Established in 2010 in honor of Herman A. Lauter, Professor of Philosophy from 1963-1991, the Lauter Prize in Philosophy is presented annually to the author of the best senior comprehensive paper in philosophy.
Our Lauter Prize winners tell us why they chose philosophy and what they plan to do after graduation.
Serena Francisco ’21
Caroline Dahl ’21
Cléo Charpantier ’19
Ari Nord ’18
Serena M. Francisco ’21 is a philosophy major planning to pursue a PhD in Philosophy.
How did you decide to be a philosophy major?
I took my first intro to philosophy course when I was in seventh grade. On the first day of class, my teacher asked us all to journal on the following quote, “Nothing is certain, even that.” I was blown away at the age of twelve by the notion that one could even ask these kinds of questions. The notion of studying philosophy never left my mind after that. I took my second intro to philosophy course in my senior year of high school, decided I still loved philosophy, and declared my philosophy major in my first year at Oxy.
What has been your favorite philosophy class?
I actually took Professor Ryan Preston-Roedder’s “Love in Personal and Political Life” twice: during the fall of my first year as a CSP and the fall of my junior year as an upper-level seminar. I found it illuminating both in the way I treat my loved ones and in the way I approach social justice activism, and I especially appreciated the speakers included in the second iteration of the course. I also enjoyed Professor Saul Traiger’s “Theory of Knowledge,” especially because I had the opportunity to return to the skepticism where my love of philosophy began.
What is special about philosophy?
There’s something really beautiful about the tough questions that philosophy often prompts us to consider. By nature, philosophy asks you to consider many different compelling perspectives and have an open mind. When approaching a new reading or a new discussion, I always have to think on my feet and be ready to critically engage with a new idea. That excitement never gets old for me.
What do you see yourself doing in the future?
After a year off, I hope to return to school to pursue my PhD in philosophy. As stressful as it was, I genuinely enjoyed writing my senior comprehensive paper. My interest in and knowledge of James Baldwin’s work has built throughout my four years at Oxy, and a part of me was sad about ending my thesis where I did. I’m well aware that there are few Filipino-American women in the field of philosophy. But the philosophy department at Oxy has helped me find courage to speak up and pursue what I love regardless of the challenges I might face.
Caroline Dahl ’21 is a philosophy major planning to pursue a career as a paralegal.
How did you decide to be a philosophy major?
It happened to me when I saw how many philosophy courses I had already taken, and I realized I wanted to take so many more.
What has been your favorite philosophy class?
I have loved so many of the philosophy classes at Oxy. Some highlights were Philosophy of Art, Philosophy of Language, and Ethics Bowl.
What is special about philosophy?
Philosophy is special because it introduces you to your own ideas.
What do you see yourself doing in the future?
I see myself continuing my education, pursuing a career as a paralegal, and adopting a very small dog.
Cléo Charpantier ’19 is a philosophy major planning to pursue a PhD in Philosophy.
How did you decide to be a philosophy major?
I had an unusual high school education and took an introductory philosophy class my senior year, which made me fall in love with philosophy’s big and lofty questions. So I arrived at Occidental already thinking I would minor in philosophy. Then, as I took my first few philosophy classes, I really loved the content and the faculty, so I decided to major in it! And I'm so glad I did.
What is your favorite class?
It’s so hard to pick a favorite, I’ve enjoyed all of my philosophy classes. I took “Philosophy of Race” with Professor Clair Morrissey my sophomore year, which I liked a lot because of the way it challenged both historical and contemporary understandings of race, and because of the way Professor Morrissey pushed us to be critical of our own assumptions. I also really enjoyed our Senior Seminar class taught by Professor Ryan Preston-Roedder and the engaging, deep philosophical discussions we had as a class.
Has there been a class or professor that stood out to you?
