Today, we're featuring Maggie Clark, an philosophy major and rising junior from Oxford, NC, as she shares her experiences in our Department of Philosophy. You can learn more about the Department online and/or follow them on Twitter at @UNCPhilOutreach. Jen Kling, Philosophy graduate student and Outreach Coordinator is also available to answer your questions here on the blog.
Why did you decide to study philosophy?
I decided to study
philosophy because it’s not just a subject, it’s a way of thinking. Philosophy
helps develop a skill set of critical thinking and analysis that can be applied
to most aspects of life. You learn to think about things and look at things in
a different way, and I think that’s cool.
What are the three best things about studying
philosophy at UNC?
It’s hard to limit myself
to only three things, but I guess I’d have to say that the faculty in the
department are incredibly supportive and are not just professors but mentors.
Secondly, between the faculty and the philosophy grad students there is always
someone around who is willing to help explain something you don’t understand or
just talk about philosophy. I also like that the work load in most of the
classes is not too extreme; there’s a lot of reading but never more than you
can handle.
Is there a disadvantage to studying philosophy?
One disadvantage is that
it’s easy to get caught up in the philosophic discourse and forget to pull back
and see how what you study applies and relates to the real world.
If there was one thing you could tell non-philosophy
majors, what would it be?
Give philosophy a chance
and try to come to the table without any preconceptions. We don’t all sit
around at a café drinking coffee and discussing the meaning of life!
Any advice for incoming first-year students?
Philosophy is really easy
to get into if it’s something you’re looking to try out; you don’t necessarily
have to begin with the 101 course. See which of the 100 level courses strikes
your fancy and try it; it might be for you!
