SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT
Choose your courses—and have fun—in Penn’s Master of Philosophy in Liberal Arts
James Washington, Master of Philosophy in Liberal Arts ’23
Former police officer and current Philadelphia School District staff member James Washington (Master of Philosophy in Liberal Arts ’23) had some hesitations about attending the University of Pennsylvania. While Penn’s Master of Philosophy in Liberal Arts (MPhil) could support his goal of teaching college classes on evenings and weekends, he wondered whether he would be able to balance coursework with his work, community, and family responsibilities. “It was so intimidating. I thought that I would just drown and not be able to recover,” he recalls. “I said, I don't think I'm ready.” What changed his mind is encouragement from his family and a conversation with MPhil director, Dr. Chris Pastore. “He said one thing to me that made me think I could do it. He said, ‘Have fun.’ And I said to myself, how do you have fun at Penn?” James laughs. “But when he told me to have fun, I felt confident I could do that.”
As an MPhil student, James chose some courses that could be considered fun—such as Fashioning Gender, a perennial favorite—and other courses that helped him understand pressing global issues. In Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict in Film, he studied genocide in Rwanda; in a course focused on environmental issues, he wrote a paper on Hurricane Katrina that contributed to his understanding of climate change today. “All of these different things that allow me to do some reflection on things that I have experienced in life,” says James. As for his concerns about the courseload, he explains, “I took one item at a time. And when I did one item at a time, I completed this, I completed that, I started progressing. Some of my classes, I used to stay behind and ask questions. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help.”
In the course of writing blog posts for a class assignment, James learned he had a talent for writing. “I just started writing about all the things that I had experienced and what I had observed and what I had to deal with within a 30-minute period of traveling to work,” he recalls. James is the climate manager for a middle school in Kensington, a neighborhood considered the epicenter of the opioid crisis in Philadelphia. “Coming out of our school building, you have to step over needles, or step over people who have overdosed. We’re constantly having lockdown drills,” says James. “But once you get inside our school building, there’s something special that goes on with our children. They really forget about what they have to deal with.” Through his writing, his classmates got a first-person perspective on a troubled neighborhood and widespread social challenge that are often only discussed in the abstract. This would become the kernel of his MPhil thesis project: a multidisciplinary study of Kensington combining history, research data, and his written reflections connecting everything together. “Penn is just unlimited in the things that they have available to their students. If they don't have it, then they're going to connect you with other resources, so you can always find answers to questions you pose within your research,” says James.
James’s dedication to his students and his passion for their well-being helped keep him focused—whether working on his thesis or balancing his school commitments with his family life and community service. But it’s also nice to take time to celebrate your accomplishments, says James. A year before he completed the program, James watched the University of Pennsylvania Commencement ceremony and got chills watching students from schools across Penn process across the campus. “This year, I had the chance to experience that. That was the best feeling in the world—to see my family inside Franklin Field, it just doesn’t get any better than that,” he reflects. “I don't want to sound corny, but I really love Penn.”
Ideal for lifelong learners who previously completed at least a master’s degree, the MPhil offers the independence of self-directed study with the expertise of world-class faculty and advising. Whether you want to pursue a passion project, prepare for graduate school, or pivot toward a professional opportunity, the MPhil program can connect you with courses across the University that develop your interests and fit your schedule.
Contact our program director, Dr. Christopher Pastore, to schedule an appointment to review your current research and explore your options for pursuing a Master of Philosophy in Liberal Arts at Penn.
(215) 898-7326
lps@sas.upenn.edu
www.upenn.edu/mla-mphil
