The techniques brought to bear on these issues are analytical, formal, and historical. The undergraduate program stresses Western philosophy, ancient and modern, and gives particular emphasis to recent and contemporary Anglo-American philosophy. The department's course offerings provide excellent foundations for graduate work in law and cognitive science, as well as in philosophy itself. A concentration in philosophy is an especially valuable asset when combined with a concentration in political science, economics, or natural sciences such as biology, chemistry, geology, physics, and psychology. The Department sponsers a Teaching Internship in the Rochester City School District.
Interns work with school children on reading, writing, and critical thinking skills.
In addition to a general concentration in philosophy, the department offers three specialized programs. One, the philosophy concentration with emphasis on law and ethics, is designed primarily for prelaw students and others who are interested in an extensive investigation of the nature of law, value, and social justice. The second special concentration emphasizes history, and is designed for students with both scholarly and philosophical interests in the history of philosophy. The third special concentration emphasizes logic and the philosophy of science. It is designed primarily for students interested in one or more of the sciences who wish to pursue in depth the study of logic and the philosophy of science.