Asking the Right Questions—Especially the Hard Ones.

Philosophy begins not with answers, but with questions. At its best, it never stops asking. In this department, we treat the question “What is philosophy?” not as a riddle to be solved, but as an invitation to think more deeply, more carefully, and more courageously about everything we think we know. To ask, “What is philosophy?” is already to do philosophy—and that act of questioning is where our journey begins.

Our Mission

Rooted in the proud tradition of Coppin State University, an Historically Black College and University, our Philosophy department affirms that rigorous intellectual inquiry is inseparable from the struggle for justice, dignity, and liberation. We train students to question assumptions—including their own—and to engage critically with the real social and political realities of inequality based on race, income, gender, and sexuality. Our mission is not contemplation for its own sake, but thoughtful, informed action in the world. We produce graduates who can think across boundaries, reflect on multiple forms of knowledge, and lead with ethical clarity.

Why Philosophy Matters—Here and Now.

Because the most urgent problems today demand engaged intellects and courageous thinking.

• Confronting Real Inequalities: Philosophy gives you the tools to analyze why racial injustice persists, how economic inequality is reproduced, what gender and sexual norms are based on, and whether current policies truly serve the marginalized. We read thinkers from Plato to Patricia Hill Collins, from Immanuel Kant to Angela Davis and Kimberlé Crenshaw.
• Relevance to Social and Political Realities: From mass incarceration to wealth gaps, from reproductive justice to voting rights—philosophical ethics, political philosophy, and critical social theory help you move from outrage to understanding, and from understanding to action.
• Not Separate from Other Ways of Knowing: Philosophy at an HBCU does not pretend to be the only truth. We integrate and critically reflect on knowledge from history, sociology, literature, the natural sciences, religious studies, and lived community experience. You will learn to hold multiple truths in productive tension.

Explore our Minor in Philosophy

Skills, Not Just Subjects.

What Students Will Learn:

• Critical Thinking at an Advanced Level: You will learn to identify hidden assumptions, evaluate arguments, spot logical fallacies, and build well-supported positions—skills tested daily in law, policy, business, journalism, and community organizing.
• Integration Across Disciplines: Philosophy does not operate apart from other kinds of knowledge. Our courses ask: What does neuroscience tell us about free will? What can anti-colonial literature teach us about justice? How does economics shape moral possibility? You will practice synthesizing insights from different fields while maintaining philosophical rigor.
• Critical Reflection on Experience: Your own life experience—including your identity, background, and struggles—becomes a legitimate object of philosophical reflection. We teach you to examine your own assumptions with the same care you apply to Plato or Fanon.

Explore our Minor in Philosophy

What Can You Do with Philosophy? More Than You Think.

Career Paths and Advantages:

• Law School & Legal Advocacy: Philosophy majors consistently score among the highest on the LSAT. Our pre-law advising and focus on ethics, logic, and argumentation give you a decisive edge.
• Public Policy & Nonprofit Leadership: Understanding justice, rights, and the structure of inequality is essential for policy analysts, community organizers, and advocacy directors.
• Journalism & Digital Media: Asking hard questions, weighing evidence, and constructing clear narratives—all core philosophical habits.
• Business Ethics & Corporate Responsibility: Companies—and the labor force, as well as the consumer—increasingly need people who can think through ethical supply chains, algorithmic bias, and equitable workplace practices.
• Graduate School in Philosophy, Social Thought, or Black/African American Studies: Our faculty prepare you for advanced study with a distinctive HBCU perspective.
• Teaching & Education: Philosophy students learn how to guide discussion, not just deliver facts—a skill for life.
• Beyond the Résumé: Philosophy teaches you how to keep learning, how to change your mind with grace, and how to disagree without being disagreeable. These are invaluable career and life skills which hold great power.

Explore our Minor in Philosophy

A Community That Questions Together, Grows Together.

What Students Say:

• Small Seminars, Big Conversations: Our classes are discussion driven. You will not sit in a silent lecture hall—you will be heard, challenged, and supported.
• Philosophy Across Difference: You will debate with peers who bring different racial, economic, gender, and sexual identities and experiences into the room. Learning to reason respectfully across real differences is part of our core training.
• Mentorship and Belonging: As an HBCU department, we prioritize faculty-student relationships that affirm your whole self—intellectual, cultural, and personal.
• Practical Philosophy Opportunities: We organize debate nights, public philosophy events, reading groups in partnership with Coppin Academy high school, and ethics workshops for community organizations.

Philosophy in Public—On Campus and Beyond.

