Department of Philosophy
Welcome to the Department of Philosophy at the University of the Incarnate Word. Housed in the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, the Philosophy department invites students to consider the fundamental and wide-ranging issues of human life and experience.
Philosophy is the great workshop of the mind. Through its study, concepts and explanations are put together and taken apart, ancient and contemporary ideas freely mingle, and a sense of wonder propels students’ intellects to new heights and undiscovered purposes. At UIW, Philosophy students explore such fundamental notions as reality, knowledge, truth, goodness, beauty, justice, freedom, language, faith, love, death and God. Philosophy majors search for the truth about these ultimate realities and, in doing so, help us create intellectually and spiritually meaningful lives.
The Department of Philosophy seeks to provide its students with a broad orientation to the major branches of philosophy (metaphysics, epistemology, ethics and logic) and to the various ways philosophy has progressed throughout human history (in both Western and Non-Western Traditions). The primary goal of the program, however, is not merely to promote the mastery of philosophical content, but to help cultivate the philosophical spirit by nourishing the students' responsiveness to the wonder of being, their commitment to justice, and their overall capacity to explore philosophical issues with creativity and critical insight.
Engaging faculty challenge students to consider new concepts and ancient wisdom in traditional and unconventional ways, from critical reading of texts to the examination of life through food.
UIW students of all majors are encouraged to participate in the UIW Ethics Bowl Team, which competes against other colleges and universities in the Texas Regional Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl for an invitation to the National Championship IEB. The department also offers opportunities for the University community to engage Pizza and Philosophy, an informal lecture series that focuses on issues of perennial philosophical interest and invites discussion over pizza and soft drinks.
Degrees Offered
Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy
This undergraduate program offers Philosophy majors the opportunity to analyze thought and the way people understand the world and one another -- across time and geography. In addition to preparing students for success in many different career paths, the program encourages students to explore their own sense of personal identity and value, to broaden their views of, and commitment to, justice, and to deepen the moral and spiritual dimensions of their lives.
Minor in Philosophy
This minor presents the fundamental tools, techniques, and preoccupations of philosophy. Students in this minor maintain close contact with the history of ideas in the broadest sense and learn to closely examine (and challenge) the very foundations of knowledge and understanding.