Why study Philosophy at MC?

Studying Philosophy at Maryville College prepares you for life and the world. It will challenge and equip you to tackle the “big issues”: about what’s real and what isn’t; about what and who you are; about how we should live with one another and what makes life worthwhile.

To tackle those issues well, you will learn practical skills you can take with you wherever you go and whatever you do. For instance, our Philosophy classes teach you to read and listen carefully to others, to analyze ideas and test arguments, to see problems in their complexity and appreciate a range of solutions. You will also learn to make up your own mind, and to communicate your ideas with clarity and precision.

Studying philosophy can open up exciting and surprising career paths. Our faculty and professional career counseling staff can help you find the right opportunities for significant practical experiences that will deepen your sense of direction in life.

Philosophy equips you to pursue virtually anything your passion and interest draw you toward.

Come pursue Philosophy with us!

A liberal arts education is literally about the “arts of freedom.” To be truly free, requires one to question and to think for oneself. Philosophy, which literally means the “love of wisdom,” lies at the heart of a liberal arts education because it asks students to question, explore, and pursue truth wherever it may lead. In philosophy, rigor, honesty, and humility are requisite to exploring questions about reality and truth, justice and morality, life and death, language and culture, society and politics, and God and the meaning of existence. Students who major or minor in Philosophy learn to think and write critically, and to read and analyze texts carefully. Such skills are excellent preparations or professions in law, politics, business, education, ministry, and medicine.

ON CAMPUS OPPORTUNITIES

The Philosophy Club provides students with the opportunity to openly discuss philosophical ideas and take philosophy out of the classroom and into the world. In an informal gathering of  friends, open to anyone who has an interest in philosophy, the Philosophy Club hosts regular discussions on a wide range of topics.

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Meet a Current Scot

Photo of Alina Rosati

Alina Rosati

Hometown: Loudon, Tennessee

Having spent part of her childhood as a military brat, Alina credits her worldly experience with spurring her interest in philosophy. 

“My family is still very spread out, so I travel a lot, and that taught me that plurality is reality, and no one way of living is ‘correct,'” said said. “I also found that philosophy helped me pragmatically in the workplace to better understand and navigate various demographics.”

She’s a passionate advocate of philosopher Hannah Arendt, but her favorite quote is one by Foucault: “Perhaps the role of the philosopher at present, is not to be theoretician of totality, but the diagnostician … of today.”

“I think the more I understand about what causes friction between humans, the better equipped I will be to ease that friction,” added Rosati, who’s considering either graduate school or law school after receiving her diploma from Maryville College.

 

Meet a Recent Grad

Photo of Ellison Berryhill

Ellison Berryhill ’12

Currently: Assistant Public Defender, Nashville Defenders Office in Nashville, Tennessee

After MC, Ellison was accepted into Duke University School of Law, where he worked on the Wrongful Convictions Clinic and was editor-in-chief of the Duke Forum for Law and Social Change. Earning his juris doctor degree in 2015, he later clerked for judges, joined the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office and spent four years with the 18th Judicial District Public Defender’s Office. His research and publications have advocated for a fairer criminal legal system, and he credits his success in law to the Philosophy major. “The logical and persuasive skills I learned in philosophy classes help me make arguments to district attorneys and judges,” he said.

Ellison also credits MC’s liberal arts approach for giving him the soft skills needed to meet people where they are in order to best represent them.

 

William Meyer
Dr. William Meyer
Professor of Philosophy and the Ralph W. Beeson Professor of Religion
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Andrew Irvine
Dr. Andrew Irvine
Associate Professor of Philosophy & Religion
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Maryville philosophy majors have gone on to all sorts of interesting and satisfying work. Recent graduates are doing well as practicing lawyers and at nationally recognized law schools; in graduate programs in fields including counseling, philosophy, and sociology; and in the nonprofit sector.

Graduate School Placements

Duke University
Vanderbilt University
Washington University
University of Chicago
University of Tennessee

Students successfully completing the program of study will have achieved:

  1. Understand basic principles of logic and evaluate and construct arguments
  2. Explicate classic texts, figures, and themes from Western philosophical traditions
  3. Understand and analyze the philosophical dimensions of ethics, politics and/or culture
  4. Compare philosophical ideas cross-culturally
  5. Formulate a question appropriate for philosophical inquiry and be able to discuss philosophical problems and perspectives relevant to that question

The Major in Philosophy consists of at least 44 hours in philosophy and related areas. Transfer students bringing 45 or more credit hours in transfer are exempted from HUM 299, with the result that the major requirement is reduced to 43 hours.

Required courses include:

Major and Major-Related Courses

PHL 162: Introduction to Philosophy and Logic(3 hrs)
PHL 201: Ancient and Medieval Philosophy(3 hrs)
PHL 205: Early Modern Philosophy from 16th to the 18th Century(3 hrs)
PHL 206: Enlightenment & Late Modern Philosophy 18th-20th Century(3 hrs)
PHL 348: Comparative Philosophy(3 hrs)
PHL 351: Senior Study I(3 hrs)
PHL 352: Senior Study II(3 hrs)
HUM 299: Issues in Professional Development(1 hrs)
HUM 347: Research in the Humanities(1 hrs)

Two of the following courses:

PHL 207: Contemporary Philosophy(3 hrs)
PHL 211: American Philosophy(3 hrs)
PHL 249: Selected Topics(3 hrs)

Either of the following courses:

PHL 326: Philosophy of Religion(3 hrs)
Or
PHL 329: Modern Critiques of Religion(3 hrs)

One course from the following list:

PLS 306: Political Philosophy(3 hrs)
ECN 334: History of Economic Thought(3 hrs)
SOC 401: Social Theory(3 hrs)

Two of the following courses (6 Credit Hours):

MUS 306: Philosophy & Aesthetics of Music(3 hrs)
REL 326: Contemporary Theology(3 hrs)
REL 346: Explorations in Christian Thought and Culture(3 hrs)
REL 348: Explorations in the History of Religions(3 hrs)

And an additional 3 credit Philosophy course

The Minor in Philosophy consists of 15 credit hours.

Required courses include:

Minor and Minor-Related Courses

PHL 162: Introduction to Philosophy and Logic(3 hrs)
Twelve additional credit hours in Philosophy of which at least nine must be above the 100- level

In addition to required courses for majors and minors, Maryville College students take classes in the Maryville Curriculum, a core program of general education. Consisting of 51 credit hours, the Maryville Curriculum ensures that students see their major in a wider context and develop the basic communication, quantitative, and critical thinking skills that are needed for success in college and career.

You may also be interested in:

English

History

Political Science

Pre-Seminary

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