Dr. Claire Mills
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Philosophy
Cottey offers a minor in philosophy.
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Program Description
The philosophy minor is intended to allow students the opportunity to pursue substantial philosophical inquiry alongside their chosen program/major. Students who study philosophy engage with deep and complicated questions about the nature of existence, truth, and morality. Through careful textual analysis and critical engagement of canonical and lesser-known philosophers, students will not only develop an understanding of the historical answers to these difficult questions, but they will also develop substantial critical thinking, persuasive writing, and broad reading comprehension skills that will serve them in their major discipline.
The philosophy program’s course selection has an emphasis on applied reasoning, which better serves Cottey Students’ selection of a non-philosophy major. Philosophy minors will develop the skills to enable them to be among the most reflective students in their chosen program, due to their developed abilities for interdisciplinary dialogue and critique.
Signature Courses
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PHI 101, Philosophical Quests
In this introductory course, students explore deep philosophical questions in four areas of thinking: politics and justice, truth and the usefulness of knowledge, the reality of the world around us, and the nature of good and evil.
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PHI 215, Philosophy of Sports
Students will engage with the definition of sports versus other types of athleticism and games, engage with the question of why sports are valuable, and explore problematic issues of sport like detrimental health effects, “trash talking,” rules violations, and multiple discriminations in sports (race, gender, and body technologies).
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PHI 295, Bioethics
An introduction to several ethical issues in medicine and health. Subjects in this course include global medical tourism, issues of personal consent and autonomy, racial and gender bias in medicine, and pregnancy related rights.
Career Outcomes
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Career Outcomes
- Graduate work in philosophy/professor
- Law School/Lawyer
- Nonprofit organization work
- Any career where advanced reading and writing skills are essential
Why Cottey’s philosophy program is unique.
The program focuses on persuasive writing and speaking skills, alongside philosophical exploration. All students who take classes in the philosophy department will elevate these underdeveloped skills.
Cottey’s philosophy program allows students to replace one course requirement with a publication project that culminates in submitting a polished writing piece to undergraduate journals. This allows our students to get ahead on their CV/resumes, and is also aimed at scholarship generation pre-graduation.
Faculty
