Philosophy and Comparative Religion Department

College of Arts and Humanities
Ellensburg
Language and Literature Bldg., room 337
Mail Stop 7555
509-963-1818
https://www.cwu.edu/academics/philosophy/

Faculty and Staff
Chair
Matthew Altman, PhD

Professors
Matthew Altman, PhD, Kant, ethics and applied ethics, 19th century philosophy, social and political philosophy, philosophy of law, philosophy of art
Gary Bartlett, PhD, philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, cognitive science, epistemology
Cynthia Coe, PhD, 20th century continental philosophy, feminist philosophy, 19th century philosophy, critical race theory
Jeffrey Dippmann, PhD, world religions, Chinese Buddhism, Daoism

Associate Professor
Michael Goerger, PhD, ethical theory, ancient Greco-Roman philosophy, applied ethics, social and political philosophy
Lily Vuong, PhD, early Judaism, early Christianity, New Testament apocrypha, feminist theory

Senior Lecturer
Karen Turcotte, MA, philosophy and world religions, women/gender and religion, philosophy of humor

Lecturers
Lauren Nuckols, PhD, ethics, pragmatism, environmental philosophy
David Schwan, PhD, critical thinking, philosophy of emotion, moral psychology

Staff
Hillary Matson, secretary senior

Department Information
The original meaning of the word philosophy is “the love of wisdom.” Philosophy therefore represents an ongoing process of critical and speculative inquiry into questions representing people’s deepest concerns, such as the meaning of existence, the nature of reality, and the grounds of human conduct. Religious studies is a path of inquiry into the nature of religion, its pervasive role in human life, and its contribution to understanding human existence. The program is comparative in nature but complemented by a philosophical component focused on religion and unique electives designed to accommodate student interests.

Students may choose either a 50- or 60-credit major. In order to graduate, a student who completes the 50-credit major must also have a minor or second major in another discipline. A student who completes the 60-credit major is not required to have a minor or second major.

Maximum Credit Overlap
No more than 10 credits of coursework counting toward any of the department’s major or minor programs may also be counted toward one of the department’s other programs.

Departmental Honors in Philosophy and Religious Studies
The honors program in philosophy and religious studies recognizes the exceptional scholarship of qualified students in either the philosophy or the religious studies major. To qualify, students must have completed at least 25 credits in their major and have a minimum GPA of 3.0 overall and 3.5 in their major coursework.

In addition to their normal coursework, students seeking departmental honors must take one additional upper division course in their program, complete a superior thesis (PHIL 497 or RELS 497: Honors Thesis) to be evaluated by a second reader from the departmental faculty, and make an oral presentation. Students graduating with honors will have that accomplishment recorded on their transcripts.

Course Offerings
Frequency of course offering information can be found at the department website: https://www.cwu.edu/academics/philosophy/ or by contacting the department directly.