Philosophy Club
The Philosophy Club is a student organization open to all students at Rider University. It’s purpose is to foster community among Rider students interested in philosophy and to promote philosophy at Rider University. The Philosophy Club meets each week during the Fall and Spring Semesters to plan events and to discuss philosophical topics chosen by the members.  Past topics have included art, death, democracy, love, time, and war.  The club has also screened films and presented lectures on a wide variety of topics.

Philosophy Forum
In fall 2004, we begin a series of lectures and events open to all members of the Rider community and to the public. No tickets are required to attend the events. The forum is sponsored by the Philosophy Club and Rider University's Delta chapter of Phi Sigma Tau, the philosophy honor society.

The purpose of the forum is to present and discuss philosophical issues, as treated in the field of philosophy as well as in other disciplines. Presenters are professors of the Philosophy Department and of other departments within the university, Rider students, and speakers from outside of Rider. All interested members of the Rider community are welcome to suggest future forum activities.

Philosophy Prize
Each year the Philosophy Department offers a Philosophy Prize to the student who has written the best paper in philosophy.

Departmental Honors

Honors Program in Philosophy
Honors in philosophy may be achieved, upon the recommendation of the department, by earning a 3.5 cumulative average in the discipline and completing the senior thesis with distinction.

Internships & Career Opportunities

The Philosophy Internship
The Philosophy Internship was designed to allow students to see firsthand the relevance of philosophy to myriad career opportunities. Hospitals and corporations, seeing the importance of the ethical dimension of their respective institutions, have begun to hire people trained in medical ethics and business ethics. The internship allows students to explore career paths in these areas. We have also placed students in legal and corporate settings, allowing them to explore the potential applications of their philosophic intellectual training. As a result of these placements, our students have been offered positions in major U.S. corporations.

Philosophy and Career Opportunities
Because of its emphasis on reasoned argumentation, the study of philosophy develops the following abilities that can be applied to any field:

  • The ability to formulate and defend positions
  • The ability to speak articulately and listen objectively
  • The ability to write clearly and persuasively
  • The ability to read with comprehension complex material
  • The ability to summarize and organize complex materials
  • The ability to reason analytically and inferentially.

Thus, philosophy provides a valuable background for a wide array of career opportunities. Philosophy students have gone on to enter law, medicine, journalism, and college teaching, as well as distinguishing themselves in the world of business.

Phi Sigma Tau Honor Society

 

Phi Sigma Tau

Phi Sigma Tau was founded at Muhlenberg College in 1930 as Alpha Kapa Alpha, with chapters at colleges in Maryland and Pennsylvania. It remained in this regional status until October of 1955, when it was incorporated as Phi Sigma Tau, a National Honor Society in Philosophy. Its essential purpose was and is to promote ties among philosophy departments in accredited institutions and students in philosophy nationally. Both on the local and national levels, Phi Sigma Tau considers its organization as instrumental: a means of awarding distinction to students having high scholarship and interest in philosophy, the society also promotes interest in philosophy among the general collegiate public.

Internet Resources

  • A philosophy dictionary went on-line called FOLDOP - Free On-line Dictionary of Philosophy. It has 1,600 entries and is regularly updated by new volunteers.
  • Aesthetics On-Line is the home of the American Society for Aesthetics. It features a large number of articles and reviews by prominent aestheticians.
  • The Philosophers' Magazine has added much to their website (http://www.philosophers.co.uk/). Pay the site a visit to check out the new science, religion and ethics portals.