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CEE Professor Shawn Klein announced a call for abstracts for the First Annual Rockford College Sports Studies Symposium on his Who Needs Philosophy blog. From the announcement:

Call for Abstracts

1st Annual Rockford College Sports Studies Symposium:
An interdisciplinary conference on the study of Sport.
Date: April 28, 2012

Rockford College
5050 E. State. St.
Rockford, IL 61073

Whether one is a participant, a casual spectator, a die-hard fan, or a critic, sport, in all its varieties and forms, play a significant role in the lives of most people through out the world. Sports and competitions have long been a part of human civilization and raise a wide range of important philosophical and ethical issues.

This symposium will bring together a panel of scholars to discuss philosophical themes or issues arising in the study of Sport. The focus of the panel will depend, in part, on the submitted abstracts. Each presenter on a panel will have 20 minutes for their presentation. This will be followed by 10-15 minutes for panelists to respond to each other and then 15 minutes or more for audience Q&A. There will also be a panel on the Rhetoric of Sport.

Abstract Submission:
Submissions are welcome on any philosophical theme or issue arising in the study of Sport. Abstract should be 300-500 words. Send via email (as PDF) to sklein_at_rockford_dot_edu.

Deadline: January 6th, 2012
Notification of Acceptance: February 1st, 2012

If you have any questions, please contact Shawn Klein (Assistant Professor, Philosophy Department) at 815-226-4115 or sklein_at_rockford_dot_edu or Michael Perry (Assistant Professor, English Department) at 815-226-4098 or mperry_at_rockford_dot_edu.

Great news via Stephen Hicks’s website: the Department of Philosophy at Rockford College announced a new minor track in Ethics.

The core courses include several sponsored by CEE: Introduction to Ethics, Biomedical Ethics, Sports Ethics, Business and Economic Ethics, Ethics and Entrepreneurship, and Ethical Theory. The department will also offer occasional special topics courses with a strong value component that can count toward the minor.

Take a look at the flyer for the Ethics minor here [PDF].

An article in The Sacramento Bee explores the line between ethical and unethical uses of performance-enhancing technology in sports, focusing on the recent controversy over pro golfer Phil Mickelson’s wedge choice at Torrey Pines. The article features a quote from CEE Professor Shawn Klein on the issue.

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Read the article here.

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And, watch Professor Klein talk about his popular Sports Ethics course in the video below:

Rockford College philosophy professor Shawn Klein was quoted in Brendan I. Koerner’s Mr. Know-It-All column in Wired Magazine’s April 2009 issue. Klein responded to a question concerning losing and humiliation in sports competitions. He has a follow-up to the article on his blog. Professor Klein will be offering his sports ethics course again during the Fall 2009 semester.

To be offered in the Fall 2008 semester. In this course students will consider a range of ethical, political, and economic issues about sports: Why are sports so universally popular? What physical and psychological values do they provide? Does the playing of sports develop good character? Why are many sports fans so fanatical? What is the proper place of sports in higher education? Is there anything wrong with ticket-”scalping”? How should mega-sports complexes be funded—politically or through the market? See the Sports Ethics flyer.