Ethics Bowl with Professor Erica Preston-Roedder stands out because of what a different approach to philosophy it took. Ethics Bowl is a philosophy debate competition of sorts, for which you research 15 contemporary ethical dilemmas and prepare philosophical responses as a team. I loved being able to apply philosophical concepts I’d learned during my time at Oxy to important issues I am passionate about, such as felon voting rights and self-driving cars. It was also great practice in doing philosophy in community with others and working through ethical questions collectively. I grew a lot as a philosopher through this class.
Can you talk about your research on campus and abroad?
For our philosophy senior comprehensive project this year, we were tasked with developing an original response to Elizabeth Barnes’ book The Minority Body. For my paper, I researched philosophy of disability and feminist philosophy about dependence. I then proposed that to further disability studies and disability rights, we should adopt a feminist conception of dependence as something with potential value. This research was very personally important to me.
My junior year, I was lucky enough to study abroad in Copenhagen on a DIS Study Abroad in Scandinavia program which emphasized philosophy. While there, I took a class all about Søren Kierkegaard and his extensive body of work. I wrote a research paper about Kierkegaard’s notion of personhood and how it is exemplified through his writing, across his different texts. This was a really interesting project, in part because it was so vastly different from the philosophy I have done at Oxy. It was especially meaningful to work on this while living blocks away from where Kierkegaard was born and bus ride away from where he is buried.
What is your plan after college?
This summer I will be attending the Summer Immersion Program in Philosophy at Brown University, which is a program for minorities within philosophy (which, yep, still includes white women). This program is intended to give participants a taste of graduate school and help them decide whether that is the right next step. I’m strongly considering getting a PhD in philosophy and becoming a professor, and will be applying to graduate programs in the fall. I’m also interested in pursuing politics and public policy. No matter what it is I do, though, I know the values and skills I’ve learned as a philosophy major here at Oxy will shape my work and help me in my aim to contribute to the greater public good.
Ari Nord ’18 is a philosophy major planning to go to law school after graduation.
How did you decide to be a philosophy major?
I did not come into Oxy thinking, I am going to major in philosophy. My brother majored in philosophy, and when I heard him talk about it, my reaction was, I would never study that. It sounds so inapplicable and not useful at all. But then I came to Oxy and took different classes. When I took philosophy classes, I was struck by how philosophers perceive different things about the world that you might not think about but are really important, especially why things are set up the way they are. I think I really like the classes because you get to ask questions about the way the world is understood by other people, and you get to challenge that.
What is special about philosophy?
I feel like in every philosophy class when we read these really great papers from philosophers, each one that I read I would be like, Of course! This makes total sense, and the next reading is something completely refuting that person’s argument, and I will be like, Yes, of course. That makes sense. So I think philosophy teaches you to be humble about ideas and also makes you recognize that no matter how much you feel that you endorse an idea, things can always come along and change your mind. It is about always being aware of that and having your mind prepared to adapt to that change.
What is your favorite class?
In my sophomore year, I took “Law and Morality” with Professor Clair Morrissey, and I loved that class because I really loved those ideas. I am more drawn to political and law philosophy: the philosophy of how people interact and how they should interact. As I recognize that people want to be treated in different ways, I start to think about how we could do that for each person and also have systems that regulate billions of people in the most effective way possible. Then this interest just keeps growing as I take more and more classes.
What is your plan after college?
I am planning to go to law school and maybe working for a nonprofit institution after graduation. I was interested in law starting from my first semester at Oxy. I was in a CSP with Professor Thalia Gonzalez in the Politics Department. The class was about rebelling against authority, and a lot of it is about this concept of rebellious lawyering. That was the start of my interest in it. I believe the things I got from being a philosophy major have been helpful to my interest in law: reading very carefully to understand; considering objections to the arguments; developing potential challenges; and thinking about possible answers to those challenges are essential for a philosophy major. It also taught me how to write effectively and clearly and to organize my writing as well.
To see more Meet Our Majors profiles, visit the main page.