About Us

Mission, Vision & Goals

Our Mission

exterior of ten Hoor Hall

To advance the study of philosophy by conducting original philosophical research and by providing students with the philosophical education necessary for them to develop a firm foundation in the liberal arts as well as strong ethical, creative, and critical thinking skills. The department is committed to fostering student engagement with historically important philosophical debates, developments in contemporary philosophy, and applications of philosophical ideas in all areas of life.

Our Vision

The Department of Philosophy will be essential to The University of Alabama students’ education in rigorous, analytical thinking about issues across the curriculum, including not only those that arise within the discipline of philosophy, but also philosophical issues in such other areas as the arts, the sciences, business, engineering, and the legal and medical professions. The Department will advance philosophical understanding and debate through both teaching and the production of high-quality original scholarly research.

Our Strategic Goals

  • Produce high-quality research that engages the philosophical community and the wider culture and also enriches the educational opportunities available to University of Alabama students.
  • Provide rigorous education to undergraduates in the history of philosophy, traditional core areas within philosophy such as logic, ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics, as well as burgeoning areas of philosophical inquiry such as philosophy of law, philosophy of neuroscience, and philosophy of medicine.
  • Provide undergraduates the opportunity to study philosophy with expert permanent faculty members, whose teaching loads and class sizes provide students an optimal learning environment for philosophy.
  • Increase student engagement with philosophical issues through major and minor programs and specializations connecting philosophy to their personal and career interests.
  • Achieve and maintain a number of permanent faculty sufficient to consistently provide a breadth of high-quality philosophy courses for all students and to enhance research productivity.
  • Recruit, retain, and support faculty who combine research and teaching expertise that strengthen our major and minor programs and specializations, such as the Mind/Brain, Jurisprudence, Philosophy and Medicine specializations.
  • Promote philosophy in the community by sponsoring and organizing public events, including lecture series such as Philosophy Today, that address philosophical issues of broad interest.
  • Support faculty research by sponsoring lectures by philosophers from outside the department.