Philosophy majors read, discuss, and analyze the ideas of such great thinkers as Plato, Aristotle, Confucius, Kant, Mill, Sartre and Wittgenstein. They also study contemporary thinkers and current philosophical questions and issues. They learn to think for themselves, to reason and argue effectively, and to approach both theoretical and practical problems from a philosophical perspective. In addition to ethics, political philosophy, epistemology, and logic, philosophy majors can also explore aesthetics, philosophy of religion, philosophy of mind and language, philosophy of law, feminism, existentialism, Asian philosophy, and the philosophical implications of science, computers, and technology, among other subjects.
A major in philosophy not only enriches one’s life but also prepares students for many professional programs and occupations, such as law, business, public service, psychology, social work, religion, communications, and teaching. It also provides preparation for students interested in obtaining a background for graduate work in philosophy. Many undergraduates go on to the MA program at SJSU.
The philosophy department has an active philosophy club, an award-winning ethics debate team, a student-published journal, student essay contests, department colloquia and a newsletter. Some undergraduates work in the department office, and some as tutors in the department’s Philosophy and Logic Lab.
The department’s curriculum covers all the major areas of philosophy. In addition, the department has unique faculty specializations in a number of areas, such as African-American Social and Political Thought, Chinese Philosophy, Philosophy of Technology, Aesthetics, Continental Philosophy, History of Ethics, Aristotle, Plato, Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence, Marx, and Nietzsche.
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