• Philosophy Club (“The Groundings”): all students campus-wide are invited to participate. 
• “What Is Philosophy?” Welcome Colloquium (Annual): A public conversation with faculty and students focused on why the question itself matters.
• Critical Social Justice Reading Group: Monthly meetings on texts addressing race, class, gender, and sexuality through philosophical lenses.
• Ethics in Action Speaker Series: Activists, lawyers, policymakers, and philosophers discuss real-world dilemmas.
• Student Philosophy Conference (Spring): Undergraduate research presentations with faculty and peer commentary.
• Debate Events: Timely topics (e.g., reparations, free speech, algorithmic bias) debated in a structured, respectful format.
• Film and Philosophy Series: Screening followed by discussion—from Get Out to The Matrix—focusing on social and political realities.

Community Engagement

We partner with Coppin Academy, our local high school, as well as other community entities, and reentry programs to bring philosophical discussion outside the university—because questioning together is a public good. “I Am Because We Are,” the Ubuntu adage reminds us.

Asking the Right Questions—Especially the Hard Ones.

Philosophy begins not with answers, but with questions. At its best, it never stops asking. In this department, we treat the question “What is philosophy?” not as a riddle to be solved, but as an invitation to think more deeply, more carefully, and more courageously about everything we think we know. To ask, “What is philosophy?” is already to do philosophy—and that act of questioning is where our journey begins.

Our Mission

Rooted in the proud tradition of Coppin State University, an Historically Black College and University, our Philosophy department affirms that rigorous intellectual inquiry is inseparable from the struggle for justice, dignity, and liberation. We train students to question assumptions—including their own—and to engage critically with the real social and political realities of inequality based on race, income, gender, and sexuality. Our mission is not contemplation for its own sake, but thoughtful, informed action in the world. We produce graduates who can think across boundaries, reflect on multiple forms of knowledge, and lead with ethical clarity.

Why Philosophy Matters—Here and Now.

Because the most urgent problems today demand engaged intellects and courageous thinking.

• Confronting Real Inequalities: Philosophy gives you the tools to analyze why racial injustice persists, how economic inequality is reproduced, what gender and sexual norms are based on, and whether current policies truly serve the marginalized. We read thinkers from Plato to Patricia Hill Collins, from Immanuel Kant to Angela Davis and Kimberlé Crenshaw.
• Relevance to Social and Political Realities: From mass incarceration to wealth gaps, from reproductive justice to voting rights—philosophical ethics, political philosophy, and critical social theory help you move from outrage to understanding, and from understanding to action.
• Not Separate from Other Ways of Knowing: Philosophy at an HBCU does not pretend to be the only truth. We integrate and critically reflect on knowledge from history, sociology, literature, the natural sciences, religious studies, and lived community experience. You will learn to hold multiple truths in productive tension.

Explore our Minor in Philosophy

Skills, Not Just Subjects.

What Students Will Learn:

• Critical Thinking at an Advanced Level: You will learn to identify hidden assumptions, evaluate arguments, spot logical fallacies, and build well-supported positions—skills tested daily in law, policy, business, journalism, and community organizing.
• Integration Across Disciplines: Philosophy does not operate apart from other kinds of knowledge. Our courses ask: What does neuroscience tell us about free will? What can anti-colonial literature teach us about justice? How does economics shape moral possibility? You will practice synthesizing insights from different fields while maintaining philosophical rigor.
• Critical Reflection on Experience: Your own life experience—including your identity, background, and struggles—becomes a legitimate object of philosophical reflection. We teach you to examine your own assumptions with the same care you apply to Plato or Fanon.

Explore our Minor in Philosophy

What Can You Do with Philosophy? More Than You Think.

Career Paths and Advantages:

• Law School & Legal Advocacy: Philosophy majors consistently score among the highest on the LSAT. Our pre-law advising and focus on ethics, logic, and argumentation give you a decisive edge.
• Public Policy & Nonprofit Leadership: Understanding justice, rights, and the structure of inequality is essential for policy analysts, community organizers, and advocacy directors.
• Journalism & Digital Media: Asking hard questions, weighing evidence, and constructing clear narratives—all core philosophical habits.
• Business Ethics & Corporate Responsibility: Companies—and the labor force, as well as the consumer—increasingly need people who can think through ethical supply chains, algorithmic bias, and equitable workplace practices.
• Graduate School in Philosophy, Social Thought, or Black/African American Studies: Our faculty prepare you for advanced study with a distinctive HBCU perspective.
• Teaching & Education: Philosophy students learn how to guide discussion, not just deliver facts—a skill for life.
• Beyond the Résumé: Philosophy teaches you how to keep learning, how to change your mind with grace, and how to disagree without being disagreeable. These are invaluable career and life skills which hold great power.

Explore our Minor in Philosophy

A Community That Questions Together, Grows Together.

