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Home: Our Faculty: Brooklyn College Faculty:

Saam Trivedi

Assc Professor   Department: Philosophy   Location: 3307 Boylan Hall   Phone: 718-951-5324   Fax: 718-951-4675   Email:

Saam Trivedi grew up in Delhi, India where he was a member of a children's music theater group and also studied music. After a year spent studying musical composition in England on an Inlaks Foundation grant, he returned to India and switched to Philosophy at 17. A Rhodes Scholarship later took him to Oxford and then London, where he continued his philosophical studies with a deep interest in Aesthetics. After getting his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Maryland, College Park, he taught Philosophy first for a year in Maine (Bates College), and then for a few years in Boston (Simmons College) before coming to Brooklyn College. Education: Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park - 1999 (Philosophy) B.A., University of Oxford (Balliol College) - 1993 (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics) B.A. (Hons.), University of Delhi (St. Stephen's College) - 1989 (Philosophy) Areas of Expertise: Saam Trivedi specializes in Aesthetics, and also has broader interests in Ethics, Metaphysics, Philosophy of Mind, and the history of both Eastern and Western Philosophy. At Brooklyn College, he has taught Philosophy of Art; Philosophy of Music; Philosophy of Literature and Film; Metaphysics; Ancient Philosophy; Modern Philosophy; Philosophy of Religion; Classical Philosophies of India and China; Knowledge, Reality, and Values; and Communication Ethics. Books and Publications Review of Kathleen Stock ed., "Philosophers on Music"(OUP, 2007). British Journal of Aesthetics, 49 (2009): 91-93. (Books and Publications: Other Article) 2009 "Metaphors and Musical Expressiveness," in Kathleen Stock & Katherine Thomson-Jones (eds.) New Waves in Aesthetics, 41-57. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. (Books and Publications: Chapter) 2008 "Music and Metaphysics," Metaphilosophy, 39 (2008): 124-43. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2008 "Imagination, Music, and the Emotions," Revue Internationale de Philosophie, 60 (2006): 415-35. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2006 "Idealism and Yogacara Buddhism," Asian Philosophy, 15 (2005): 231-46. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2005 "Artist-Audience Communication: Tolstoy Reclaimed," Journal of Aesthetic Education, 38 (2004): 38-52. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2004 Review of Peter Kivy, "Introduction to a Philosophy of Music" (Oxford: Clarendon, 2002); and Geoffrey Madell, "Philosophy, Music and Emotion" (Edinburgh U.P., 2002). Philosophical Quarterly, 54 (2004): 199-202. (Books and Publications: Other Article) 2004 "The Funerary Sadness of Mahler's Music," in Matthew Kieran & Dominic Lopes (eds.) _Imagination, Philosophy, and the Arts_, 259-71. New York: Routledge, 2003. (Books and Publications: Chapter) 2003 Review of Stephen Davies, "Themes in the Philosophy of Music" (OUP, 2003). Journal of Aesthetic Education, 37 (2003): 108-12. (Books and Publications: Other Article) 2003 "Against Musical Works as Eternal Types," British Journal of Aesthetics, 42 (2002): 73-82. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2002 "Expressiveness as a Property of the Music Itself," Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 59 (2001): 411-20. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2001 "An Epistemic Dilemma for Actual Intentionalism," British Journal of Aesthetics, 41 (2001): 192-206. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2001 Review of Dabney Townsend ed. "Eighteenth Century British Aesthetics" (Baywood, 1999), American Society for Aesthetics Newsletter, 21 (2001): 4-5 (Books and Publications: Other Article) 2001 Review of Aaron Ridley, "Music, Value and the Passions" (Cornell, 1995). Mind, 109 (2000): 387-90. (Books and Publications: Other Article) 2000 "The Emotions: Some Preliminaries," Journal of the Indian Council of Philosophical Research, 15 (1998): 87-95. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 1998 Awards, Honors and Fellowships PSC-CUNY Research Foundation Award, 2008 (Awards and Honors) 2008 Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation Fellowship for Outstanding Teaching, Brooklyn College, Fall 2007. (Grants and Fellowships) 2007 PSC-CUNY Research Foundation Award, 2007 (Awards and Honors) 2007 PSC-CUNY Research Foundation Award, 2006. (Awards and Honors) 2006 Stewart Travel Award, Spring 2006. (Awards and Honors) 2006 PSC-CUNY Research Foundation Award, 2005. (Awards and Honors) 2005 Freeman Foundation Grant, 2003. (Grants and Fellowships) 2003 Kahn Fellow, Smith College short-term project "Who is Buddha?", 2003. (Grants and Fellowships) 2003 Conference Grants (various) at Bates, Simmons, and Brooklyn College, 1999-present. (Grants and Fellowships) 1999 University of Maryland Center for Teaching Excellence Award, 1998. (Awards and Honors) 1998 University of Maryland Graduate School Fellowship, 1994-6. (Grants and Fellowships) 1994 Ernest Walker Philosophy Prize at Balliol College, Oxford, 1992. (Awards and Honors) 1992 Rhodes Scholarship, 1991-4. (Awards and Honors) 1991 Allnutt Memorial Scholarship for Philosophy at St. Stephen's College, Delhi, 1990. (Grants and Fellowships) 1990 K. S. Manvendrasinhji of Gondal Philosophy Prize at St. Stephen's College, Delhi, 1989. (Awards and Honors) 1989 Raja Sir Maharaj Singh Philosophy Prize at St. Stephen's College, Delhi, 1989. (Awards and Honors) 1989 Inlaks Foundation take-off grant to study Musical Composition in the UK at the Guildhall School of Music, London and the Dartington College of Arts, Devon, 1985. (Grants and Fellowships) 1985 Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums "Against Musical Arousalism," 2008 Eastern Division meeting of the American Philosophical Association, Philadelphia, December 2008 (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2008 "Artistic and Aesthetic Value", invited speaker, Purchase College, Purchase, NY, April 2008. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2008 "Musical and Depictive Expressiveness," invited speaker, University of Fribourg, Switzerland workshop on "Imagination, Expression, and Depiction," funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, October 2007. