Philosophy Major

Majoring in philosophy at Washington College will not train you for any one particular career, but instead it will empower you to flourish in whatever you decide to pursue after graduation because of the critical thinking and writing skills you will develop here. Our approach to philosophy draws connections between philosophical schools of thought, other academic disciplines, and historic and current events across the world. Through philosophical study, discussion, and writing, students learn how to make critical and persuasive arguments and how to assess those made by other people.  

There are four goals of the philosophy major:  

1. Become acquainted with some of the great philosophical questions of the past and present, and with the leading attempts to answer them.  
2. Explore the connections between philosophy and related areas like art, business, law, literature, medicine, science, religion, and the environment.
3. Develop your capacities for clear thinking and critical analysis.  
4. Use critical reflection and analysis to form the basis for judgements on right or wrong actions, and admirable or deplorable persons in the present-day world.

Your work as a philosophy major will culminate in a Senior Capstone Experience (SCE), bringing together your studies within the department and the wider college community. You are encouraged to take an interdisciplinary approach to your project, which most often takes the form of a written thesis based on theory.  
 
You are encouraged to bring your own concerns and other interests into your explorations in philosophy and philosophical study. Our faculty are dedicated to expanding students’ understanding of philosophical applications in seemingly unrelated areas and regularly co-teach courses with faculty from other departments. Faculty often offer special topics courses to show the breadth of philosophical applications. It is easy to double major or minor in other areas of interest. Study abroad is also possible and helps expand philosophical understanding through the exposure to other cultures and ways of thinking, whether or not you take philosophy classes abroad.