DEPARTMENT of HUMANITIES
Philosophy MAJOR
A degree in philosophy is a degree in good thinking. If you are an analytical thinker who loves wisdom and the pursuit of knowledge, a philosophy major turns your passion for ideas into a powerful set of skills in critical analysis and argument presentation.
At MacEwan University, we use a “great books approach” to teaching philosophy, encouraging you to thoughtfully and critically consider your own world views and belief systems. You learn to pay close attention to the text, understand abstract concepts, distill complex reasoning and communicate with clarity and precision. The study of philosophy prepares you for graduate school and can also relate directly to business, medicine, public policy, education and law. As well, philosophy can complement and elaborate on your interest in psychology, sociology, religious studies and political science.
What to expect
Most students don’t study philosophy until they get to university. So when you take a first-year philosophy course, you may be encountering this discipline for the first time. Guided by faculty members who are passionate about teaching and mentorship, you are introduced to the subject and you learn what makes certain questions or issues philosophically important.
Beginning in your second year, you expand your understanding, progressing from different subject areas to specialized topics; from learning how to carefully read classic philosophical texts and discern arguments to learning outcomes that involve greater comprehension, argumentative analysis and critical engagement.
At the senior level, courses reflect our faculty’s interest and expertise, including courses on the philosophy of religion, the philosophy of the mind and logic. By your third and fourth years of the major, you have gained scholarly independence and are given the opportunity to showcase what you’ve learned through research projects, presentations and events. At each level, written work is important and required, and this importance grows as you advance through the program.
By the final year of the program, you have gained an understanding of and appreciation for the values of philosophy.
If you have a specific area of interest, consider taking a special topics course and dig deeper into a subject. The focus of these courses changes every year.
Courses and requirements
This major is open to students in the Bachelor of Arts. Courses for your major are only one component of the degree requirements you need to graduate. You must complete the courses and requirements outlined in the academic calendar for the year you declare your major/minor or the year you are accepted into an honours program.
Academic advisors in the Faculty of Arts and Science have prepared resources to help you understand how your major/minor fits within overall degree coursework. Consult the academic planning information to choose and enrol in courses and complete the major/minor declaration process.
Vision statement
Philosophy at MacEwan is committed to the value and on-going relevance of the search for truth and wisdom understood as an unbroken tradition of philosophical investigation stretching back into Antiquity in both the East and the West. We demonstrate our commitment to this tradition in training our students to read primary sources texts from the history of philosophy in their entirety. We believe that an education in this tradition equips our students to approach the challenges of the modern world prudently and courageously.