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Anything! According to a recent article in the Guardian, philosophy majors are "all the rage with employers" because of the analytical skills they acquire in studying philosophy.
At a winter 1998 information session sponsored by CLA, "What Can I Do with A Major in Philosophy?", graduate student Steve Elkin described succinctly the qualities he had developed in his study of philosophy and which he plans to mention to possible employers who may be unfamiliar with what the formal study of philosophy involves. To quote him approximately. "I can appreciate and respond to criticism. I can think outside the box. I can see the big picture."
The philosophy major program, according to our program description for the semester system bulletin, "offers an analysis and critique of fundamental beliefs and favored methods of the arts and sciences. Fields within the program are moral and political philosophy, history of philosophy, logic, the philosophy of science, metaphysics, epistemology, and aesthetics." Page 1 of the undergraduate brochure of the professional association of academic philosophers, the American Philosophical Association, locates the historical origins of philosophy at the time when "certain pioneering thinkers" among the ancient Greeks engaged in "disciplined reflection about ourselves, our world, the good life, our dealings with one another, and an expanding range of other matters of interest and importance to them." The APA brochure (p.2) also says:
The study of philosophy serves to develop intellectual abilities important for life as a whole, beyond the knowledge and skills required for any particular profession. Properly pursued, it enhances analytical, critical, and interpretive capacities that are applicable to any subject matter, and in any human context. It cultivates the capacities and appetite for self-expression and reflection, for exchange and debate of ideas, for life-long learning, and for dealing with problems for which there are no easy answers. It also helps to prepare one for the tasks of citizenship. . . . A good philosophical education enhances the capacity to participate responsibly and intelligently in public life.Again according to the APA brochure, (p.11),
Perhaps the most important outcome of philosophical study is not teachable in any prescribed way, and must be cultivated by way of example. This outcome is the ability to engage in thinking that is at once disciplined and imaginatively creative.
The number of philosophy majors officially recorded by the registrar as having registered for a given quarter was fairly constant at around 80 in the last few years. For example, in Fall 1994 there were 81 declared philosophy majors/pre-majors registered for classes: 60 majors were men; 21 were women. 41 others declared majors in 94-95 (33 men, 8 women). (Some comparisons: Anthropology had 175 declared majors or premajors in F 94; Political Science, 427; Psychology, 890; French, 106; Latin, 9; Hebrew, 6; Chemistry, 90; Mathematics, 101.) In 1998 there were 78 declared philosophy majors registered for classes. 22 were women. 56 were men. Of these 78 majors, 17 were double majors. Their majors in addition to philosophy were, for example, mathematics, Greek, psychology, history, political science, English, sociology, art history, economics, biology, and international relations.
In Spring 2002 the number of majors was up slightly: 105 Philosophy majors were registered. 23 Philosophy minors were registered for Spring 2002 courses.
The Director of Undergraduate Studies registers from 30-35 new majors during each academic year. There are also various philosophy majors who for various reasons are not registered for classes during a particular quarter, but may return during some later quarter. Counting these people, we may estimate that the number of people with declared philosophy majors in any semester is about 20 more than the number actually registered for courses.
There is a newly redecorated undergraduate philosophy lounge in 822 Heller Hall. It is for sitting in and talking in and reading in and introducing yourself to other undergraduate philosophy majors in.
In the Undergraduate Lounge are posted many items of information. For example, there are announcements of scholarships and internships, of opportunities to study at other institutions while still earning U of M credit, and of opportunities to volunteer for community service. There are also items of news about undergraduate majors, such as awards or recognitions. There are lists of Philosophy Majors who have been on the CLA Dean's List for the last several academic terms. There is a list of philosophy major projects approved in the last four years. There is a small collection of recently approved senior projects in a file case. (You may look at the projects in the Undergraduate Lounge, but they are not to be removed from the Lounge).