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2007 "Resemblance, Music, and the Emotions," 65th annual meeting of the American Society for Aesthetics, Los Angeles, CA, November 2007. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2007 "On Musical Understanding," invited commentator, 64th annual meeting of the American Society for Aesthetics, Milwaukee, WI, October 2006. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Contributed Talk) 2006 "Artistic and Aesthetic Value," 2005 Eastern Division meeting of the American Society for Aesthetics, Philadelphia, PA, April 2005. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2005 "Moore on Musical Representation and Musical Profundity," invited commentator, 63rd annual meeting of the American Society for Aesthetics, Providence, RI, October 2005. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Contributed Talk) 2005 "Eileen John on Literary Value," invited commentator, 62nd annual meeting of the American Society for Aesthetics, Houston, TX, October 2004. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Contributed Talk) 2004 "Idealism and Yogacara Buddhism," 2004 Pacific Division meeting of the American Philosophical Association, Pasadena, CA, March 2004. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2004 "Davies, Pratt, Makkai on Artistic Value," invited commentator, 61st annual meeting of the American Society for Aesthetics, San Francisco, CA, October 2003. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Contributed Talk) 2003 "Goodman and Wolterstorff on Musical Works," 60th annual meeting of the American Society for Aesthetics, Miami, FL, November 2002. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2002 "Zemach on Musical Meaning," invited commentator, Pacific Division meeting of the American Society for Aesthetics, Pacific Grove, CA, March 2002. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Contributed Talk) 2002 "Artist-Audience Communication: Tolstoy Reclaimed," 59th annual meeting of the American Society for Aesthetics, Minneapolis, MN, October 2001. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2001 "Imagination and Musical Expressiveness," invited speaker to a conference on "Imagination and the Arts," University of Leeds, UK, July 2001. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2001 "Musical Expressiveness: Variations on a Theme," Pacific Division meeting of the American Society for Aesthetics, Pacific Grove, CA, March 2000. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2000 "An Epistemic Dilemma for Actual Intentionalism," 56th annual meeting of the American Society for Aesthetics, Bloomington, IN, November 1998. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 1998 Professional Leadership Chair, Faculty Council Committee on Honors, Citations, and Awards (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2009 Member, Department Academic Integrity & Grade Grievance Committee (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2009 Member, Department Outcomes Assessment Committee (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2009 Member, University Committee for Research and Awards (UCRA) on PSC-CUNY Research Foundation Grants, 2008-09 (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2009 Asian Studies Task Force, 2008-present (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2008 Chair, Department Curriculum Committee (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2008 Department Discussion Group Coordinator (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2008 Department Retreat Planning Committee, 2008 (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2008 Faculty Council Honors, Citations, and Awards Committee, 2008-present (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2008 Member, Department Appointments Committee (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2008 Program Co-Chair, 2007 Eastern Division meeting of the American Society for Aesthetics, Philadelphia. (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2007 Chair, Faculty Council Intercollegiate Athletics Committee, 2006-07 (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2006 Faculty Council Alternate, 2006-present (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2006 Faculty Council Delegate, Spring 2006 (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2006 Grade Grievance Committee, 2006-07. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2006 Program Co-Chair, 2006 Eastern Division meeting of the American Society for Aesthetics, Philadelphia. (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2006 Core Coordinator, 2005-07. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2005 Faculty Council Intercollegiate Athletics Committee, 2005-07. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2005 Search Committees, 2005 & 2006. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2005 Arrangements and Calendar Committee, 2004-06. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2004 Curriculum Committee, 2004-present. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2004 Faculty Advisor to Philosophy Society, 2004-05. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2004 Smart Classrooms proposal, 2004-05. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2004 Pedagogical Achievements Developed new course in the Philosophy of Culture 2008 Developed 2 new upper tier core courses (Philosophical Issues in Literature; and Classical Philosophies of India and China). 2005 Developed Philosophy and the Arts minor. Developed 3 new courses (Philosophy of Music; Philosophy of Literature and Film; and Philosophy of Beauty). 2004 Other Professional Activities Outside Examiner for Bates College Honors Thesis 2009 Referee for Philosophy East and West 2009 Referee for Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 2008 Referee for Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. 2008 Referee for Philosophy East and West 2008 Referee for Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 2007 Referee for Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. 2007 Referee for Australasian Journal of Philosophy. 2005 Referee for Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism. 2005 Referee for Metaphilosophy. 2004 Referee for Blackwell Publishers. 2003 Referee for The Johns Hopkins University Press. 2003 Referee for Longman Publishers 2002