David Simmons
Department Chair
Email: simmonsd@uww.edu
David Reinhart
Master Advisor & Liberal Studies Coorindator
Email: reinhard@uww.edu
The aim of the Philosophy & Religious Studies Department at UW-Whitewater is to foster critical thinking and appreciation in the areas of reasoning, knowledge, reality, meaning, gender and race issues, ethics, history of religions, hermeneutics, religious rituals, and sacred stories.
We currently have ten faculty members, each of whom brings unique teaching, experience, and research in the attainment of our aim and goal. Our particular research emphases are in German philosophy, feminist philosophy, philosophy of race, philosophy of science, epistemology, ethics, social philosophy, aesthetics, biblical interpretation, classical Hinduism, Buddhism, and religion in the human sciences.
Our department offers a minor in Philosophy, a minor in World Religions, and a major and minor in Liberal Studies. Our philosophy courses familiarize students with basic issues, problems, and methods of philosophy, as well as with the history of philosophy. Our religious studies courses explore ideas and issues relating to the world’s major religions, focusing on the intellectual, historical, cultural, and personal dimensions of religion in human life. Our liberal studies courses cover a wide range of disciplines, including the arts, humanities, sciences and social sciences and enable students to develop breadth of vision and a fundamental understanding of society and values from interdisciplinary perspectives. All of these courses provide students with a heightened capacity for critical thinking and a deeper understanding of the human condition.
Students in the department may join two unique organization's: philosophy minors lead the Philosophy Club, where any and all questions of a philosophical nature are asked, and world religions minors lead the Religious Studies Student Organization (RSSO), where they enrich their understanding of religion. Department faculty have also sponsored independent undergraduate research.
Studies in philosophy, religion, and liberal studies prepare students for careers in law, business, administration, government, international business, international relations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), social work, and health professions serving diverse communities.
Spring 2021 Course Offerings- Interdisciplinary Ethics Certificate
Spring 2021 Course Offerings- PHILSPHY, RELIGST, and LIBST