A faculty of sixteen plus three affiliated faculty and a graduate student enrollment of about thirty permits almost all courses to be small seminars of four to nine students and also permits the possibility of arranging individual courses of supervised reading and research on topics and problems not covered in seminars. In addition, a great deal of informal faculty-student contact and discussion takes place outside the classroom. The department is strong in all the major areas of philosophy: contemporary epistemology and metaphysics, ethics including bioethics, history of philosophy, legal and political philosophy; the philosophy of mind; the philosophy of language, philosophical logic; the philosophy of science. Prospective students should read the descriptions of individual faculty members for information about their research interests.
The Balz Philosophy Library is a departmental library located in a beautifully renovated room in Cocke Hall. It is intended as a quiet place for study and is used extensively by graduate philosophy students. The library is run by graduate student librarians. Materials for graduate seminars, such as reserve readings of copies of seminar papers, are normally left on designated shelves in the library for the convenience of seminar members.
The Philosophy Club, composed of faculty and graduate students, arranges a series of guest lectures by prominent philosophers each year and organizes social occasions among students and faculty.
In addition to the Philosophy Club lectures, the department organizes a series of more informal talks each semester under the rubric of the Philosophy Colloquium. Talks are given by students and faculty from the department as well as by faculty from neighboring universities. Any member of the department wishing to present a paper for discussion may arrange to do so by contacting the Colloquium Director. Students working on theses or dissertations or preparing articles for publication are especially encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to present some portion of their work.
The Department also holds an annual weekend retreat to the University-owned Blandy Farm, near Winchester, Virginia. Lodging and meals at the farm are available at no expense to students. The retreat features the presentation of papers by students and faculty, communal meals, sports and relaxation in a peaceful, pastoral setting.
The Department maintains its
own computer lab for graduate students.
This lab contains PCs and one Apple computer as well as a laser
printer, and has an Ethernet hookup to the University-wide network and
to the Internet. Also, the department falls within the range of the
University wireless network coverage area.