Supporting Philosophy, Theology,
Please note that as of the 1st of August 2011 the Subject Centre for PRS entered a 5 month transition phase prior to its closure on the 31st of December 2011. Most pages on this website are no longer being updated, apart from resources from the last academic year's activities.
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Dr Clare Saunders
BA (Hons), MA (Durham), PhD (Sunderland)
Senior Academic Co-ordinator (Philosophy)
+44 (0)113 343 1166
Clare has worked for the Subject Centre since 2002/3; in January 2008 she became Senior Academic Co-ordinator, with responsibility for co-ordinating all aspects of the Centre's work with academics, departments and subject associations. She also leads the Centre's research activities (including the pedagogical research and development grants scheme), and the Centre's work on higher education policy issues. She is editor of the Centre's journal, Discourse: Learning and Teaching in Philosophical and Religious Studies.
Clare has particular responsibility for all Centre activities that concern the learning and teaching of philosophy. She has a lead role in organising and undertaking visits to Philosophy Departments across the UK, and in organising events (conferences, workshops, etc.) in philosophy. She is also active in developing the Centre's philosophy learning and teaching resources - including Doing Philosophy: A Practical Guide for Students - and in promoting and disseminating effective practices in learning and teaching philosophy.
Clare is also responsible for developing the Centre's consultancy service, identifying and developing a network of specialist advisers (both within and beyond the Centre). She has a particular remit to address how generic educational issues and national policy affect the PRS disciplines, and to provide support and guidance for individual lecturers, departments and institutions in responding to these issues.
Clare has taught a wide range of philosophy courses at the University of Sunderland (1997-2002) and the University of Durham (2002) - including Analytic and Continental Philosophy, History of Philosophy, Ethics and Philosophy of Mind. Her teaching experience also encompasses substantial involvement in the organisation and delivery of interdisciplinary courses, and in issues of undergraduate assessment - these being topics in which she has a continuing active interest. Her experience of teaching diverse student populations has also engendered an abiding concern with tackling the challenges of widening participation and access.
Clare's primary research interests are in the philosophical issues raised by the nature and scope of human rationality - including questions in philosophy of mind (and cognitive science), epistemology and ethics. She also has interests in feminist theory and philosophy of religion. A common theme to her (otherwise varied) research interests is a concern with exploring the benefits and challenges of pursuing philosophical insights at the intersection of (what are traditionally perceived as) different subjects / disciplines.
Clare is a member of the British Philosophical Association, the Mind Association and the UK Society for Women in Philosophy. She is also a member of the Advisory Board of the British Postgraduate Philosophy Association.