Sample Courses
- Existentialism examines the basic ideas of the Christian and atheistic divisions of the existentialist movement, and looks at the philosophical situation that generated the existentialist rebellion.
- Philosophy and cultural diversity investigates the implications of cultural diversity in terms of identity, knowledge, and community from the perspectives of several American cultures.
- Social and political philosophy is a study of the major social and political theorists from Plato through Marx, and explores such ideas as justice, natural law, natural rights, and the social contract.
Student Research
Research and writing are a pervasive part of the curriculum. Students in philosophy write substantial papers for most courses, and some write honors theses. These theses provide advanced research opportunities and the possibility of graduating with departmental honors.
Joshua Morgan, who is also earning a minor in communication studies, decided to combine his two passions in his honors thesis. Using three celebrities to illustrate the principles that Nietzsche saw in Greek tragedy, his thesis is an example of creativity at work. “Jerry Seinfeld represents Apollo—the light side of things,” Joshua explains. “Celine Dion is the Dionysian—the passionate side of things. Tupac Shakur represents the synthesis of these two ways of thinking. He knows he’s going to die soon, so he chooses the life he wants.”
Interdisciplinary Opportunities
Philosophy and the broad perspective it offers is immensely useful in understanding many other disciplines. For that reason, philosophy students often choose to double major. Students will find some philosophy courses clearly interdisciplinary, for example, Philosophy and cultural Diversity, Philosophy in Literature, and Introduction to Philosophy of Sciences. Other courses may not tap into other disciplines quite as obviously, but draw from and apply to many fields of study just as readily.