university remembers the events of that spring afternoon.

The Kent State University Philosophy Department has held a Philosophy Graduate Student Conference every year in memory of the events of May 4, 1970 since the inauguration of our graduate program in 1992–1993.

The conference is open to all areas of philosophy and conference participants typically come to Kent from across North America. Attendees will be gathering in person. 

Each annual conference features a well-known keynote speaker, who participates in every conference session. Please join us for the next terrific conference!

34th Annual Kent State Philosophy Graduate Student Conference

Conference Date: April 3, 2027

Keynote Speaker: Iain Thomson, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, University of New Mexico

The Kent State University Philosophy Department is pleased to announce its 34th Annual Philosophy Graduate Student Conference in Remembrance of May 4th, 1970. This conference will take place in person on Saturday, April 3, 2027.

We invite submissions from current graduate students on any philosophical topic and from any research tradition in philosophy. All submitted papers should:  (i) not exceed 3,000-words, (ii) be prepared for blind review, and (iii) be accompanied by a separate page that includes paper title and author information (name, affiliation, graduate student status (MA or PHD student), and contact information).

We encourage submissions from all current graduate students! The conference will be held in person and will be open to the public and free to attend.

The deadline for submissions is: Nov. 8, 2026.

All submissions and inquiries should be emailed to the graduate students at the KSU Department of Philosophy at: ksu.philosophy.conference@gmail.com.

Funding Provided in part by Graduate Student Senate and Kent State University Research and Graduate Studies

For More Information

The Kent State University Philosophy Graduate Student Conference is among the longest running in the discipline. The conference is held in March each year.

We post a call for papers for the next conference each fall.

For submissions and inquiries please e-mail: philconf@kent.edu