Program Review
Mission Statement
The mission of Westmont’s Department of Philosophy is to enable students to cultivate the knowledge, skills, and virtues of Christian philosophers—that is, to enable students to be lovers of wisdom in every sense.
Program Learning Outcomes
The links below lead to information about the department's most recent assessment of student learning relative to our program learning outcomes.
As a result of what they have learned in their philosophy program, graduates in philosophy will be able to do the following:
- Knowledge: "Students will demonstrate knowledge of important philosophical positions, concepts, arguments, and themes."
- Skills: "Students will be able to construct structurally solid arguments and to critique faulty ones appropriately."
Virtues: "Students will demonstrate both enthusiasm for rational inquiry and awareness of the limits of rational inquiry."
Alumni Stories
Chapman Canlis ’22, received the Kenneth Monroe Award for demonstrating superior academic achievement in the classroom. He now serves as executive assistant to the CEO at Screenable, bringing discernment and dedication to his work in the tech industry.
Maddy Simonsen ’23, double-majored in philosophy and religious studies at Westmont and was awarded a Phi Kappa Phi Study Abroad Grant, which supported her participation in Westmont’s Mayterm trip to Turkey. She now works as a customer success manager at Webconnex, helping clients navigate solutions with clarity and purpose.
Career Opportunities
Law (Philosophy majors consistently score best on the Law School Admission Test.) Business (Philosophy majors score among the best on the Graduate Management Admissions Test.) Medicine Christian Ministry | Technology Editorial Work Social Work Any profession that requires an advanced degree (Philosophy majors score best on the Graduate Records Exam.) |
See Career Paths for Graduates Who Studied Philosophy at Westmont
Faculty Highlights
Professor Wins Prestigious Philosophy Award
David Vander Laan, Westmont professor of philosophy, has won the American Philosophical Association’s 2022 Alvin Plantinga Prize. Coincidentally, the prestigious award honors Vander Laan’s doctoral adviser, one of the most influential people shaping Christian philosophical thought during the past 50 years.
Opportunities Abroad
- Westmont’s Europe Semester
- Westmont’s England Semester
- Westmont in Mexico
Tracks & Requirements
Fall
- PHI 6 or PHI 6H: Philosophical Perspectives (4)
Spring
- PHI 12: Critical Reasoning and Logic (4)
Fall
- PHI 103: Ancient Philosophy (4) or PHI 105: Medieval Philosophy (4)
- PHI 108: Formal Logic (4)
Spring
- PHI 106: Modern Philosophy (4) or PHI 107: 19th & 20th Century Philosophy (4)
Fall
- PHI 104: Ethics (4) or Upper Division Philosophy Elective (4)
Spring
- PHI 170: Epistemology (4) or Upper Division Philosophy Elective (4)
Fall
- PHI 175: Metaphysics (4) or Upper Division Philosophy Elective (4)
Spring
- PHI 195: Senior Seminar (4)