Public Engagement and Philosophy (BA)

This program is offered by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences/Language, Literature and Philosophy Departmentand is only available at the St. Louis main campus.

Program Description

The Bachelor of Arts in Public Engagement and Philosophy prepares students to reason about complex problems, imagine varied futures, and take meaningful action. This major combines rigorous, interdisciplinary training with practical skills in communication, ethical reasoning, and creative problem-solving. It prepares students for careers in law, technology, helping professions, advocacy, analysis, communications, creative industries, and organizational leadership, as well as for graduate and professional study. Students learn to analyze arguments from multiple perspectives, reconcile competing values and priorities, communicate persuasively using diverse modes, and take responsibility for creating positive change in their communities and the world.

The program offers five thematic focus areas: Law and Policy, Art and Creativity, Advocacy for Social Change, Language and Technology, and Cooperative Communication and Persuasion. These focus areas ensure that students graduate with knowledge but also career-relevant competencies, ready to contribute as engaged citizens in a complex and changing world. 

All students complete foundational coursework in philosophy, ethics, and communication; advanced integration courses that connect critical inquiry to contemporary challenges; proseminar experiences focused on career development and professional skill-building; and a thematic focus area that allows students to practice problem solving in areas aligned with their career goals. Students complete a capstone project that demonstrates their competencies through public presentation of their original work.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Public Engagement and Philosophy major, students will be able to:  

• Critically analyze arguments, evidence, and assumptions across multiple contexts; reconcile tensions and dilemmas in complex situations.  
• Create well-reasoned positions and effectively communicate ideas through multiple modes (written, oral, visual, digital) to authentic audiences, adapting communication strategies to context and purpose.
• Apply philosophical and ethical frameworks to evaluate decisions and actions; demonstrate attentiveness to power imbalances and systemic inequities; and take responsibility for creating positive change in communities.
• Explain concepts, arguments, and perspectives within their cultural and historical contexts; integrate insights from multiple disciplines; and collaborate with diverse teams.
• Take and coordinate multiple perspectives and conceive alternate futures to generate new insight and value; translate abstract ideas into practical applications.
• Articulate the connections between their academic studies and their career goals.

Degree Requirements

For information on the general requirements for a degree, see Baccalaureate Degree Requirements under the Academic Policies and Information section of this catalog.

• 42 required credit hours
• 3 international language credit hours
• Applicable University Global Citizenship Program hours
• Electives

Philosophy courses completed with a grade of C- or lower do not count toward fulfilling the specific course requirements of the major.

International Language Requirement

• A minimum of three hours in a non-native language is required in addition to the requirements for the major. Courses used toward the international language requirement may also be used to fulfill general education requirements or a major/minor in a foreign language.
• Transfer students who have completed their 3 credits at an institution of higher education are considered to have fulfilled the requirement, as are students who have scored a "3" or higher on an Advanced Placement exam in a non-native language.

For students whose native language is not English, a passing grade on the TOEFL will count as their foreign language requirement. Students who are from bilingual families but have no evidence of academic study of the second language on a transcript will need to take one course.

The Proseminar (PHIL 3000) is offered every fall and spring semester. Students are strongly encouraged to enroll in the Proseminar each semester after declaring the major. Students must complete at least 3 credit hours and may repeat the course for up to 8 credits. 

Internships may be substituted for one course in a thematic focus area with prior approval and an appropriate reflection component.

Curriculum

Foundations: Foundational Knowledge and Transformative Competencies (12 hours)

• One course (3 hours)
  • LEGL 2400 Introduction to Law (3 hours)
  • ANSO 1050 Global Social Problems (3 hours)
  • POLT 1080 Introduction to Comparative Politics (3 hours)
  • INTL 1050 Introduction to International Relations (3 hours)
  • HIST 1000 World System since 1500 (3 hours)
  • GRAS 1000-or 2000-level courses
  • ILC 1000 The Power of Languages (3 hours)
  • ECON 2000 Survey of Economics (3 hours)
  • SUST 1000 Introduction to Sustainability Studies (3 hours)
  • HRTS 1100 Introduction to Human Rights (3 hours)
• One lower-level ethics course (3 hours)
  • PHIL 2110 Introduction to Ethics (3 hours)
  • PHIL 2320 Contemporary Moral Problems (3 hours)
  • PHIL 2360 Environmental Ethics (3 hours)
• Two courses (6 hours)
  • POLT 1070 Introduction to Political Theory (3 hours)
    or PHIL 2300 Social and Political Philosophy (3 hours
  • PHIL 2510 How to Live: Global Wisdom from the First Philosophers (3 hours)
  • PHIL 2525 The Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment (3 hours)
  • PHIL 2540 American Pragmatism and Transcendentalism (3 hours)

