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Academic Programs

The Department of Philosophy offers two majors and two minors.

Philosophy Program Overview

All of our programs are designed to give students a broad grounding in the history of Western philosophy while also facilitating personalized exploration of specific topics:

Philosophy B.A.

The traditional major is designed for students who want a solid foundation in the three main areas of philosophical inquiry: epistemology, metaphysics, and ethics.

Philosophy B.A. – Ethics and Public Policy

The major with an emphasis in ethics and public policy is designed for students who want more focused training in ethics and the application of philosophical methods to social and political issues.

Philosophy Minor

The traditional minor is designed for students who prefer to select a smaller group of courses to complement another major or satisfy other academic or personal goals.

Ethics, Social and Political Philosophy

The minor in ethics, social and political philosophy is designed for students who wish to explore the ethical and social/political significance of their lived experience or the relationship between theory and practice.

Students interested in these programs are encouraged to consult with any member of the philosophy faculty or drop by our offices in McKee 318. You might also get informal advising from undergraduates hanging out in our student lounge (McKee 325).

"Philosophy, if it cannot answer so many questions as we could wish, has at least the power of asking questions which increase the interest of the world, and show the strangeness and wonder lying just below the surface even in the commonest things of daily life."

Bertrand Russell, The Problems of Philosophy (1912)