College of Humanities & Sciences

The Department of Philosophy offers an undergraduate major in philosophy, as well as minors in philosophy and the philosophy of law. The department offers four ways to major in philosophy:

• a regular Philosophy concentration
• a Philosophy and Law concentration 
• a Philosophy and Science concentration, and
• an Ethics and Public Policy concentration.

Advising: 

Melissa Siebert is the advisor for philosophy majors. If you have questions about course scheduling, graduation requirements, or navigating VCU, please schedule an appointment with Melissa Siebert through SSC/Navigate.

Current and Upcoming Seminar in Philosophy (PHIL 490) Topics:

Fall 2022: Paradoxes, taught by Donald Smith

A paradox is something that catches us off our intellectual guard as suggested by the etymology of ‘paradox’; the word derives from the ancient Greek word, ‘παραδόξα’, meaning ‘contrary to expected opinion or belief’. Some paradoxes turn out on closer inspection to be shallow and to admit of straightforward resolution; others turn out to be very deep, to not admit of easy resolution, to even threaten the coherence of some of our most basic concepts and assumptions. In this course, we’ll study a bunch of paradoxes—most of them very deep—related to infinity, motion, decision theory, change, identity, logic, and truth.

View our previous seminar topics.

Contacts:

Donald Smith, Department Chair: dpsmith@vcu.edu
Emma Bilski, Administrative Assistant & Webmaster: bilskiec@vcu.edu, (804) 827-2184

Spring 2022 Talks & Workshops

"The Ethics of Sanctions: Economic Freedom and Liability"
Jessica Flanigan, Ph.D.
Thursday, 4/28, 7:00pm-8:30pm, MCALC 1107
Open to the public