Department of Philosophy and Religion

The Department of Philosophy and Religion offers a philosophy major and minor. The philosophy major can be either a stand-alone major or a second major that complements work done in another field. Both the major and minor can be especially helpful to students who are considering law school, medical school, or graduate school, as well as to any student looking for a strong foundation in a core liberal arts discipline.

Topics of Study

The philosophy program emphasizes critical thinking and logical reasoning, and introduces students to a wide variety of philosophical traditions and issues. We offer courses in many different fields, including:

• ethics (ethical theory and the history of ethics)
• applied ethics (biomedical ethics, environmental ethics, business ethics, etc.)
• history of philosophy
• aesthetics (including philosophy of art and philosophy of film)
• philosophy of mind
• philosophy of science
• political philosophy
• logic and critical thinking
• philosophy of religion
• Indian, Buddhist and Chinese philosophy

Any 200-level course (and even some 300-level courses) can be a good first course in philosophy.

To learn more, see the course requirements for majors and minors.