Why Major in Philosophy?

You may have wondered at some time or another "What is Philosophy?" Well, there is no easy answer to this question (itself a philosophical question). The best way of discovering what is involved is simply to take one or two courses that will show you directly what philosophy is about. In class you will be able to reflect on and engage in discussion and argument on a variety of issues. For example: What makes one action right and another wrong? Do computers think? Do animals think, do they have rights? Can you be certain about anything beyond your own existence? Is euthanasia morally justified? You will get to learn about important philosophical ideas, systems and texts from different periods. In your writing assignments you will learn how to extract the principle points from philosophical texts, to present your own point of view on the issues, and to evaluate the soundness of arguments. In this way you will develop useful skills in conceptual analysis, and will become acquainted with a variety of philosophical thinking from different periods on an extensive range of challenging issues that have engaged thinkers of the past, and are continuing to do so today.

It is worth noting that philosophy majors do writing of a rather special kind, in which the emphasis is on the critical assessment and development of arguments, and on clarity of thought and expression. Whatever your future career, the study of philosophy will strengthen your critical faculties, it will introduce you to intriguing problems and to ways of tackling them (though not necessarily solving them!). It will bring you into direct contact with the ideas of major thinkers of the past and present, such as Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Descartes, Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, Sartre, Wittgenstein, and Foucault. Not least, it will prove to have been an enjoyable and invigorating way of advancing your intellectual development.

What can you do with a Major in Philosophy?

Students who are thinking about majoring in philosophy are often concerned about the practical value of a philosophy major. What does a philosophy major do after graduation? What jobs can she expect to find? Many philosophy majors go on to graduate or professional schools, usually studying law, medicine, teaching and/or business. Philosophy is an excellent field to major in for these professions. The emphasis on careful and rigorous analysis of arguments is particularly helpful of law (and the LSATs). Other majors have found their niche in journalism, communications, computer science, literature, the arts or music. For some majors, of course, graduate study in philosophy will be the answer, and Barnard philosophy majors have been very successful in strong graduate programs.

Reid Hall, Paris

At Reid Hall, in the Montparnasse district of Paris, a course on "Aspects of Contemporary French Thought" is given each year. For further information, consult the Reid Hall Programs Bulletin available in 412 Lewisohn Hall.

Departmental Prizes

William Pepperell Montague Prize (1949)

This prize is awarded for promise of distinction in the field of philosophy. There will be an annual prize of $250, to be awarded in May, for the best Senior Essay submitted during the academic year by a Barnard major graduating the same academic year. In addition, there will be two annual prizes of $200 each for the best two performances in an Introduction to Philosophy course by First-Year or Sophomore Barnard students who have not previously taken a philosophy course.

Gertrude Braun Rich Prize (1986)

This prize is for promise of excellence by a student majoring in philosophy. One annual prize of $350, to be awarded in May, for the best overall performance in the philosophy major by a Barnard student graduating the same academic year.

The department reserves the right not to award a prize in a given year.

If you're interested in finding out more about the courses we are offering,
some of our professors have placed their syllabi on our website.
Click here for Course Information and Syllabi.

If you want to learn more about our professors, click here: .

Click here if you're interested in becoming a Philosophy Major.

If you are curious about our Departmental Prizes,
click here:  Prizes.

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