2008-09 was an award-winning year for the department of Philosophy and Religious Studies. As was previously announced, Professor Larry Hatab was named a winner of the prestigious State Council of Higher Education in Virginia's Outstanding Faculty Award. He has since won two further awards specifically for his research, being designated an ODU Eminent Scholar and winning the University Research Award.
In addition, Professor Yvette Pearson has been named as the winner of the College of Arts and Letters Stern Teaching Award, and Professor Anne-Taylor Cahill has won the college's Adjunct Teaching Award. (In the last two years, our department has won three of the college's four awards for outstanding teaching. Last year Professor Melissa Bristow won the Adjunct Teaching Award, before being appointed to a full-time lectureship.)
The Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy, philosophy with an emphasis in political and legal studies, and philosophy with an emphasis in religious studies.
The program is designed to give students a solid grounding in the historical development of philosophy and an ability to analyze the validity and soundness of arguments proposed in serious discussions of any subject.
The emphasis in political and legal studies is designed for students planning to go to law school and students generally interested in social and political philosophy. The emphasis in religious studies is designed to assist the student in understanding the role of religion in human culture. Competency in oral communication is emphasized in class discussions; majors demonstrate oral competency through their presentations in the senior seminars.
Dale E. Miller Chair - Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies
