Philosophy
Why study philosophy? Philosophy courses strengthen students’ thinking, writing, and analytic abilities, while exposing them to some of life’s most persistent and important questions. Philosophy majors and minors improve their chances of getting into top graduate programs and law schools, while non-majors gain a richer education and preparation for work and life. Courses in philosophy at Merrimack are designed to appeal to a variety of student interests and concerns regardless of one’s major or intended career.
For our majors and minors, the Philosophy Department offers a rigorous program of study that prepares students for post-graduate work in philosophy, law, related fields—and beyond. Breadth and depth of understanding is the aim of this program’s required courses. A balance is struck between issues courses (e.g., Epistemology, Approaches to Ethics), and history courses (e.g., History of Ancient, History of Modern) which enliven and enlighten the issues by revealing the setting in which they arose and developed.
The variety of electives (such as Women, Ethics and Society, Asian Philosophy, Philosophy of Law), together with the directed study program allow the student ample opportunity both to pursue in greater depth an area of particular interest and to give the program a personal flavor.
For everyone at Merrimack, our program is designed to familiarize students with the central issues in the different areas of philosophy and to cultivate students’ abilities to think critically, analytically, and imaginatively about those issues.