The faculty of the PhiloPolis Certificate Program

Christophe Point Christophe Point, Associate Professor, Université Grenoble Alpes

Ever since his days as a high school philosophy teacher (Practicing Philosophy: Experiments in High School(Edition Chronique sociale, 2018), Christophe Point often carries around a massive encyclopedia of ancient mythologies to share countless stories with young and old alike—and, above all, to discuss them afterward. What is their meaning? What do they tell us? Do we agree or disagree with their moral lessons? Many questions arise from these various philosophy workshops held inside or outside of school, in France or Canada.
In addition to these activities, Christophe Point is also an associate professor atUniversité Grenoble Alpes, having previously worked at universities in Belgium and Canada. As a philosopher of education, he studies the connections between education, politics, and ethics throughout the history of ideas (University and Democracy: The Educational Philosophy of John Dewey(Laval University Press, 2023).
Reflecting on the current challenges in teacher education, exploring the evolution of teachers’ professional ethics, and examining pedagogical approaches to teaching ethics to children take up most of her research time (Professional Ethics Handbook for Elementary School Teachers: Responsibilities, Standards, and Values. Presses de l’Université du Québec, 2025).
Seeking to make philosophy more accessible in an effort to make education more accessible—this is the focus of his current research on and with philosophical dialogue practices.


Penelope DufourtPenelope Dufourt, Ph.D., qualified as an Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Education

It was as part of an interdisciplinary doctoral program—at the intersection of law, philosophy, and education—focused on human rights education that Pénélope Dufourt became interested in philosophical dialogue with children.
This interest is both practical and theoretical. She trained in these methods in 2018 and has since led philosophy workshops with elementary, middle, and vocational high school students, particularly in Paris and Seine-Saint-Denis, with the association Le temps de la philosophie.
In her dissertation, titled "Reflecting on the Right to Human Rights Education inthe 21st Century: Toward a Legal Epistemology of Complexity" (2024), she argues that this practice constitutes a form of epistemic resistance, particularly necessary in the context of a crisis of the authority of law and knowledge inthe 21st century. At the same time, her work leads her to examine the political and legal implications of philosophy with children and adolescents.
Johanna Hawken

Johanna Hawken, Associate Professor, University of Nantes

For more than fifteen years, Johanna Hawken has been exploring philosophy with children and adolescents with joy, passion, and dedication through her research and educational practices. Since 2018, she has been affiliated with the UNESCO Chair “Practices of Philosophy with Children: An Educational Foundation for Intercultural Dialogue and Social Transformation” as a trainer and teacher, and she is now delighted to continue this partnership as a lecturer in Education Sciences at Nantes University and at the INSPE in Le Mans.
With a Ph.D. in philosophy and as a specialist in the philosophy of education, she is the author of numerous books on the topic of philosophy for children and adolescents (Philosophy for Children Explained to Adults, Temps présent, 2019; 1, 2, 3, think! Let's philosophize, kids!, Chronique Sociale, 2019; A Primer on Philosophy for Children, PUL, 2020; PPhilosophizing with Children: Toward a Sensory Approach to Education(Lambert-Lucas, 2020).
Her entire body of work is grounded in a philosophy rooted in real-world experience, and in 2014 she founded an experimental organization dedicated to the practice of philosophy: the Maison de la Philo, in Seine-Saint-Denis.
Building on this experience, Johanna Hawken hopes to continue her research in this field, as well as explore many new areas! 
Published on April 1, 2026
Updated on April 2, 2026