An Exploration of Reflection Week at University College Maastricht : Does reflection week improve student well-being?

Student well-being has become a global priority, and many universities are seeking to implement strategies that promote student well-being to enhance the overall mental and physical health of their student community. This study explores how University College Maastricht (UCM) reflection weeks impact student well-being. A randomized group of 45 (N = 45) UCM students completed the Subjective Well-Being scale (SWB) before and after their reflection week to assess their psychological wellbeing, relationships, and physical health. Utilizing a paired-sample t-test to compare pre- and post-reflection week scores, the results revealed a significant increase in well-being (p < .001). These findings support the use of structured breaks to positively influence student well-being and provide further practical insights for universities striving to enhance students\u27 physical and mental health. This study addresses gaps in empirical evidence regarding reflective practices and their ability to strengthen academic performance. Keywords: academic performance, breaks, student well-being, Subjective Well-Being Scale (SWB), University College Maastricht (UCM

Gurdjieff in the Soviet New Age: Esoteric Resistance and Spiritual Rebellion

The Soviet Union’s totalitarian ideology suppressed religious and spiritual practices. Due to the state’s repression towards the Orthodox Church, people found reassurance in underground esoteric movements which offered alternative paths to spirituality. Gurdjieff’s emphasis on inner transformation provided a non-institutional spiritual framework that resonated with Soviet dissidents. This paper examines the influence of Gurdjieff’s teachings on the Soviet spiritual underground and how Gurdjieff’s teachings on self-fulfilment intensified resistance towards state atheism. Furthermore, by contextualising the New Age Movement in the Soviet Union, this study provides new insights into how it operated beyond the Western world and adapted to a repressive ideological environment. Keywords: spirituality, New Age Movement, Soviet Union, Gurdjief

CHOLA CONTRAVISUAL: NEW FEMINISMS

In 2023, Peru made headlines for experiencing a gender-based violence crisis, with 21.194 cases reported in January and February and one woman being killed every three days in March alone. Feminist movements vow to address the ongoing crisis, yet in Peru, traditional feminism tends to marginalize indigenous, poor, LGBQTIA+ women, who are most affected by gender-based violence. Chola Contravisual (CC) is a feminist art collective based in Huancayo that challenges societal norms, stereotypes, and inequalities through their artwork. Through an intersectional and queer theory lens, I analyze how CC responds to traditional feminisms. Because they saw themselves, and other womxn with multiple subaltern identities under- or misrepresented within institutionalized feminist movements in Peru, they decided to form their own new feminism. Their methods do not follow a Eurocentric logic of knowledge production but seize indigenous ways of knowing, making their work meaningful especially because these people have been previously ignored and silenced in Andean communities and traditional feminist movements. Keywords: coloniality of gender, gender-based violence, feminist movements, decolonial queer theory, intersectionalit

Toward a Consistent Praxis: The Challenge of Self-Reference in Dotson’s Culture of Praxis as a Meta-Standard

The institutional culture of academic philosophy is deeply exclusionary. By prioritising "traditional" ways of disciplinary engagement, it excludes diverse practitioners and their perspectives. Kristie Dotson challenges this exclusion by proposing that academic philosophy should adopt the Culture of Praxis, a framework that prioritises diverse philosophical traditions and methods. In this paper, I examine Dotson\u27s claim that the Culture of Praxis should function as a meta-standard - a guiding principle for determining the philosophical legitimacy of some work. I argue that Dotson\u27s formulation is self-contradictory, as it imposes a universal standard while simultaneously advocating for pluralism. To resolve this tension, I explore two alternative readings: distinguishing between first- and second-order claims and interpreting Dotson\u27s proposal as a political rather than philosophical claim. Since such exclusionary practices are not unique to philosophy, the paper contributes to the ongoing debates on diversity in academia. The issues of epistemic authority and legitimacy resonate across the humanities and social sciences.By critically engaging with Dotson\u27s work, this paper encourages the reader to rethink inclusivity in academic disciplines more broadly. Keywords: Diversity, academic philosophy, Culture of Justification, Culture of Praxis, meta-standard, self-referenc

Diseases, Diasabilities, Designer Babies : When does gene editing go too far?

