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Pluralism
Competitive
Scholarly Community
Placement
Founded in 1990, the PhD program in philosophy at the University of Memphis has become famous not only for producing pluralistic graduates (trained in both contemporary continental and contemporary analytic philosophy, with a foundation in the history of philosophy), but also for producing graduates oriented toward race theory and feminism. The course of study is rigorous with required courses, four comprehensive exams, and two foreign language exams. But the program remains flexible enough for independent research and original dissertations. Dissertations written over the first fifteen years of the program have run the full gamut: from Hegel to Merleau-Ponty, from Levinas to Derrida, from Heidegger to Irigaray, from metaethics to race theory. The program provides a broad background in the history of philosophy and in the different contemporary methodologies and then proceeds to the specialization requisite for the dissertation. It is designed to avoid a premature and overly narrow specialization and to ensure a competence in the basic fields of philosophy as a foundation for subsequent concentration in one or more areas of continental philosophy, analytic philosophy, or the history of philosophy. Graduates will thus be prepared to teach not only their specialty but also a wide variety of basic courses, and they will be prepared to function effectively as teachers and colleagues, even in departments in which the main focus is in a tradition or methodology different from their own concentration. They will also be able to apply their expertise to areas of endeavor outside academia, such as law, publishing, medicine, computer design, theology, and secondary education. Entrance into the PhD program is competitive with about a five percent acceptance rate. Financial support is more than adequate for the city of Memphis. Once admitted, students entering the PhD program find a friendly and supportive community of faculty and advanced students based in broad philosophical interests. The academic community is enriched by reading groups and by the Friday afternoon "Research in Progress" sessions that are usually followed by a reception at the home of the chair of the department. In addition to student and faculty research presentations, speakers in the "Research in Progress" have included Edward Casey, Jean Greisch, and Mauro Carbone. The success of the PhD program is evident from its placement record, with graduates placed at DePaul University, Penn State, Oregon, and Loyola Marymount. The philosophy department at the University of Memphis is especially proud of its record in recruiting and graduating more African American PhD students than any other philosophy department in the United States. The PhD is first and foremost a research degree. It signifies the ability, attested by the dissertation, to do competent, independent, and original research in a field. It is important that students understand the relationship between their fields of research and the basic areas and traditions of philosophy, including both the analytic and continental traditions and the common historical basis on which they are founded. We hope that the University of Memphis students will be able to communicate their understanding to students and philosophers of diverse backgrounds, and to be able to understand and appreciate the efforts of philosophers of different training and methods. We would like students with these qualities to be a mark of this department. This website provides an overview of the PhD program requirements. However, the information is also available in one location in the Guidebook to Graduate Studies in Philosophy (PDF).
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