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Welcome
(Letter from Chair coming soon)
Announcements
The department wishes to announce with pride that Peter Atterton and Sandra Wawrytko were promoted to Associate Professor during 2007 and awarded tenure, and Darrel Moellendorf was promoted to Full Professor. These promotions were based on outstanding contributions in teaching, research, and service, and were approved after a full review by committees at the department, college, and university level.
Philosophy at San Diego State
University
Most areas of Philosophy
are
taught at San Diego State University. Many of the general questions
pf Philosophy are considered in our Introduction to Philosophy
courses. More specialized courses in Philosophy are also
offered at all undergraduate levels.
- Students can make Philosophy a major. Philosophy
can also be taken as a minor.
- Philosophy is an excellent second major that combines well
with most other subjects, including: Computer Science, Economics,
English, Law, Linguistics, Mathematics, Physics, Political
Studies, History, Psychology and Sociology. Law Schools
invariably recommend that prospective lawyers study Philosophy!
Overall, it is an excellent part of any student's general
University Education.
- Courses in philosophy can be taken towards
several degrees; and virtually all programs of study at
SDSU can be enriched by the inclusion of one or more of
our courses.
- Masters programs are offered for students
who wish to go on to do graduate study in Philosophy.
- The Philosophers at SDSU place a very
strong emphasis on excellence in teaching as well as research;
and our philosophy courses enjoy an excellent reputation
among SDSU students who generally rate them very highly.
Why Study Philosophy?
One good reason is that it's interesting and fun.
Another is that the kinds of questions philosophy asks are
unavoidable if one wants to live a thoughtful, responsible,
and fruitful life. While the courses are demanding and rigorous,
many students find the rewards are priceless. Philosophy
also develops skills that are widely transferable to other
areas of study and to the professional world outside the
university. Because of its unique emphasis on clarity, argumentation,
and critical evaluation, even a single course in Philosophy
- Develops students' powers
of reasoning.
- Improves their ability to critique the views
of others.
- Teaches them to get to the heart of an issue,
and to distinguish it from less important matters.
- Clarifies and improves their communication,
both written and spoken.
- Helps them to organize their thoughts rationally
and present them in a clear, coherent manner.
What Jobs Does Philosophy
Prepare One For?
Paradoxically,
the answer is "all and none"--all, and none in
particular. Because of its general and abstract nature,
Philosophy does not by itself prepare one for any particular
job or career outside of teaching. But because the skills
it teaches are ones that improve people's performance and
success in any job or career, employers highly value employees
who have studied philosophy. Philosophy contributes to the
development of analytical, problem-solving, and communication
skills more than does any other discipline. Moreover, because
of the rapidly changing nature of the world of work, employers
value employees who are flexible and adaptable to change,
and who can apply their abilities and experience to a wide
variety of unpredictable situations and challenges. The
education provided by the study of Philosophy is ideal for
meeting these employment needs
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