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Mark Kulstad academic papers

 Collection
Identifier: UA 385
Finding aid note: Stored off-site at the Library Service Center. Please request this material via woodson@rice.edu or call 713-348-2586.

Scope and Contents

Throughout Mark Kulstad’s philosophical career he has focused on publications, conferences, talks, and his teaching. The collection as a whole displays his cohesive contributions to the academic community at both Rice University and The University of Michigan. His research on Leibniz, Spinoza, and Descartes is displayed throughout the entirety of the collection, and gives a deeper look into his endeavors in the scholarship of Leibniz. The collection contains extensive information on Kulstad’s involvement in the Leibniz Essay Competition, the Leibniz society and its related conferences, and on his publications on the subject. The collection also has some highlights of photos and his hand written drafts of his research papers. There is also an extensive amount of information about his time at The University of Michigan as a graduate student. The first series of the collection highlights his course notes as well as his academic papers, his search for jobs, and his route to becoming a full professor with tenure. There is also a look into his thesis preparation and is accompanied by his finished thesis. The next section focuses on his involvement at Rice University. Kulstad was very involved at Rice and the collection emphasizes his time as a faculty associate at Hanszen College, his involvement as a graduate admissions advisor, and as a graduate seminar teacher. In Series I Biographical: The series showcases a well rounded representation of Kulstad's course work from his Graduate studies at The University of Michigan. This series includes: class notes, course notebooks, course papers, and his thesis and the accompanying drafts. In Series II Professional Development: The series includes his involvement with committees, as well as the societies and workshops he worked hard to support. There is also an accurate representation of the conferences he attended as well as the lectures he gave. In Series III Graduate Seminars and Admissions: The series highlights the Graduate Seminars Kulstad conducted. There is also coverage of his time as part of the Graduate admissions committee. In Series IV Course Material: This series highlights the classes that Kulstad taught at Rice. The information included includes course outlines, course readings, and course examinations requirements. There is also information about the classes that Kulstad audited. In Series V Research: This series emphasizes Kulstad's research on Spinoza and Leibniz. This section includes readings on these topics as well as comments, information about the grants he applied for and the materials he requested for his research. There is also information about the publishers he was involved with. Series VI Publications: This series focuses on his drafts and publications. Noteworthy publications are Leibniz, animals, and Apperception, as well as Leibniz's Conception of Expression.

Dates

  • 1971 - 2021

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This material is open for research. Stored off-site at the Library Service Center. Please request this material via woodson@rice.edu or call 713-348-2586.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish material from the Mark Kulstad Academic Papers must be obtained from the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library.

Biographical / Historical

Mark Kulstad is a well rounded scholar of Philosophy born on January 8, 1947. His undergraduate degree spanned the years 1965 to 1969. He was awarded cum laude with the highest distinction at the conclusion of his undergraduate studies. His graduate studies were completed in 1975 at The University of Michigan. His thesis topic was Leibniz's Doctrine of Pre-established Harmony. After his studies and the job hunting process he came to Rice. During the job hunting process he applied to many places including Duke and The University of Notre Dame. He was first admitted as an assistant professor at Rice on July 1, 1975 with a 3-year extension in 1978. He was reappointed this status again in 1981 for a year. He was then appointed associate professor in 1981. He became an full professor in 1986 . He was the chair of the philosophy department from 1988 to 1992. His research interests center around Leibniz. He was given the recognition of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation research fellow in Hanover, West Germany in 1979 to 1980 working in the Leibniz archive. His interest in Leibniz extended to his presidency in the Leibniz Society of North America from 1981- 1983. He took up this role again in the years 2002- 2006. He also took his interest in Leibniz to conferences and he arranged a conference about Leibniz, “The International Young Leibniz Conference” at Rice. He also organized the First Annual North American Leibniz Society for the year 2008 at Rice. During his time at Rice he was heavily involved with Graduate Admissions, Graduate Seminars, and Hanszen College as a faculty associate for the years 1978-1979,1982-1983,and 1983-1984.

Extent

18 Linear Feet (28 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Overview

The academic papers of Mark Kulstad contain hand-written notes from his graduate studies, hand-written comments on his drafts of published articles on Leibniz, Spinoza, Descartes and Locke, his published articles on Leibniz, Spinoza, and Descartes, his hand-written notes from History of Philosophy conferences, and student's hand-written evaluations of his work at Rice.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Mark Kulstad donated the papers on June 29, 2016 with an addendum on August 24, 2016.

Subjects

Record Groups

Related Names

Creator

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Guide to the Mark Kulstad Academic Papers, 1971-2015
Status
Completed
Author
Lucy Sheely
Date
2016
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Woodson Research Center, Rice University, Houston, Texas Repository

https://library.rice.edu/woodson
Contact:
Fondren Library MS-44, Rice University
6100 Main St.
Houston Texas 77005 USA

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Harmful Content Statement
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Fondren Library, Rice University
Physical Address: 6100 Main, Houston, Texas 77005-1827
Mailing Address: MS-44, P.O. Box 1892, Houston, Texas 77251-1892