Philosophy
A Message from the Chair
Dr. Jeffrey ScholesWelcome to the UCCS Department of Philosophy!
The Philosophy Department was one of the original programs on the UCCS campus. In 1966, one year after the university received the Cragmor acreage, Philosophy was established as an extension of the Boulder department’s offerings under the leadership of Resident Dean, Richard Francis. From its origins as a branch department, the UCCS Philosophy Program soon became an independent department offering a major in Philosophy.
Our Philosophy Department has an exceptionally broad range of courses taught by experts in their respective fields. Our program of study is historically based with courses that focus on four periods in the history of philosophy including full coverage of Eastern traditions and Religious Studies.
We offer courses in all traditional areas, such as Metaphysics, Ethics, and Epistemology, and many courses on the cutting edge of their disciplines that deal with gender, class, and race. We offer an undergraduate major (30 credit hours), a minor (18 credit hours), and specialized minors in Religious Studies, Asian Studies, and Classics (for more information, see our Programs page). The department requires each of our majors the writing an undergraduate thesis as the capstone of their experience as a Philosophy major.
What is Philosophy?
As a discipline, philosophy is applied to various topics, such as the nature of knowledge, the mind, and truth, determining what is moral, investigating what makes something beautiful, and inquiring about the existence of God or Ultimate Reality.
As a practice, philosophy teaches analytical and critical thinking, develops oral and written communication skills, and contributes to interdisciplinary understanding. Skills developed in this area help philosophy students excel in careers in law, medicine, management, education, government, writing, computer science, psychology, sociology, and ministry, among many others.
Why Study Philosophy at UCCS?
- Philosophy will equip you to understand your place in the world better.
- Philosophy will show you how to think more precisely and critically.
- Philosophy will teach you how to write and argue clearly, precisely, and logically.
- We have highly supportive faculty.
- We offer rigorous, discussion-based classes.
- We feature courses on a wide variety of philosophical traditions (phenomenology, Buddhist philosophy, Chinese philosophy, Islamic philosophy, etc.) and areas of research in philosophy (philosophy of mind, philosophy of religion, political philosophy, etc.).
- We have some of the simplest requirements for majors in the entire university.
- We offer a fully online BA in Philosophy.
Philosophy teaches analytical and critical thinking, develops oral and written communication skills, and contributes to interdisciplinary understanding. Philosophy as a discipline attempts to answer perennial questions about values, human existence, and the nature of reality.
The Department of Philosophy sets out to teach philosophy as a formal course of studies for the major in order to satisfy College and University requirements, to teach Philosophy to qualified students for their personal enrichment, and to prepare interested students for graduate and professional work. It also seeks to foster a climate of scholarly research in Philosophy. It is committed to serving the College, UCCS campus, and University in the areas of Critical Thinking, Ethics, and related philosophical areas of study.
The UCCS Philosophy Department resolutely strives to foster a welcoming and affirming culture in the classroom, in our research, and in community outreach, so that each and every student is able to cultivate a sense of belonging through the use of inclusive pedagogical techniques. As a department, we continually strive to bring underrepresented and marginalized voices and approaches into the classroom so that students can see and analyze their own cultural perspectives as well as the cultural perspectives of their global neighbors.
Our research centers on foundational issues, concepts, and concerns that are relevant to the human community (such as the meaning of life, the nature of virtue and the good life, the existence of God, the nature and grounding of truth, etc.), and on practical issues (such as questions regarding autonomy and individual responsibility, respect for persons, the nature of oppression, contemporary persecution, the importance of logical and critical thinking, and global perspectives of thought and experience). These considerations are of vital importance in diverse contemporary societies.
Because of our respect for personhood, we explicitly value work related to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) in our AMR and RPT criteria. This valuation is borne out by the fact that our majors and minors in Philosophy are a diverse group of students who report feeling included in our department, connected and inspired by time-honored philosophical ideas, and engaged in "doing" philosophy.
Student Success Stories
Therese Carmack, Class of 2015Double Major: Philosophy and Music. Attended Graduate School at the Eastman School of Music, New York, Master of Music in Voice Performance and Literature.