Independent Research in Philosophy

The Department of Philosophy provides opportunities for undergraduate students to do independent research for academic credit in a wide variety of areas.

Students wishing to do independent research in some area of philosophy must have some background in the general area. Independent research projects are often stimulated by course work. After taking a course in a certain area, topic, or philosopher, a student may want to investigate, in greater detail, some aspect or question raised in or by the course. A course in Plato, for example, may stimulate a research interest in a particular scholarly question or problem that goes well beyond what is covered in the course. The student's project will generally include: (a) formulating a good researchable question; (2) doing the research and critical reflection necessary to answer it; and (c) writing a substantial, self-contained paper explaining the question and the results of the research and reflection.

The following faculty members have indicated a willingness to supervise undergraduate research for academic credit in the areas listed. Students interested in doing research in a particular area should contact the particular faculty member. Whether or not a faculty member will agree to supervise a particular research project will depend on the student's background and understanding and the faculty member's other commitments for a specific semester. As a rule, faculty can only supervise a limited number of independent graduate and undergraduate research projects in a given semester.