The study of philosophy and religion are integral to a person’s education and to shaping how we understand our world and how we can live a fulfilling life. And exploring these fields deeply helps you develop the ability to think critically, analyze, evaluate, construct arguments, raise precise and interesting questions, and articulate and defend complex ideas - these valuable skills and good preparation for a wide range of professions.
With a major in philosophy, you will gain a broad understanding of the history of philosophy and a deep appreciation for it as a practical discipline. By “practical philosophy,” we mean philosophy especially dedicated to questions about how to live and act, and how to understand and evaluate our own lives.
The study of religion has been important at Ohio Wesleyan since the university was founded in 1842, when the the training of a skilled and literate ministry was a key mission. Today, the study of religion is no longer confined to those who want to enter the ministry. Students planning careers in business, social services, law, medicine, education, and other fields benefit from careful study of religious phenomena and history. Additionally, religion students may find that their faith and devotional lives are strengthened by studying religion and looking objectively at the faith and devotion of others.
Philosophy majors develop important skills through detailed textual analysis and lively intellectual debates that prepare them for careers in business, law, medicine, teaching, and the ministry. A low student-faculty ratio provides for a variety of carefully supervised individual research projects.
This major is designed for students whose interests in religion intersect with their work in other disciplines, such as Literature, Fine and Performing Arts, Psychology, Politics & Government, Social Justice, Environmental Studies, or Sociology & Anthropology, or other career interests, such as those in law, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, refugee work, ministerial work, community-based work and relations, and non-profit organizations.
Five courses in philosophy including one upper-level course.
Students take five courses of their choice to earn the Religion minor. The minor is popular among students wanting to understand their own tradition better and/or incorporate their understanding of religion into the study of science, business, psychology, history, etc.
Professor Flynn is interested in the intersection of philosophy and popular culture. He recently published “Celebrating the Agony of Life,” an essay on Nietzsche and Led Zeppelin, and “Blursed!,” an essay on the Red Sox and their curse.
Professor Gunasti complements the humanities section of International Studies by teaching Introduction to Islam, Women and Gender in Islam, and Modern Islam and Its Political Ideas
Professor Calef specializes in ancient philosophy and applied ethics. He also has expertise in modern and analytic philosophy. He has published widely, particularly in the fields of ancient philosophy, applied ethics, and philosophy and popular culture.
Professor Stone-Mediatore specializes in the politics of knowledge, a theme she has pursued through Kant, Marx, and Arendt as well as feminist philosophy, Latin American philosophy, and narrative theory. She is the author of the book Reading Across Borders: Storytelling and Knowledges of Resistance.
Professor Michael's special interests are in religious phenomena of Asian cultures.
Religion faculty take their classes to institutions relevant to what they are teaching to students. Faculty have taken students to the Holocaust Memorial in Detroit, Buddhist meditation centers, and the Hindu Hare Krishna temple in West Virginia.
Travel to Chiapas, Mexico, with special topics course on “Modernity and Colonialism.”
Kerrigan Boyd ’15 was inspired to help create OWU’s new mural, in part, by her participation in a Travel-Learning Course to Chiapas, Mexico, with philosophy professor Shari Stone-Mediatore. The course explored the life of the Zapatistas, who have claimed autonomy from the Mexican state to create a society more sensitive to indigenous peoples.
Beeghly Library has many uncommon and valuable 19th-and early 20th-century works on religion. In addition, students have access to the library of the nearby Methodist Theological School in Ohio.
The annual Merrick Lecture series brings a renowned scholar in religion or philosophy to speak at OWU and have discussions with students.
Present your senior philosophy research project to the campus community.