Philosophy

About the Department

Philosophy underlies every human endeavor, from politics to education, from business to the arts. At Elmhurst, you’ll tackle the essential questions through an intensive series of courses that look closely at human values and value systems. Each course will introduce you to great thinkers from history to the present day—and each course will ask you to hold up your own values to scrutiny.

Here’s some of what you’ll find at Elmhurst: 

• A personal learning environment. You’ll learn in small classes and develop close learning partnerships with faculty and fellow students. Our student-faculty ratio is only 13 to 1, one of the best in higher education today. 
   
• Modern-day relevance. Philosophy at Elmhurst balances the great philosophical questions with everyday life. Courses speak directly to today’s most pressing issues, from debates over corporate practices and managed health care to global warming.
   
• Grounding in basic skills. Philosophy majors at Elmhurst learn to handle abstract ideas and think critically—skills that are fundamental to a wide range of careers as well as graduate work. Many of our students go on to law school; many others find rewarding careers in the social sciences or teaching.