Molly Cooke (COL’19) Corresponding Secretary – 2017 Sergeant at Arms – Spring 2018
What are you up to now?
I’m currently working as a research coordinator for an interdisciplinary lab at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. I’m putting my linguistics degree to use studying how children who have cochlear implants and hearing aids acquire spoken language.
How has your time in Philodemic influenced your career path?
My time in Philodemic honed my love of academic inquiry (asking questions for the sake of learning things in pursuit of tricky, often unattainable answers) and helped me get over my fear of public speaking. Being able to present confidently and speak extemporaneously has been a real asset when it comes to sharing my research at conferences or instructing my students.
What was your favorite debate or memory from your time in the Philodemic Society?
My favorite debate was probably “Resolved: Batman should have killed the Joker.” I grew up hanging around my dad’s comic book shop so it was fun to keynote a nerdy literary debate and play with the idea that superhero stories are super-sized allegories for real moral and philosophical quandaries. The first Philodemic debate I spoke at was about capital punishment so it felt like a real full-circle moment. A close second favorite would be Resolved: Adam and Eve had it coming. I actually proposed that resolution and I felt it was a unique experience for Philodemic to take a literary approach to a religious text that is foundational to multiple faith traditions. I come from an interfaith family and had my own thoughts and feelings about the Garden of Eden story, but it was really enlightening to learn about the ways my fellow Philodemicians engaged with it as well.
What does Philodemic mean to you?
Philodemic will always hold a special place in my heart because it is where I met most of my true friends at Georgetown. I learned so many different things about the world and life and humanity from Philodemic floor speeches that I otherwise would never have thought to consider, and I am truly thankful for that. And of course, I’ll carry “Eloquence in defense of Liberty” with me for the rest of my life.