Undergraduate Program

The Department of Philosophy at SIUC is a pluralistic department, offering both a major and a minor in philosophy with undergraduate courses in a variety of traditions, such as analytic philosophy, phenomenology, American philosophy, Asian philosophy and feminism.  It has faculty who specializes in the history of philosophy, logic, ethics, metaphysics, political and legal philosophy, the philosophy of science, the philosophy of technology, the philosophy of religion and Islamic Studies.  The Undergraduate program is chartered by the national honor society in philosophy, Phi Sigma Tau.

Philosophy is a critical, speculative and reflective discipline, concerned with the exploration of ideas.  The questions with which it deals can be found in every human pursuit and subject matter.  Among the subjects it embraces are the nature of truth, reality, the possibility of knowledge, the quest for moral values and political justice, the nature of the mind, language, art and reason.  Further, the field of logic is a formal study of the art of exact thinking.  Given this intellectual cornucopia, philosophy can be related to almost any subject or profession.

Recent studies have shown that strong liberal arts majors are in much demand in the world outside the University.  Indeed, while pre-professionals may enter the job market with higher salaries, those with liberal arts majors tend to rise higher in their chosen professions.  This is because a liberal arts degree indicates to employers a capacity for critical thinking, learning, writing skill and an overall breadth of understanding.  Philosophy is among the strongest of liberal arts majors, and philosophy majors rank in the highest percentages for GRE, LSAT and GMAT scores.  In addition to further academic work, philosophy contributes toward careers in law, medicine, business, government, journalism, religion, computer science and education.

For More Information Contact:

Doug Anderson, Director of Undergraduate Studies, 618-453-7435

dra3@siu.edu

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