Home

Announcements

Fall 23 Registration: Registration for Fall 2023 begins on April 17th.
Faculty Spotlight: Philosophy Professor Dr. John Sullins and his presentation at the Embedded Ethics Conference at Stanford University.  
Faculty Spotlight: Check out this fantastic spotlight about two upcoming presentations being given by Dr. John Sullins.
Faculty Spotlight: Check out the Faculty Spotlight on Dr. John Sullins presenting at the Riyadh Philosophy Conference.
Philosophy Major Receives the 2022-2023 Foundation Scholarship: Congratulations to  philosophy major Amish Patel for receiving the 2022-2023 Foundation Scholarship. Read the Arts and Humanities Spotlight here.
Faculty Spotlight: Check out the Faculty Spotlight on Dr. John Sullin's recent interview for the podcast Scientific Sense.
Congratulations to Amish Patel: Amish Patel is the 2022 recipient of the Philosophy Dept. Service Award as well as receiving COPLAC's David J. Prior Award for 2022. Congratulations Amish!
Congratulations to Denika Chatman: Denika Chatman is the recipient of the 2021 Philosophy Dept. Service Award.  To read more about this honor, please click here: Denika Chatman
Philosophy student awarded Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Scholarship: We are excited and honored to announce Philosophy student, Amish Patel, has been awarded the prestigious Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Scholarship this year! Please read more information on this honor here:  Amish Patel, Philosophy and Psychology
Faculty Spotlight: Check out this spotlight on Philosophy Lecturer, Anthony Wright, publishes a chapter in Cambridge Scholars Anthology
Pop Up Self Care Classes featured in SSU STAR: In the latest issue of the Sonoma State STAR newspaper, there is a great article about the Mindfulness and Self Care classes offered by Dr. Andy Wallace.  You can read the article here: http://www.sonomastatestar.com/health-and-
Congratulations to Joshua Glasgow on his newest book!: Associate Professor  Dr. Joshua Glasgow has just released his new book The Solace: Finding Value in Death through Gratitute for Life.
Congrats to Dr. John Sullins on the Publishing of his Book: Great Philosophical Objections to Artificial Intelligence - The History and

Welcome 

At Sonoma State University, the philosophy department specializes in the study of ethics and values.  Students critically examine life's deepest questions, and learn how to evaluate solutions to vital problems and debates in contemporary society.  If you are curious about the origins of value, or what makes life worth living, or how to promote the public good, then majoring in philosophy is a smart choice.

We divide our curriculum into a set of common requirements, and a set of concentration requirements.  Students choose among four different concentrations:  1)  Pre-Law and Applied Ethics; 2) The Good Life; 3) Science, Technology and Ethics; and 4) Social Justice.  These concentrations offer in-depth exploration of specific themes and topics.  Pre-Law and Applied Ethics focuses on the intersection of law, politics and ethics.  The Good Life focuses on the nature of human flourishing and the origins of value.  Science, Technology and Ethics focuses on artifical intelligence and the ethics of technology and science.  Social Justice focuses on gender, race and power.  Students learn leading theories and ideas, and apply them to their experiences and decision-making.

A degree in philosophy provides excellent training for critical thinking, writing and speaking.  Philosophy majors regularly place in the top five in the LSAT (the law school entrance exam), the GMAT (the business school entrance exam), and the GRE (the graduate school entrance exam).  Employers prize philosophy majors for their ability to think on their own, solve problems, and adapt to novel circumstances.  Philosophy majors have a return on their investment that is comparable to engineering majors and their mid-career salaries are the highest outside of the stem fields.

Because we focus on ethics and values, our major is especially well suited for students who aspire for careers in the fields of law, criminal justice, data ethics, government and public administration, ethical oversight (medical, legal, professional) and philanthropy.