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Department of Philosophy Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
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Accolades

We’re proud of our committed faculty members, who are proven leaders at York University and within the community. Engaged in vital, ground-breaking work, they’re earning honours for their scholastic achievements and research beyond the classroom, including internal and external awards and research chair appointments. These dynamic individuals are significantly enhancing the quality of learning for York students and making positive change on a local and global scale.

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Teaching Awards

Philosophy professors at York have garnered a number of teaching awards and accolades in recent years, including two university teaching awards at the junior and senior levels.

Professor Gilbert was honoured with the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching for full-time Tenured Faculty for his creative teaching strategies and commitment to deep and sustained learning.

“I assume students want to learn. I try to get everyone to feel engaged, to connect with them on an individual level. A very basic element in my pedagogical approach is the material itself should speak to our lives,” says Gilbert. “Even when I was teaching introduction to formal logic I tried to bring it home for the students, to relate the material to what’s going on in the kitchen, boardroom and lunch room.”

Professor MacLachlan received the university-wide teaching award, which is given to just two professors across the university in any given year. Her work focuses on ethical theory, especially feminist ethics, virtue ethics and the role of moral emotions, and social and political philosophy. Her current research topics include forgiveness, reconciliation, reparation, and apology.

“I believe that philosophical teaching, at its best, helps students to develop a deeper understanding of their place in the world and that, at the same time, it encourages them to develop the clarity of thinking and precision of expression necessary to communicate this understanding to others so that others will listen,” MacLachlan said in her philosophy of teaching statement. “If I do my job right, then learning philosophy can be inspiring, unsettling and ultimately, tremendously empowering. I try to keep this in mind as I teach.”

Research Awards

Our faculty members are being recognized for their leading research work.

Professor Leisinger has been awarded the 2020 Sanders Prize in Early Modern Philosophy for his essay “Cudworthian Consciousness.” The Sanders prize is a highly prestigious award that recognizes original research in the history of early modern philosophy. Here’s the yFile story about Professor Leisinger’s work.

Alexandru Manafu has received an Honourable Mention for the 2019-2020 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching .

Patrick Phillips has won the 2018-2019 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.