What Students Say:

• Small Seminars, Big Conversations: Our classes are discussion driven. You will not sit in a silent lecture hall—you will be heard, challenged, and supported.
• Philosophy Across Difference: You will debate with peers who bring different racial, economic, gender, and sexual identities and experiences into the room. Learning to reason respectfully across real differences is part of our core training.
• Mentorship and Belonging: As an HBCU department, we prioritize faculty-student relationships that affirm your whole self—intellectual, cultural, and personal.
• Practical Philosophy Opportunities: We organize debate nights, public philosophy events, reading groups in partnership with Coppin Academy high school, and ethics workshops for community organizations.

Philosophy in Public—On Campus and Beyond.

• Philosophy Club (“The Groundings”): all students campus-wide are invited to participate. 
• “What Is Philosophy?” Welcome Colloquium (Annual): A public conversation with faculty and students focused on why the question itself matters.
• Critical Social Justice Reading Group: Monthly meetings on texts addressing race, class, gender, and sexuality through philosophical lenses.
• Ethics in Action Speaker Series: Activists, lawyers, policymakers, and philosophers discuss real-world dilemmas.
• Student Philosophy Conference (Spring): Undergraduate research presentations with faculty and peer commentary.
• Debate Events: Timely topics (e.g., reparations, free speech, algorithmic bias) debated in a structured, respectful format.
• Film and Philosophy Series: Screening followed by discussion—from Get Out to The Matrix—focusing on social and political realities.

Community Engagement

We partner with Coppin Academy, our local high school, as well as other community entities, and reentry programs to bring philosophical discussion outside the university—because questioning together is a public good. “I Am Because We Are,” the Ubuntu adage reminds us.

Biology Partnerships

Partner Organization
A brief summary of how the partnership benefits the program (e.g., internships, shared research, or community outreach).

Partner Organization
A brief summary of how the partnership benefits the program (e.g., internships, shared research, or community outreach).

Partner Organization
A brief summary of how the partnership benefits the program (e.g., internships, shared research, or community outreach).

Partner Organization
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Chemistry Partnerships

Partner Organization
A brief summary of how the partnership benefits the program (e.g., internships, shared research, or community outreach).

Partner Organization
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Partner Organization
A brief summary of how the partnership benefits the program (e.g., internships, shared research, or community outreach).

Partner Organization
A brief summary of how the partnership benefits the program (e.g., internships, shared research, or community outreach).

Polymer and Material Sciences Partnerships

Biology Partnerships

Partner Organization
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Partner Organization
A brief summary of how the partnership benefits the program (e.g., internships, shared research, or community outreach).

Partner Organization
A brief summary of how the partnership benefits the program (e.g., internships, shared research, or community outreach).

Partner Organization
A brief summary of how the partnership benefits the program (e.g., internships, shared research, or community outreach).

Chemistry Partnerships

Partner Organization
A brief summary of how the partnership benefits the program (e.g., internships, shared research, or community outreach).

Partner Organization
A brief summary of how the partnership benefits the program (e.g., internships, shared research, or community outreach).

Partner Organization
A brief summary of how the partnership benefits the program (e.g., internships, shared research, or community outreach).

Partner Organization
A brief summary of how the partnership benefits the program (e.g., internships, shared research, or community outreach).

Polymer and Material Sciences Partnerships

Biology Partnerships

Partner Organization
A brief summary of how the partnership benefits the program (e.g., internships, shared research, or community outreach).

Partner Organization
A brief summary of how the partnership benefits the program (e.g., internships, shared research, or community outreach).

Partner Organization
A brief summary of how the partnership benefits the program (e.g., internships, shared research, or community outreach).

Partner Organization
A brief summary of how the partnership benefits the program (e.g., internships, shared research, or community outreach).

Chemistry Partnerships

Partner Organization
A brief summary of how the partnership benefits the program (e.g., internships, shared research, or community outreach).

Partner Organization
A brief summary of how the partnership benefits the program (e.g., internships, shared research, or community outreach).

Partner Organization
A brief summary of how the partnership benefits the program (e.g., internships, shared research, or community outreach).

Partner Organization
A brief summary of how the partnership benefits the program (e.g., internships, shared research, or community outreach).

Polymer and Material Sciences Partnerships

Explore Partnerships Through the CASE Office of Partnerships

Discover how partnering with the College of Arts, Sciences and Education (CASE) can spark innovation, expand opportunity, and create meaningful impact for students, faculty, and the broader community through the CASE Office of Partnerships.

Explore Partnerships Through the CASE Office of Partnerships

Discover how partnering with the College of Arts, Sciences and Education (CASE) can spark innovation, expand opportunity, and create meaningful impact for students, faculty, and the broader community through the CASE Office of Partnerships.