Philosophy Department

 

Welcome, class of 2030!

  info for spark staff & advisers


We look forward to welcoming you to your PHIL 1001 Foundations in Philosophy classes! 

Interested in going further?

Consider the following Philosophy courses, designed for first-time Philosophy students! Both are runinng in Fall 2026 and fulfill requirements for the Cognitive Science major and the Marquette Core Curriculum, as well as the Philosophy major.  

PHIL 2000 | Critical Reasoning:
Informal Logic in Real-World Contexts (3 cr.)
Dr. Corinne Bloch-Mullins | MWF 12pm-12:50pm
INCG | MCC Disco tier: HUM course, COG theme

PHIL 2010 / INCG 2010
Introduction to Cognitive Science (3 cr.)
Instructor TBA | Time TBA
INCG | MCC Disco tier: NUM course, COG theme

Wondering why you should take a Philosophy class? 

We think that's a good question! We also think there's a good answer. Check it out on our webpage, Why Study Philosophy?

Returning students: still figuring out your summer plans?

Consider the following summer courses! 

Summer 26 PHIL1000 PosterPHIL 1000 | Logic | Dr. Corinne Bloch-Mullins | 3 cr.
Introduces principles and forms of good reasoning, as well as methods for distinguishing good reasoning from bad reasoning. Develops skills by analyzing natural language examples, such as political speeches, op-eds, and advertisements. Trains students to become intellectually honest, rigorous and persuasive reasoners.

Click image to enlarge or download pdf
 



Summer26 PHIL3770 PosterPHIL 3770 | Feminist Philosophy | Dr. Desiree Valentine | 3 cr.
Introduces the history of philosophical views of women and provides a critical introduction to different types of feminism, e.g., liberal, existentialist, radical, Marxist and socialist feminism. Includes such topics as feminist theory of knowledge, political
theory and ethics.

Click image to enlarge or download pdf


Department News

The Philosophy Department is proud to announce that the two faculty members selected by students in the Marquette University Honors Program to receive the Class of 2026 Faculty Awards are both members of the Philosophy faculty! Our congratulations to:

Dr. Abram Capone (Coordinator of the Cognitive Science Program and Teaching Assistant Professor)

Dr. Michael Olson (Director of the Marquette Core Curriculum and Teaching Associate Professor)

 

Congratulations to the class of 2026 and to the wonderful students who won Philosophy awards this year! We're excited to see what you do next!

Ethan James Thomas (A&S '26), winner of the Francis X. Boden Memorial Award

Richard Jones Black (A&S '26), winner of the James H. Robb Memorial Award

Isabella Olivia DeRosa (A&S '26), winner of the Rev. John Naus, S.J. Award

Paul-Herve Quesnel (PhD candidate), winner of the Thomas C. Anderson Teaching Award

See Cognitive Science prize winners here.

 

The Philosophy Department is delighted to announce the promotion of Dr. Theresa Tobin to Professor of Philosophy and Dr. Desiree Valentine to Associate Professor of Philosophy!

Drs. Tobin and Valentine

 

Congratulations to Dr. Ericka Tucker, Associate Professor of Philosophy, who has been selected to be a 2026 Philosophy in Media Fellow for Podcasting and Production!

 

Congratulations to Karolyn Burns (PhD candidate), who has been awarded a Capacity MKE Fellowship for Summer 26 and a Mellon Humanities Without Walls Predoctoral Career Diversity Fellowship for 2026-27!

 

Congratulations to Dr. Michael Olson (Director of the MCC and Teaching Associate Professor of Philosophy) and Dr. Amelia Zurcher (Director of the University Honors Program and Professor of English), winners of the 2026 Way Klingler Teaching Enhancement Award!

Faculty in the News

April 2026: Get to know Dr. Stephanie Rivera Berruz, Director of Undergraduate Studies and Associate Professor of Philosophy! See the MU Arts and Science Instagram interview with her, as well as Marquette Wire's article on her groundbreaking bilingual PHIL1001 Foundations in Philosophy class.

March 2026: Dr. James South weighs in on the significance of the character Xander from the cult-hit TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer for The New York Times! Read the article here.

Dr Olson's 1929classNov 2025: Dr. Michael Olson and his Fall CORE 1929 class are featured on WUWM! See the full story here.

Choosing Love book coverOct 2025: Dr. Theresa Tobin (Professor, Philosophy) and Dr. Dawne Moon (Professor, SCS) discuss their new book, Choosing Love (OUP), on WUWM's Lake Effect! Listen to the story here!