Special Programs and Opportunities
Lead campus-wide conversations. Get up-close and personal with renowned philosophers.
Prepare for graduate studies.
Speaker Series
- An opportunity to address the ways philosophy touches on important issues of our time
- View upcoming Speaker Series events
- Past visitors include:
- Alvin Plantinga on religion and science
- Charles Mills on philosophy of race
- Bertha Alvarez Manninen on abortion
- Nicholas Wolterstorff on art
- Meghan Sullivan on religious language
Honors Program
- Challenges majors to go beyond the minimum requirements of the major in order to acquire a deeper and broader philosophical training
- Designed to be of special interest to students considering graduate studies in philosophy
- View requirements in the catalog
- Detailed information and application forms are available from the department chairperson
Awards
- The philosophy department gives out awards for excellence in philosophy
- These Charles E. Lake Memorial Awards are available to first-year, sophomore, junior and senior students
- James B. Allis Philosophia Award
Independent Study
- Independent studies are research and writing projects studying a particular philosopher or topic in-depth. These lead to a piece of writing that demonstrates strong philosophical scholarship.
- Recent topics for independent studies have included Kyoto School of Buddhist philosophy, applied ethics in mental health care, the philosophy of Kant, the philosophy of Kierkegaard, divine freedom and others.
- Students should speak to the department chair or a faculty member with expertise in their chosen area for more information.
Faculty-Student Research
- Students have worked with philosophy faculty to produce publishable papers and to present papers of their own and co-written papers at professional conferences
- Students have made important contributions to books such as Bringing Sex into Focus: The Quest for Sexual Integrity, Kierkegaard and the Catholic Tradition: Conflict and Dialogue, and What Does It Mean to Be Catholic?
Add a Philosophy Major or Minor
Our degree programs pair well with nearly any other discipline across campus.