literature and philosophy/religion

Anyone know of a master's program where you can combine literature and philosophy/religion into one degree with 18 semester hours in each discipline?

 

University of Illinois - Springfield

UIS has an online master's degree program in philosophy, which is obtained through their Liberal and Integrative Studies program. It is designed to accomodate individual preferences, so the general expectation is that more than one subject will be studied. I could not determine whether courses were offered in literature, but thought you might be interested in doing the research to find out: http:/www.uis.edu/philosophy/about/individualized.html

 

Thanks for the link!

Yes, they do offer courses in literature and writing. This is a good find.

I also like the MA in Philosophy offered by Holy Apostles College, but they don't offer lit courses.

What are the chances of finding a teaching job in philosophy at the college level -- slim and none?

 

You may want to look at the Masters in Humanities degree at CSUDH. It combines literature, philosophy, history, etc.

HUX Home

 

Yes, that's a good program. But it wouldn't give me the 18 semester hours in one field that would be necessary for college teaching. If it did, I would probably go with it.

 

Fort Hays has a Master of Liberal Studies degree which offers several concentrations including philosophy & english, not sure if they allow you to do more than one concentration towards the same degree:

Specialize your Master of Liberal Studies degree with one of 20+ concentrations to meet your personal & professional goals - Fort Hays State University

 

I looked at them and liked the program but found the following:

"Concentration in Philosophy

At this point, none of the Philosophy courses are offered through distance education. Until there are sufficient graduate-level courses in Philosophy to constitute a concentration, philosophy courses might best be used as components of a student's 18-hour emphasis."

Concentration in Philosophy - Fort Hays State University

 

Re: Teaching College-leve Philosophy

I don't know what the job prospects are for teaching philosophy at the college level, but if you are considering a degree in humanities or liberal studies to obtain the required eighteen credits, I would encourage you to first research perceptions regarding the lack of a specific philosophy designation in terms of your competitive edge. Other board members may be able to provide feedback on how specific designations in chosen disciplines impacts hiring choices.

 

Yes, you make a good point, and that is a very relevant consideration.

I have just been looking at the Baker U. Master of Liberal Arts, and I love the course offerings, but I'm wondering if this program would have the utility of, say, the Holy Apostles College MA in Philosophy.

Another thing I'm wondering about: In many colleges, the department is called the Department of Philosophy and Religion. So, would it be acceptable for the 18 graduate hours to be a combination of philosophy and religion courses?

 

Just wanted to mention that although I said in another thread that English was my first love (and creative writing), I was always interested in how that related to and reflected the spiritual. Thus my interest also in religion/philosophy.

 

Hiring for full-time positions at four-year colleges is almost certainly going to be competitive. A successful candidate would generally have to have a doctorate in philosophy or in a closely cognate subject. (They will need publications, recommendations and all the rest.) I'm sure that the same thing is true for the better part-time positions as well. I've never heard of anyone being hired to teach university level philosophy after taking just six classes in the subject.

To tell the truth, I'm not sure if any DL philosophy degree would be competitive for faculty hiring. That's not so much due to prejudice against DL as to the simple fact that there currently aren't any DL philosophy programs (that I know of at least) that have strong academic reputations among philosophers.

The exception to this unpleasant picture might be less competitive hiring at community colleges, particularly in remote locations where the local applicant pool is small. But most community colleges are typically going to expect philosophy instructors to have at least an MA in philosophy. In popular locations (like here in the SF Bay area) there will be many people applying for the better positions and PhDs will almost certainly be competing against you, even at the community colleges. Sometimes the people occupying temporary community college teaching spots around here are doctoral students at local universities getting teaching experience. The CC's have formal and informal arrangements with the universities for that.

But some of the smaller community colleges out there often offer a whole variety of humanities disciplines through general "humanities" departments. Some of these schools might occasionally want to hire somebody with a broader background who can handle more of the classes that the department finds itself teaching. That's where an interdisciplinary humanities MA like hux might offer some utility, I guess.

 

It is amazing to hear our American friends talking about prejudice against DL. Here in Australia, a degree is a degree whether you earned it on campus or by DL. To delare my hand, I have one B&M degree, one DL and am working on another DL. Many of our univesities offer DL and there is no stigma. Perhaps, the reason is the strong legislative control our universities are under. I suspect that we will see more and more online earning; in fact I am sure of it.

 

Bill, at Baker University I could get 18 sem. hrs, in philosophy and 18 sem. hrs. in religion. Would that make a difference -- would it increase my chances of getting a job compared to having only 18 hrs in one subject?

What kind of reputation does Holy Apostles College's MA in Philosophy have?

 

Michael-

I am not an excellent in the field, but I would assume that 36 hours in two subjects will be far better than 18 in one.

 

Wording fixed!

 

DISTANCE LEARNING MASTER OF ARTS PROGRAM at Apostles College seems pretty cool and in-depth.

And it is RA, I think.

 

Do you think a program such as this with 36 hours in one discipline - theology or philosophy - would give a better chance at teaching in college than a program with the 36 hours consisting of 18 hours in philosophy and 18 hours in theology/religion?

 

Is philosophy your teaching goal, or is it theology? I would say, and once again I am not an expert in the field, that educating yourself in one field with more hours would do you better than educating yourself with only 18 hours in one and 18 hours in another. Remember 18 hours is the minimum hours, 36 would be better.

 

Bill-

So a BA, MA, and one who is working on, or has a PhD in Philosophy (Although it is hard to locate anyone who offers a PhD DL program) is still not in the running up for a DL Philosophy teaching position?

 

Okay, that makes sense. But if you were trying to get a job in a Dept.of Philosophy and Religion, would it still be better to have 36 hours in one field, or would you stand a better chance of getting a job in the Department with 18 hours in each, since you could then teach both subjects?

I really appreciate your thoughts -- and in that regard, i have a question to ask you in my other thread!