Philosophy's systematic pursuit of answers to the ultimate questions of existence harkens to a mission that, quite literally, was at the historical origin of the academy (indeed, of Western civilization). Today, the discipline proves no less than it did 2,500 years ago to be an animating principle of intellectual life and culture. The broadening of its mission to include philosophy as it has developed not only in the west but throughout the world serves to strengthen its foundational status.

Given philosophy's broad scope, long history, and the inherent difficulty of "mastering" the subject, we see the following objectives as crucial. First, the development of critical, analytical habits of mind in our students through the close reading of major works in the history of philosophy as well as contemporary reflections on philosophy's perennial subjects: metaphysics, theories of knowledge, politics, aesthetics, ethics, and logic. Our second goal is the development of oral and written communication skills that produce the self-confidence to engage in sustained examination of difficult ideas.?