Philosophy Branches Out

In the face of an ever-changing academic job market, the UW Department of Philosophy is working to reimagine how our graduate program prepares our students for professional success. Our challenge is to increase opportunities to develop professional skills valued beyond the academy without compromising the rigor of our doctoral training or delaying degree completion by overburdening students. Through Philosophy Branches Out, we will explore how philosophy is being used beyond the academy, seeking input from a wide array of sources.

Building a local network of partners, we will develop and pilot a "micro-immersion experience" program in which graduate students work with professionals engaged with philosophical questions in the public and private sectors in the Seattle area. We believe that providing students with opportunities to learn how the skills of academic philosophy align with the skills required for diverse careers enriches their professional development, regardless of their ultimate career goals. These micro-immersion experiences will provide immediate value to participating students while helping us identify core skills that bridge academic and non-academic career tracks for philosophy PhDs.

In autumn 2016, we will collaborate with the Graduate School’s workshop “Humanities in the Public Sphere” and begin to develop our local network. In winter 2017, we will implement the micro-immersion experience program and invite humanities faculty and students from across the UW to a panel discussion and reception with our partners from outside the academy. In spring 2017 we will reconvene to determine how best to incorporate the development of key skills into our graduate curriculum to prepare our students to succeed in a wide array of careers.