Major Spotlight: Philosophy

In Fall of my first year, I decided to take an Intro to Philosophy course with Professor Christopher Prodoehl, simply because it fulfilled many foundations requirements. The course itself gave a brief overview of the multiple specializations of the field: epistemology, aesthetics, metaphysics, politics, ethics, etc. At first, I found it difficult to digest the pretty dense readings and the style of argumentative writing and prose. After going to office hours, I was able to find a better understanding of each individual thinker, how to properly write philosophical arguments, and connect with other students in the course interested in philosophy. I was able to have a close-knit introduction to the field and interact with other department professors, classmates, and materials, piquing my interest even more. 

The Philosophy department at Barnard and Columbia offers a multitude of different courses. They differ from decently large lecture classrooms to smaller discussion-based seminars. I have been able to foster close relationships with professors and friendships with other students. I have taken courses of different branches of philosophy, whilst simultaneously fulfilling my major requirements. After Introduction to Philosophy, I decided to take Introduction to Logic with Professor Prodoehl my Spring semester. Logic is vastly different from an introductory philosophy class; it mainly centers on if-then clauses, translating English into symbolic notation, truth tables, and formal proofs. While the course was not what I expected, it has been my favorite class I’ve taken at Barnard so far. I found a deep interest in the logic course, and I challenged myself out of my academic comfort zone. 

During my Sophomore Fall, I decided to take a philosophy course at Columbia, Introduction to the Philosophy of Art, with Professor Lydia Goehr. Professor Goehr’s a dynamic person, who never made an 8:40 A.M class boring. I found myself intrigued in the idea of aesthetics and philosophy, and being able to rehash the skills I learned in Introduction to Philosophy once more through our papers and final. During the Fall semester, I had wanted to get more involved in the Philosophy department and student life. I attended Barnard and Columbia philosophy event series and attended Meade Philosophy Forum on Wednesdays. This current Spring semester, I am taking two courses: Love, Gender & Sex, and Political Philosophy with Professor Ding. Both courses are larger lecture-style courses, but Professor Ding accounts for this style with smaller discussions among classmates and in-class activities. I feel quite comfortable within Barnard’s discipline and being able to foster more passion for the field everyday, exploring its different fields and learning about different perspectives from different students along the way. 

Being a double-major in Political Science, I have been able to overlap philosophical thinkers and foundational materials with courses taken in Political Science. Since Philosophy is such a multi-faceted major, I have been able to explore different opportunities in different fields. For instance, I was able to work as an intern in Publications at the MET museum last summer, and currently as a Public Affairs Intern at Assemblymembers Steven Raga’s office in Queens. Philosophy has given me beneficial knowledge that’s easily applicable to the real world, bringing thinkers’ ideals to everyday situations. I am also on the Pre-Law track, and philosophy has given me preparatory knowledge for the LSAT and Bar exams, with their infamous Logic sections and the argument-rhetoric style of its questions/responses.

While Philosophy is a diverse and sage field, there are many developments within the discipline, as the world and the debates about the way the world works grows with each passing day. Philosophy provides a middle-ground that tries to encapsulate its thinkers of the past with thinkers that care about the future and the world around them.