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Philosophy Department
  2. Undergraduate
  3. Immersion Program

Immersion Program

Immersion Vanderbilt provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to pursue their passions and cultivate intellectual interests through experiential learning. This intensive learning experience takes place in and beyond the classroom and culminates in the creation of a final project. 

Immersion Vanderbilt | Vanderbilt University

Immersion in Philosophy

The Philosophy Department Immersion Program is a research arc for students with current first or second year status. Students will design their own immersion experience as a combination of coursework and a research project. Students will take two related PHIL courses and then register for an independent study/philosophy research practicum (amounting to 9 credit hours). Those participating in the program will present their research at the Vanderbilt Undergraduate Philosophy Conference in the Spring of 2021. The following are some pathways that students can take to complete the immersion program in philosophy:

Philosophy Research Pathway

This immersion plan is devoted to enabling students to do focused research in a topic in philosophy. The pathways for this research can be, for example, connecting ideas in the history of philosophy, the development of new ideas bearing on new practical problems, the application of theoretical views on pressing contemporary issues, or further engagement with standing literature on a classic debate.

History of Philosophy Research

This pathway enables students to do focused research related to the history of philosophy. Pathways for this research can focus on Ancient Philosophy, Hellenistic Philosophy, Medieval Philosophy, Modern Philosophy, 19th Century Philosophy, or American Philosophy, or connecting ideas in the history of philosophy. 

Value Theory Emphasis

This immersion pathway enables students to do research specifically related to value theory. Students can complete this pathway by completing two courses in value theory and developing a research project related to a theme the student sees between the two courses.

Further information about Immersion Vanderbilt can be found on the Immersion Hub. If you are interested in completing the immersion program in philosophy, you can find further information about each immersion pathway by searching for "philosophy" in the opportunities database here.