A Lancaster Journal of Philosophy has been set up by undergraduate Tom Randall this October with the purpose of providing a space for students to submit essays on philosophy. The journal is now available online and is currently accepting entries for their next issue due out in Spring.
The plan was to make hard copies of the current issue available around campus by the end of October. Printing costs will hopefully be aided by the enterprise office in the FASS centre, though currently individual copy costs are unknown.
According to Randall, the idea for the journal came “as a response to the seeming lack of opportunities for students within the study of philosophy to present their ideas, work, or even fleeting general interest in a forum of discussion and debate within the university.” The Journal should be way for students to “submit [and promote] their work- that they have done for an assignment or otherwise – and provide an opportunity to get their foot in the door for publishing their essays.”
The journal is not just focused on philosophy students, with entries open for anyone to submit. Randell claimed that “The Journal’s audience is aimed at anyone interested in philosophy; and those that are not interested, the journal aims to persuade them otherwise”. Though initially the journal is aimed just at students within the university, there are hopes that once past the start-up stage the journal’s audience will widen further. The journal is currently peer-reviewed and organised by a team of editors. Randall went on to say that “while this project started off as an individual venture, I quickly met many others that supported the aim of the journal, and within a short time-span the journal had a sizeable committee of committed and enthusiastic editors”.
Joseph Buglass, Faculty Enterprise Officer, said that the “FASS Enterprise Centre was set up to encourage and assist exactly this type of activity. We’re very impressed with Tom and the group he has formed to read and edit submissions. It’s a massive achievement and we will continue to work with him. We hope other students are encouraged by his example to seek ways in which they can gain more from their time at university.”
Randall has been pleased with the response to the journal so far: “The Journal has far surpassed all expectations. I did not expect such a fantastic response from the students in their submissions, from the editors, and the enterprise office in the FASS building. While this began as an individual idea, it certainly isn’t anymore; in that sense, the journal is already achieving its aims, and, with an exciting future ahead, will hopefully continue to keep doing so”.
When asked about the project, Joe O’Neill, VP Education, said “I’m very pleased to see that Lancaster students are taking an initiative when it comes to academic projects – I look forward to seeing the results of this particular one when the journal is published at the end of the month… These are exactly the sorts of achievements that we should be both encouraging and celebrating. The Students’ Union aims to help wherever we can, be that financially via our Enterprise fund or by offering support and guidance on a number of levels.”
Further plans include a response section in the next issue, so students have an opportunity not only to submit original papers, but also respond to those in a previous issue. Information about submitting papers or ordering a copy can be found on The Journal website, or by directly contacting the editorial team on jop@gmail.com.