CRISPR-Cas9 has undergone significant developments, becoming the most widely used gene editing technique. While this tool has enhanced the feasibility of gene editing, it has also sparked controversies, particularly concerning its application in human embryos. Naturally, many questions arise, such as for what purposes the implementation of gene editing using CRISPR-Cas9 in human embryos is justified. This paper seeks to answer this question by presenting biomedical background information, discussing arguments, and providing evaluations of these arguments. It concludes that CRISPR-Cas9 is an ambiguous piece of technology that is generally justifiable to implement for disease prevention, less so for disability prevention, and not justifiable for non-therapeutic purposes. Keywords: CRISPR-Cas9, Gene editing, Bioethics, Designer babies 

Resisting the Commodification of Memory: AIDS Memorial Culture in Félix González-Torres’ Candy Works

At the center of this paper lies a pile of candy whose properties can inspire resistance against the commodification of memory. As popular media discourses often historize and depoliticize the immediacy of HIV/AIDS, the candy piles of Félix González-Torres manage to do the opposite. It practices remembrance of the pandemic in the 1980s, while resisting state control over remembrance narratives, and rejuvenation of the discourse on HIV/AIDS. This paper wants to interrogate the particular methods of González-Torres\u27 work that realize remembrance on its own terms. Partly through embracing the themes of ephemerality, queerness, loss, illness, and transience. Keywords: memory, queerness, ephemerality, visual arts, HIV/AID

Non-European European Union Member States: An Analysis of the Effect of European Identity Denial by the European Union on Czechia and Hungary

This paper explores the European Union (EU’s) influence on its member states’ national identities through its membership criteria using a case study of the Czech Republic and Hungary. Recognising the EU as the primary authority—or even gatekeeper—of Europeanness and the European identity, the paper compares how the EU acts as an identity denier toward Czech and Hungarian national identities and how that subsequently impacts these two nations’ self-perception and political behaviour in a European context. Ultimately, it concludes that there are two determinants explaining the difference between the Czechian and Hungarian reactions to this denial: the national identity’s receptiveness to the EU’s European identity and the strength and aim of the EU’s denial. Keywords: European Identity, Identity Denial, Hungary, Czech Republic, EU Conditionalit

THE ARTWORK’S JUDGE: THE LEGACY OF KANT AND HUME IN THE LIGHT OF EMPIRICAL AESTHETICS : Can empirical aesthetics advance the philosophical debate on the judgement of beauty?

Recent advances in neuroscientific and psychological research demand a re-evaluation of Hume’s and Kant’s philosophical accounts of aesthetic judgement. While Hume emphasises the role of art experts in establishing a standard of taste, Kant advocates a personal judgement of beauty based on a disinterested feeling of pleasure. Little research has been conducted on the direct empirical support for these theories. Through studying aesthetic judgement, this paper explores the interdisciplinary nexus of empirical philosophy, which seeks to integrate insights of empirical aesthetics to advance the philosophical debate on aesthetic judgement. Empirical findings not only highlight the distinctly separate judgement of beauty of experts and non-experts, but also build on the Kantian legacy, emphasising the role emotion and intuition play in aesthetic judgement

DECOLONISATION: BALTIC STATES AND AFRICA : An Essay Comparing the Post-Colonial Policies of the Baltic and African Governments

The Baltic countries—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—were under the control of the USSR for almost fifty years between 1940 and 1991. This paper aims to compare the problems the Baltic states’ governments faced after regaining their independence in 1991 to the problems faced by the governments of the newly-independent states in Africa after their independence in the 20th century. The paper draws parallels between four types of government policy— economics, foreign affairs, intergovernmental cooperation and settlers’ rights. The paper argues that such similarities provide a basis for referring to the policies of the governments of the Baltic States in the 1990s as post-colonial. While this alone does not imply that the Soviet control of the Baltics was a colonisation process, it sheds light on the impact and perception of Soviet rule by the Baltic states and their citizens

THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE CODE : A Marxist Analysis of the Australian News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code

This paper critically examines the Australian News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code, a regulation which mandates negotiated remuneration between large digital platforms like Google and Facebook and news media businesses. Adopting a Marxist lens, it analyses the interplay between economic interests, law-making and ideological narratives in the development of the Code. It considers how the Code, initially intended to address economic and power imbalances between news media and tech giants like Google or Facebook, ultimately reflects the economic imperatives of these platforms. The practical impacts of the Code on journalism, democratic society and digital platform regulation require further research