At Brandon University, Philosophy is Something Special  

The Department of Philosophy is committed to excellence in teaching.  Even first- year philosophy courses are conducted in a friendly informal atmosphere to encourage student participation, while many upper-level courses are small enough to permit instructors to give students a maximum of individual attention.  The Department's two 'Topics' courses (70:399 & 70:499) are designed to help students who major in philosophy to probe deeper into particular issues that interest them, and carry out independent research that will lead to the completion of substantial papers.

Along with an emphasis on the history of philosophy as well as basic logical skills, the Department aims at guiding students to develop critical, reflective and creative answers to some of the most fundamental questions that humans can ask.  Questions such as 'Can the existence of God be proven?', 'How do robots differ from humans?',  'Are moral values relative or absolute?' and 'Can scientific and historical knowledge be objective?'  are among the many that various philosophy courses examine.  The philosophy instructors do not dictate answers to these questions.  A number of interesting positions from different ages or different philosophical traditions are sympathetically studied and critically discussed in each course.  Above all, students are encouraged to work out solutions that they themselves can accept.

In addition to offering a core curriculum in philosophy, the Department offers numerous service courses that provide a link between philosophy and many other academic areas such as history, political studies, natural and social sciences, religion, law, literature, music and women's studies.

Areas of Expertise in Philosophy 

·        The morality of abortion

·        The morality of euthanasia

·        The nature and possibility of objective thinking

·        The interpretation of Plato's Dialogues

·        The relationship between metaphysics and ancient Greek political theory

·        Contemporary political philosophy: the social-contract theory of John Rawls

·        John Stuart Mill's philosophy of language

·        The connection of Mill's On the Subjection of Women and his philosophy of the social sciences

·        Will Kymlicka's defense of aboriginal rights from the perspective of contemporary liberalism

 Recent Student Projects

The following are some representative research topics undertaken by 4^th Yr. Advanced Topics' students:

·        An Analysis of Causal Necessity

·        The Ethics of Belief

·        John Rawls's Theory of Justice

·        The Ethical Assumptions of Medical Practice

·        The Role of Metaphysics in Science

·        Visions of the Future: A Defence of Iris Young

·        A Feminist Synthesis of the Concept of  the Self

·        Liberalism vs. Communitarianism: Any Viable Compromise?

·        Moral Responsibility and Luck

·        A Critical Study of  J. S. Mill's Political Philosophy

·        On Kant's Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals

·        On Animal Rights

Philosophy at Work  

A sampling of our graduates' careers:

·        University instructors at The University of Athens, The University of Lethbridge, Brandon University and Trinity Western University

·        Numerous lawyers in Brandon, Winnipeg and Vancouver

·        Legal counsel of a major insurance company, Winnipeg

·        Librarian, University of Winnipeg

·        Manager of a media corporation in northern Manitoba

·        Numerous United Church ministers throughout Canada

·        Journalist, The Straits Times, Singapore

·        ESL instructors at Red River Community College, and Vancouver Community College

·        Canada Customs Officer, Emerson, Manitoba

·        Massage Therapist in a clinic for holistic medicine, Calgary

·        Assessment Unit Coordinator, Child & Family Services of Western Manitoba

·        Project Officer, Standard Capital International (Holdings) Group, Hong Kong

·        Managers of hotels at Brandon and Clear Lake

·        Co-owner of  a construction and development company, Brandon

·        Computer analysts in Brandon

·        Senior Canadian diplomat in Europe

The above list would indicate that a major in philosophy at Brandon University can lead to many of the following fields of study or work: graduate work in philosophy; after-degree studies in education; theological studies; law and other professional training; teaching in the university and community colleges; journalism; diplomatic services; as well as different types of managerial and business/financial enterprises.

Programs in Philosophy

     B.A.  4-Year Major

      4-Year (Honours) Major  

     3-Year Major

      4-Year Minor

       3-Year Minor

By taking the appropriate courses offered in the Department, students can complete any of the above programs without difficulty.  Moreover, any course in Philosophy is open to any student, regardless of faculty or year, provided that the course prerequisite, if any, is satisfied.  Additionally, a number of the Department's offerings are closely linked with other programs at Brandon University or elsewhere.  For instance:

70:252  Philosophical Problems in Religion is cross-listed with Religion 86:252;

70:266  Environmental Ethics is one of the co-requisites for the 'Environmental Studies Concentration' of  the 4-Year Major programs in Geography;  It is also a co-requisite for the BSc Environmental Science program, and a pre-requisite for the Practicum in the Applied Disaster & Emergency Studies program.

Two of the four courses - 70:162  Introduction to Logic,  70:260 Philosophy of Science I,  70:266 Environmental Ethics  and 70: 270  Ethics and Business  - are required for the Co-operative  4-Year major programs in Forestry  or Horticulture between Minot State University, Bottineau Campus and Brandon University; and for the Agriculture program at the University of Manitoba;

70:370  Philosophy and Feminism is cross-listed with the Minor Program in Women's Studies 99:370;

70:376  Philosophy of Literature is cross-listed with English 30:376;

70:397  Philosophical Perspectives on Music is cross-listed with Music 65/67:397;  and

70:280 Philosophy of Law is an optional course for the Justice System Certificate Program jointly offered by the Departments of Political Science, Native Studies and Sociology.

Questions about Philosophy may be directed to: Dr. Steve Robinson, e-mail address:  robinsons@brandonu.ca