hey guys, im trying to major in philosophy/sociology in undergraduate college, and i was wondering if there are any humanities profs/ college students/ grad students/ college statistics enthusiasts for-some-odd-reason on here that would be able to give their recommendations for the most rigorous and fruitful philosophy/sociology departments in American universities. its summer, and my school counselors don't know sh*t anyways, so plz help me. (ill edit the s word there for the kiddies. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! ) thanks, future ubermich
For undergrad, it usually doesn't matter. Try to find one that has a doctoral program, though, because the professors are usually higher quality. That being said, for undergrad work, as long as the school is accredited, it's probably good enough to get you into a grad school if you pay attention, do your reading, and get your grades.
You should get an idea of what you're interested in, in philosophy at least, there are so many different areas. Philosophy of Religion, Epistemology, Other Minds, Language, Logic etc tec, the list is endless. Get some booklets or prospectuses, see what looks more interesting?
actually, im most interested with language, semiotics, a lot of the more recent philosophy in the past century, from existentialism to postmodernism. i guess my question should be: which philosophy department puts an emphasis on these?
What's your question? What philosophy department puts an emphasis on "more recent philosophy in the past century, from existentialism to postmodernism." You want someone to look through all the institutions/uni's/colleges for you, and tell you? Good luck.
Standard pitch for the local school! http://www.lsa.umich.edu/philosophy/ http://www.lsa.umich.edu/philosophy/undergraduateprog.html I should mention that they're extremely expensive and I don't think that the philosophy department's reputation is really bragging material (although U of M has an excellent reputation overall - I think we come in 8th or 9th nationwide). I'm thinking of minoring in philosophy too. Be a good background for law. So, looking forward to what other people have to share! Good luck ubermich.
ubermich, What profession are you thinking? In the end it doesn't matter since most college grads don't end up in the profession they major in. Statistics have shown on average there is no salary discrepancy between harvard grads and grads from mediocre state college. I am too lazy to dig up that information so you just have to take my words for it. You might as well just go to your home state and pay in state tuition. As far as learning goes, I don't think professors in school really taught me anything. I learn everything myself. Most professors don't care about teaching because they have to worry about getting fundings for their research. A lot of times I needed to disgest what they said because they are terrible, and while I was doing that, the lecture moves ahead and I got lost. The school I went to has a very good reputation not because it is actually good, but because it is hard. It is only good because it weeds out stupid people. So what I am saying is learning has more to do with yourself than the school. Reputation is very misleading. If I were you I choose my state school. It is cheap. You learn not because of the school but because of yourself.
I would think it would be impossible to find a philosophy department that isn't littered with cafe-going, chain smoking existentialists, and other minor postmodern philosophies (Objectivism comes to mind), if that is what you're looking for. Heiddiger, Whitehead and... some other Process Metaphysician (sp? I don't have the books handy) wrote alot on use of language and whatnot. either way, I hope that you have your senior year of high school ahead of you, because most schools worth going to have already closed their admissions for the fall term. The best thing to do is go to perhaps some of the philosophy organizations (of which I do not know any names). I'm certain that they rank colleges by their own criteria, and since they're all infested with Kant-ites and postmodernists, i'm sure that the best schools will actually be the best for you. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Another good thing to do is-if you have time-go to the schools! talk to the professors, and get a feel for them. The most important thing to find out is if the professors actually teach the classes, if they're available for office hours, and if they're approachable. I'd like to point out that Miami University also has an AMAZING philosophy department, but my favorite professor-and really my role model for going into grad school-is a far cry from postmodernist