Foundations: Persuasive Communication (6 hours)

• Two courses from (6 hours)
  • SPCM 1040 Public Speaking (3 hours)
  • SPCM 2400 Persuasion (3 hours)
  • POLT 1550 Introduction to Political Argumentation and Debate (3 hours)
  • WRIT 2072 Writing for Social Change (3 hours)
  • WRIT 2090 Writing in the Workplace (3 hours)
  • FTVP 1010 Fundamentals of Video Production (3 hours)
  • INTM 2000 Strategic Writing for Interactive Media (3 hours)
  • AUDI 1063 Introduction to Podcasting (3 hour)

Integration (9 hours)

• One course (3 hours)
  • HRTS 3340 Global Ethics (3 hours)
    or PHIL 3340 Global Ethics (3 hours)
  • GRAS 3370 Intersectional Feminist Philosophy (3 hours)
    or PHIL 3370 Intersectional Feminist Philosophy (3 hours)
  • GRAS 4650 Transformative Thinker in Gender Race and Sexuality (3 hours)
• One course (3 hours) 
  • PHIL 3300 Knowledge and Justice (3 hours)
  • PHIL 3310 Philosophy, Science, and the Public Good (3 hours)

Proseminar

• PHIL 3000 Public Engagement and Philosophy Proseminar (1 hour)
  minimum of 3 credit hours required and may be repeated up to 8 credit hours

Thematic Focus (12 hours)

Students select one of five thematic focus areas and complete 12 credit hours of coursework within that focus. Focus areas offer opportunities for students to integrate and apply their learning.  

Law and Policy Focus
Students intending to pursue this focus are recommended to take LEGL 2400 Introduction to Law (3 hours) or INTL 1050 Introduction to International Relations (3 hours)

• POLT 3020 Civil Liberties and the Law (3 hours)
  or LEGL 4330 Corporate Governance (3 hours)
  or MNGT 2600 Innovation Through Social Impact Organizations (3 hours)
  or MNGT 2280 Introduction to Business Law (3 hours)
• POLT 3310 Judicial Politics (3 hours)
  or INTL 3800 International Security (3 hours)
  or INTL 3700 International Organizations: Structure and Political Conflict (3 hours)
• PHIL 2350 Introduction to the Philosophy of Leadership and Management (3 hours)
  or POLT 1070 Introduction to Political Theory (3 hours)
  or PHIL 2300 Social and Political Philosophy (3 hours)
• Additional course from those listed above
  or HIST 2340 History of American Business and Management  (3 hours)
  or MNGT 2340 History of American Business and Management (3 hours)
  or POLT 3590 Theories of Human Rights (3 hours)
  or PHIL 3590 Theories of Human Rights (3 hours)
  or INTL 2610 Advocacy, NGO's and Civil Society (3 hours)
  or LEGL 4604 International Jurisprudence and Law (3 hours)
  or PHIL 4450 Internship (3 hours)

Art and Creativity Focus

• PHIL 3120 Philosophy of Art (3 hours)
• Nine credit hours from:
  • ENGL 1500 Introduction to Creative Writing,(3 hours) 
  • ENGL 2150 Creative Writing: Poetry (3 hours) 
  • ENGL 2160 Creative Writing: Fiction (3 hours) 
  • ENGL 2170 Creative Writing: Playwriting (3 hours) 
  • ENGL 2180 Creative Writing: Nonfiction (3 hours) 
  • PHIL 3100 Literature and Philosophy (3 hours) 
  • PHIL 3110 Philosophy and Film (3 hours) 
  • THEA 1080 Studio Acting I (3 hours) 
  • PHIL 4450 Internship (3 hours) 
  • Any course with the prefixes ART, AUDI, DANC, FTVP, or MUSC 

Advocacy for Social Change Focus

Twelve hours from:

