About this Degree
The program of the department is designed to guide the student in the systematic investigation of such basic issues as the nature of reality, knowledge, value, and obligation. This involves studying the major figures of the western philosophical tradition and assessing the major options that have emerged. The student acquires the philosophical skills of inquiry, including critical thinking, the discovery and evaluation of basic assumptions, the analysis of concepts, the analysis of experience, and the construction and assessment of arguments.
The study of Philosophy enhances analytical, critical and communicative skills that are applicable to any subject. Philosophy is a traditional major for pre-law and pre-medical students and is a desirable accompaniment to a career in the sciences, business, communications, political science, and many other disciplines requiring advanced thought and comprehension of complex issues.
What you will learn
Our pluralistic department has strengths in many areas, including history of philosophy, ethics, social and political philosophy, epistemology, philosophy of mind, phenomenology, and feminist philosophy, with notable initiatives in Metaphysics and Environmental Philosophy. All of the major philosophical approaches, including analytic, continental, and historical approaches are represented by individual faculty members. The Philosophy Department participates in three interdisciplinary programs including the Environmental Ethics Certificate Program, The Institute for Women's Studies, and the Institute for Artificial Intelligence. The department is also home to the academic journal, Ethics & the Environment (edited by department head, Victoria Davion), and conducts an active colloquium series.
Student Organizations
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