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The Bachelor of Arts in Public Engagement and Philosophy prepares students to reason about complex problems, imagine varied futures and take meaningful action. The major combines rigorous, interdisciplinary training with practical skills in communication, ethical reasoning and creative problem-solving, preparing students for careers in law, technology, helping professions, advocacy, analysis, communications, creative industries and organizational leadership, as well as for graduate and professional study.
Students choose from five thematic focus areas:
- Law and Policy
- Art and Creativity
- Advocacy for Social Change
- Language and Technology
- Cooperative Communication and Persuasion
Students will learn to analyze arguments from multiple perspectives, reconcile competing values and priorities, communicate persuasively using diverse modes and take responsibility for creating positive change in their communities and the world.
Students in this program will also have access to unique opportunities including the short-term study abroad course on inequality and the environment, semester-long study abroad opportunities, the Proseminar and Capstone Experience and collaborative research funds also available to Webster students, as well as the student-run Philosophy Coalition, which organizes on- and off-campus events for students.
Choose Webster for Your Public Engagement and Philosophy Degree
Explore Five Thematic Focus Areas
After completing foundational coursework in philosophy, ethics and communication, students choose one of five thematic focus areas to build career-relevant expertise alongside their core training:
- Law and Policy: courses such as Civil Liberties and the Law, Corporate Governance and the Philosophy of Leadership and Management
- Art and Creativity: courses such as Philosophy of Art, Literature and Philosophy, Philosophy and Film, and creative writing electives
- Advocacy for Social Change: courses such as Introduction to Human Rights, Theorizing Feminisms, and Environmental Ethics
- Language and Technology: courses in Technology, Ethics and Value, Human Language and Technology, and beginning coursework in a modern language
- Cooperative Communication and Persuasion: courses such as Interpersonal Communication, Public Speaking and Conflict Resolution
Proseminar and Capstone Experience
All Philosophy majors also take courses in the history of philosophy, in major areas of philosophy, in global ethics, and a course in feminist philosophy. The required Public Engagement and Philosophy Proseminar is where students plan and administer the annual Proseminar and Capstone Experience and develop a career plan to translate their Webster experience to the world of work beyond college. In the culminating Capstone seminar, students examine a significant philosophical text or issue, write an original paper, and discuss their work with students and faculty in the Capstone Colloquium.
鈥淚 have a deep passion for the environment and want to ensure that we are acting in the best interest of our planet and the greater universe while still innovating.鈥�
Lonnie Helm
BA in Philosophy and English with an Emphasis in Playwriting, 鈥�22
Bachelor of Arts in Public Engagement and Philosophy
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Call 314-246-7800 or 800-753-6765 or send an email to admit@webster.edu.