For centuries, great thinkers have grappled with the big questions about life. Philosophy is, in part, the love of wisdom and the willingness to wrestle with mystery. Through discourse, logic, and notion, we learn to conjure our own ideas and defend them well.

Why study Philosophy at Sewanee?

Studying philosophy at Sewanee, you’ll become acquainted with the fundamental ideas and arguments that have shaped and challenged civilizations for centuries. You’ll be introduced to the ways philosophers and intellectual movements rise out of dilemmas and crises within the established social, scientific, and religious traditions. You’ll be asked to think critically and defend your beliefs.

You’ll then be charged with the difficult and no-ego-allowed task of appreciating the value of other beliefs. Sewanee’s extensive ethics curriculum—business ethics, environmental ethics, medical ethics—will prepare you for both graduate-level study and the job market.

FIRST DESTINATIONS: Philosophy MAJORS

Sewanee graduates secure positions in a variety of fields. Some you would expect, others, are a bit of a surprise. Sewanee prepares you for your profession and your passion. Below is a sampling of recent graduates' first job.

  • Legislative Intern, The Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations, Washington, D.C.
  • Commercial Real Estate Analyst, UCLA Asset Management, Los Angeles, CA.
  • Documents, Outreach, and Communications Office Intern, USAID, Tanzania.
GRADUATE SCHOOL & PREPROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS: Philosophy MAJORS

Sewanee graduates enjoy extraordinary acceptance rates to top graduate and preprofessional programs–about 95 percent to law school and over 85 percent to medical school. Below is a sampling of where Sewanee grads continue their education.

  • M.S. in Neuroscience, University of Binghampton.
  • JD Law, Texas Tech School of Law.
  • Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Biophysics, Structural Biology, Yale University 

The Bird Philosotographer

Sewanee Professor Jim Peters brings a philosopher’s perspective to an extracurricular passion.

Birdwatching can be as simple as sitting on the porch with a cup of coffee to observe the nuthatches, finches, and cardinals that crowd around a backyard feeder for an early-morning breakfast and maybe to mutter a few choice epithets at the squirrels that somehow manage to defeat the “squirrel-proof” feeder design.

For Jim Peters, birds are much more: They are the creatures that led him to his life’s work, the study and teaching of “the love of wisdom”—the precise etymological definition of philosophy.

His pathway to teaching philosophy at Sewanee began as a young child, when his family moved to rural northern Illinois. There, he wandered the fields and woods, wondering about the mysteries of the natural world around him. When he was five years old, he found himself drawn deeply enough into the mystery of birds, their unknowability and their beauty, that he persuaded his father to take him to the first of what would be a lifetime of birder meetings.

Now, at age 60, Peters is still in love with birds—a man who’s been known on occasion to jump in a car, drive hundreds of miles upon hearing a report of a sighting of a rare bird, and then, after spending an hour or so watching and photographing the bird, turning around and returning to Sewanee in time to teach a class.

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A Sampling of Courses

The Self
Philosophy

An analysis of the major turning points in the development of the concept of the self in Western philosophical thought. The point of the analysis is to elucidate our contemporary conception and the problems with it in order to point to a solution to these problems. In so doing, possible answers to the questions of the nature of rationality, knowledge, faith, and the meaning of life will be proposed.

PHIL 220
Philosophy of Law
Philosophy

An examination of philosophical issues surrounding the nature of law and legal reasoning. Topics to include the conditions of legal validity, the nature of legal normativity and its relation to other public manifestations of normativity (such as morality, religion, and etiquette); the limits and conditions of human liberty; the Constitutional status of rights to privacy; and the moral and legal justification of punishment.

PHIL 321
Faith in Philosophy and Literature
Philosophy

A critical reading of selected philosophical and literary works which explore the nature and significance of religious faith. This course will consider how literary narrative and philosophical analysis function distinctively in the dialogue of faith and reason. Major figures will include Pascal, Hume, Kierkegaard, Walker Percy, Flannery O'Connor, and C.S. Lewis.

PHIL 310
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Philosophy

Programs of Study & Related Programs

Requirements for the Major & Minor in Philosophy

Contact

James R. Peters
Professor of Philosophy, Coordinator of Environmental Arts and Humanities 

jpeters@sewanee.edu

Carnegie Hall 201A, Ext. 1581

Center for Speaking & Listening
Next stop: eloquence and poise

The Center for Speaking and Listening will be your new favorite resource on campus. Check out this quiet space, use state-of-the-art equipment, and meet tutors ready to watch your speech and give constructive feedback. Design, develop, and practice delivering effective, ethical speeches with eloquence and confidence.

Take a look
Cordell-Lorenz Observatory
A glimpse into the cosmos

If you’re a physics student, you’ll have access Sewanee’s Cordell-Lorenz Observatory, a facility for research and academic enrichment activities. There are public observation times as well as cameras that capture comet and asteroid activity.

star gaze!
Classical Studies
The archetype of liberal arts education

The roots of Greek and Latin and the power of their mythology helped propel Western civilization. Classics majors at Sewanee benefit from the study of Western civilization’s foundational languages and find that their influence extends to today’s world. From medical terminology and legal language to hard sciences and the English language itself, we are surrounded by the legacy of our intellectual ancestors.

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