The online catalog includes the most recent changes to courses and degree requirements that have been approved by the Faculty Senate, including changes that are not yet effective.
Department of Philosophy
libarts.wsu.edu/philo/
Johnson Tower 801
509-335-2544
Associate Professor and Department Chair, D. L. Shier; Professors, J. K. Campbell, M. W. Myers; Assistant Professors, A. Bunch, W. Kabasenche, M. Stichter; Professors Emeriti, D. M. Holbrook, H. S. Silverstein.
The Department of Philosophy offers courses in which students discuss fundamental intellectual questions and both classical and contemporary attempts to address them. What makes for a morally right act or a just society? What sorts of things can we really claim to know? What is mind, and what is its relation to matter? Are we really capable of free choice or is our every act determined by past events? These are the kinds of questions that are addressed by philosophers.
Philosophy students acquire knowledge of ethics, logic, political philosophy, philosophy of religion, epistemology, metaphysics, and other areas which provide excellent intellectual foundations for careers in law, government service, education, ministry, and many other fields.
The study of philosophy enables students to explore critically a variety of systems of beliefs and values, to identify and challenge the foundations of their own beliefs and values, and to develop sound habits of critical thinking and communication skills that are central to success in all professions.
We expect our undergraduate students to 1) develop the critical thinking skills necessary for evaluating intellectual material from any discipline; 2) learn basic methods of symbolic logic (propositional logic or higher); 3) learn standard research procedures and methods for philosophy; 4) develop their abilities to write and speak effectively about philosophy and other subjects; 5) come to understand theories, concepts, and issues of moral philosophy; and 6) gain both broad knowledge of philosophy and knowledge within specialized fields of philosophy.
The department offers programs of study leading to the Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy (in either the Traditional Option or the Pre-Law Option), the Master of Arts in Philosophy, and the Graduate Certificate in Bioethics.
The online catalog includes the most recent changes to courses and degree requirements that have been approved by the Faculty Senate, including changes that are not yet effective. Courses showing two entries of the same number indicate that the course information is changing. The most recently approved version is shown first, followed by the older version, in gray, with its last-effective term preceding the course title. Courses shown in gray with only one entry of the course number are being discontinued. Course offerings by term can be accessed by clicking on the term links when viewing a specific campus catalog.