In another file case are some publications from other colleges or universities that contain undergraduate articles on philosophy. Currently we have such journals as Episteme, Apona, Premise, and The Dualist, four journals of undergraduate philosophy from the University of Kansas, Brigham Young University, Denison, and Stanford. We also have journals edited by undergraduates from Harvard and from the University of San Francisco. They provide examples of the writing of undergraduates at other institutions. You may wish to submit an article to one of them yourself. They may be removed briefly from the lounge if you wish to copy something from one of them. The file case also contains the first (1995), second (1996), and third (1998) volumes of Juvenilia, the journal of undergraduate writing from the University of Minnesota, now titled Agathon. There is more information below about how to join the Agathon staff.
The undergraduate lounge has other reading material, such as a leaflet prepared by a committee of the American Philosophical Association (the APA) which describes what any philosophy major program should include. A committee of people with rather different interests in philosophy, who nevertheless agreed on several things, produced it. There is also the University of Minnesota Philosophy Department brochure for applicants to Graduate School, which is of interest even if you are not an applicant to Graduate School because it has profiles of the Philosophy Faculty members. You may get your own copies of the APA leaflet from the director of undergraduate studies. The faculty profiles are available online from our Philosophy Faculty webpage.
The undergraduate lounge also has some philosophy books, a chess set, and a Scrabble set.
You may change your advisor at any time; simply ask the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
A gossipy website—a sort of Social Register of philosophy graduate programs—maintained by Brian Leiter which ranks philosophy graduate programs is on the web under the title 'Philosophical Gourmet' at www.philosophicalgourmet.com.
Before you ask faculty to write letters of recommendation about you to graduate schools or to prospective employers, you need to fill out and sign a form which asks faculty to write a letter for you and which gives permission for faculty letters to be released to people whom you designate. (It is convenient if you specify that any Philosophy Department faculty member may write a letter for you. That way you only need to fill out one form.)
The form also makes clear whether or not the letters of reference are confidential—i.e. not read by you—or not. Confidential letters of recommendation tend to make a better impression than non-confidential ones.
The form, "Reference Request and Student Authorization" is available from the Department Office, 831 Heller Hall. When you have filled out and signed the form, you should return it to the office. It will be placed in a file of such forms. Unless such a form is on file, faculty are not able to write a letter of recommendation for you.
When you ask faculty for letters of recommendation for graduate schools or employers, you should supply the stamps, but not usually the envelopes. (Faculty will use Department letterhead or the envelopes sometimes supplied by the schools to which you are applying.)
An Undergraduate Philosophy Journal, Juvenilia, was published for the first time in Spring 1995. The Spring 2002 issue, now named Agathon was published in May 2002. Samples of the previous issues may be viewed in the undergraduate lounge, 822 Heller Hall. The entire editorial staff acts as a committee to conduct a several-stage process of blind review of the submissions. The staff discusses each submission at length. The Journal is distributed free.
Persons who are interested in serving on the Juvenilia staff may leave a note for the editors in the Philosophy Journal mailbox in the Philosophy Department Office, 831 Heller Hall, or they may speak to the Director of Undergraduate Studies to get a list of the current members of the journal staff. The staff meets approximately weekly for about two hours from February through May while submissions are under consideration. Past members of the staff have reported that it is great fun to take part in the philosophical discussions of submissions.
Undergraduate students are encouraged to come to hear the visiting philosophers who give talks through the Philosophy Colloquium program. The colloquia usually occur on Friday afternoons (not every Friday, but several times during each semester) at 3:30 p.m. A colloquium talk usually lasts for an hour, after which there is a brief break. After the break there will be questions from the audience and discussion including the audience until about 5 p.m.. Announcements of the upcoming colloquia are posted outside the Philosophy Department office, 831 Heller Hall and on our Events page.
In addition to the information posted on the walls of the Undergraduate Lounge, there is information posted on the Undergraduate Bulletin Board maintained by Judy Grandbois outside the Philosophy Department Office, 831 Heller Hall. Information such as projected curriculum and summer school offerings, faculty office hours, and other items of interest are posted there.
Professor Valerie Tiberius
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Philosophy Department
721 Heller Hall
612-625-0038
tiberius@umn.edu
Director of Undergraduate Studies
phil-dus@umn.edu
758 Heller Hall
2011-2012
Prof. Naomi Scheman
Contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies to arrange a major or minor. Required forms for arranging a minor are available in the main office (831 Heller Hall).
