Philosophy in Media FAQs

1. I was a former MSF Media Fellow, can I apply again to a different workshop?
   No, we are trying to give other people the same opportunity you got. If you’d like additional help and advice, you may contact Barry directly.
2. I am an international scholar, may I apply?
   Yes, all successful fellows will receive the same $1500 USD as a stipend, and room and board at the venue, without additional travel expenses covered. If you can make it work traveling from far overseas, you are eligible.
3. I do not have a degree or am not part of a degree-program in philosophy, but I consider myself a philosopher, am I eligible?
   No, our funding agencies require that our fellows be affiliated with a degree-granting university, or have been granted an advanced degree in philosophy from such an university.
4. I have a moderately or highly successful public profile already, should I apply?
   The workshop is designed for people who are newer to doing public-facing work, to give them training and networking that can help start their career in the public sphere. It isn’t that people who are already successful are disqualified,  but it is our judgment that they may not benefit from the workshop, especially in comparison to newer people. It is like if a PhD student in philosophy wanted to apply for a summer philosophy program for undergraduates.
5. Last time I satisfied many of the criteria in your call for application, by the areas I want to work in or because of my affiliation with HBCU, Hispanic-serving institutions, under-resourced regional schools, etc. etc., but I did not get selected, why not?
   While our funding does give special spots to particular affiliations and areas, these are not our sole or decisive criteria in our selection process. We are ultimately looking for a high promise of success in the public sphere, as indicated by areas and approaches you indicate in your cover letter. These criteria are very high priorities even though we also have reserved slots for particular affiliations and areas. The selection process is holistic, no particular affiliation or area is a sufficient condition for selection.
6. I’m interested in all kinds of public philosophy, which workshop should I apply for?You should choose the workshop that you are likeliest to be committing to and pursuing after the workshop. We are judging the success of this program by the success of our fellows in producing public-facing work. If you know you are likelier to write than to podcast, then don’t select the podcasting workshop. If you know you are better at producing occasional small chunks of content, go for essay writing, if you are the kind of person who likes to take on a big project at a time, go for the trade book workshop. If you have no idea, look to a role model and see how they started.