• GRAS 1020 Introduction to Gender, Race, and Sexuality (3 hours) 
• GRAS 1030 Women, Gender, and Sexuality Around the World (3 hours) 
• HRTS 1100 Introduction to Human Rights (3 hours) 
• GRAS 2000 Topics in Gender, Race and Sexuality (3 hours) 
• GRAS 2010 Theorizing Feminisms (3 hours) 
• GRAS 2040 Queer Theory (3 hours) 
• GRAS 2060 Politics and Gender (3 hours) 
• GRAS 2080 LGBTQ+ Literature (3 hours) hours 
• GRAS 2082 Laws of Inequalities: Race, Gender, and Class (3 hours) 
• GRAS 2085 Wrongful Convictions (3 hours) 
• GRAS 2086 U.S. Literature of Diversity (3 hours) 
• GRAS 2088 Martin, Malcolm, and America (3 hours) 
• GRAS 2090 Slavery in the United States (3 hours) 
• GRAS 2110 Ecofeminism and Environmental Justice (3 hours) 
• GRAS 2120 Literature of Oppression and Resistance (3 hours) 
• GRAS 2122 Latin American Magical Realism (3 hours) 
• GRAS 2125 Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity (3 hours) 
• GRAS 2240 Feminism and Families (3 hours) 
• GRAS 2260 Men & Masculinities (3 hours) 
• ANSO 2300 Social Movements (3 hours) 
• PHIL 2330 Technology, Ethics, and Value (3 hours)
• PHIL 2360 Environmental Ethics (3 hours)
• GRAS 2370 U.S. Women's History (3 hours) 
• GRAS 2390 Philosophy of Sex and Love (3 hours) 
• GRAS 2410 History of Disability (3 hours) 
• ANSO 2460 Good Intentions: The Need to Help (3 hours)
• HRTS 2500 Current Problems in Human Rights (3 hours)
• GRAS 2550 Gender, Culture and Leadership (3 hours) 
• PHIL 2550 Existentialism (3 hours)
• GRAS 2610 Women, Gender, and Sexuality in Social Justice Organizations (3 hours) 
• GRAS 2620 Women and the Law (3 hours) 
• GRAS 2700 Psychology and Women (3 hours) 
• GRAS 2760 Urban Studies (3 hours) 
• GRAS 2790 Asians in America (3 hours) 
• Internship – optional substitute for one focus course with appropriate reflection component (3 hours)

Language and Technology Focus

• Three hours from FREN 1100 Basic Communication in French (1-4 hours)
  or SPAN 1100 Basic Communication in Spanish (1-4 hours)
  or JAPN 1100 Basic Communication in Japanese (1-4 hours)
  students with high school language experience may test into this level
• PHIL 2330 Technology, Ethics, and Value (3 hours)
  or PHIL 2331 Visions of Technology in Film and Philosophy (3 hours)
• Linguistics courses:
  • LNGS 2000 Human Language and Technology (3 hours)
  • LNGS 3000 Linguistic Foundations for Natural Language Processing (3 hours)
• Internship - optional substitution for one focus with appropriate reflection component

Cooperative Communication and Persuasion Focus 

• SPCM 1280 Interpersonal Communication (3 hours)
• Nine hours from: 
  • SPCM 1040 Public Speaking (3 hours)
  • POLT 1550 Political Argumentation and Debate (3 hours)
  • SPCM 1280 Interpersonal Communication (3 hours)
  • SPCM 2000 Forensics (1-3) hours)
  • SPCM 2200 Group Communication (3 hours)
  • SPCM 3100 Communication as Storytelling (3 hours)
  • SPCM 4500 Conflict Resolution (3 hours)
  • PHIL 1010 Introduction to Critical Thinking (3 hours)
  • Any course with the WRIT prefix (3 hours)
  • PHIL 4450 Internship (1-6 hours)

Culminating Experience (3 hours)

• INDS 4701 Senior Capstone (3 hours)
  The capstone must include one or more public demonstrations of competence, such as a presentation at Research Across the Disciplines (RAD), the Webster Undergraduate Philosophy Conference, or the Capstone Colloquium

Admission

See the Admission section of this catalog for general admission requirements. Students interested in applying must submit their application online at www.webster.edu/apply. Transcripts should be sent from your institution electronically to transcripts@webster.edu. If this service is not available, send transcripts to:

Office of Admission
Webster University
470 E. Lockwood Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63119