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Learn new ways to look at today’s most urgent questions in Penn’s Master of Philosophy in Liberal Arts
As students of the liberal arts can attest, interdisciplinary study increases your flexibility as a thinker and provides you with a wide range of tools for solving complex problems. That’s why Penn’s Master of Philosophy in Liberal Arts (MPhil) requires courses in more than one discipline; with your choice of five courses from schools across the University, this advanced liberal arts degree opens the door to Ivy League resources and expert advising to tackle the questions and topics that interest you most.
As an example, consider the pressing questions raised by PHIL 5960: Global Justice and the Environment, one of the courses available to MPhil students in spring 2023. “How can we balance our moral duty to protect and conserve the natural environment against our obligations of justice to each other?” asks Dr. Kok-Chor Tan, Professor of Philosophy and global justice scholar at Penn. “Are the goals of environmental and wildlife conservation in tension with the demands of global justice? Or is a socially and globally just conservation achievable?” For Dr. Tan, philosophy offers a set of tools ideally suited for examining difficult questions: “Philosophy is about identifying and reconciling tensions and dilemmas,” he explains, “so it is a useful, and essential, approach to the practical problem of justice in conservation.” At the same time, justice is far from an abstract concept where environmentalism is concerned, so students can expect to read up on global economics (and inequalities) and conservation science as well as traditional ecological knowledge and indigenous practices.
Dr. Tan, who has previously taught MPhil students and served as a thesis advisor, notes that students in this degree tend to bring an interdisciplinary mindset into the classroom. “MPhil students come from a diverse background in terms of their academic and life experience,” he adds. “I find the different life experiences and perspectives typical of MPhil students very stimulating. I often learn new ways of looking at old questions from the seminar participants.”
PHIL 5960 is a Proseminar, a small and intensive class designed for liberal arts graduate students to integrate research, writing, discussion, and other methods of inquiry. Students can expect discussion and reflection on related readings, the flexibility to define the driving question or topic that drew them to global justice and the environment, and opportunities to present their work as they develop a graduate-level research paper. “I am eager to discuss some seminal, contemporary works on global justice and environmental animal ethics, as well as more recent writings on the tensions between justice and conservation, and how best to achieve a globally just conservation,” says Dr. Tan.
Available in spring 2023, PHIL 5960: Global Justice and the Environment is an example of the advanced interdisciplinary coursework that characterizes the Master of Philosophy in Liberal Arts at the University of Pennsylvania. Ideal for lifelong learners who previously completed a master’s degree in the liberal arts, Penn’s MPhil offers the independence of self-directed study with the expertise of world-class faculty and advising. Available on a full- or part-time basis, students select the courses that develop their interests and fit their schedules. With advanced interdisciplinary coursework that excites discussion and deep engagement, the MPhil program opens interdisciplinary study across the University for individuals with a passion for academic exploration.
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
