圣麦克大学

The philosophy major at Saint Michael's College is designed to ask the most important questions of the human heart. Unlike other programs that are founded primarily on logic and proofs, the curriculum at Saint Michael’s is based on reading and discussion of classic and contemporary literature, geared toward contesting stereotypes and inspiring you and your classmates to ask questions of yourselves and your world.

Philosophers' ideas have become the very roots of the great social, political, educational, economic, literary, and scientific movements of every age. Thus, philosophy includes as one of its tasks a consideration of the presuppositions of other academic disciplines as well as the presuppositions of our fundamental social practices. This is one reason why philosophy is viewed as an essential component of a truly liberal education.

All students at Saint Michael's take one basic course in philosophy to enable them to meet with these fundamental questions and to see how thinkers of the past and present have responded to them. This course introduces you to some basic philosophical issues with the help of Plato's dialogues and other philosophical texts. After completing the Introduction to Philosophy course every student has a choice to fulfill the Liberal Studies Curriculum requirement in "Study of Christian Traditions and Thought" by taking any 200-level course in Philosophy or in Religious Studies. For those students who wish to deepen their knowledge of the subject, philosophy electives are offered to acquaint them with the history, development, methods, and content of nearly the entire range of philosophy.

Some course topics you might explore are ethics, logic, philosophy of religion, of science, of technology and the environment, of mind, of human rights, of human existence, and of society. Additional topics include truth and propaganda, otherness and marginalization, and ethics of the heroic. There are also courses that cover the entire history of philosophy from Ancient times to the contemporary period: ancient, medieval, modern, contemporary (both continental and analytic) as well as more focused courses on major philosophers of the past. Philosophy majors will also complete an independent thesis or a senior seminar at the end of their studies.

Careers

The philosophy major can be applied in a number of fields, including law, government and education. As a philosophy major, you will have the chance to work with professors on independent study projects. For example, one student is currently working with a professor on the study of Aristotle's logic. The philosophy major is an excellent foundation for graduate school, teaching, law school and federal service of all kinds. In recent years, our alumni have attended such graduate schools as Yale University, Oxford University, Cambridge University, and Princeton University.