Philosophy, Political science, no direction

[penultimeta]

Hi all,

I've been perusing the board for a few days now. I recently graduated undergrad with a B.A. in Political science and a B.A. in Philosophy and I'm currently at an impasse of sorts. I adore philosophy, but my understanding is that not only are most philosophy PhD programs impossibly difficult to get in to (my GPA is mediocre, LORs would be from not necessarily notable {albeit incredible} professors, and I

[hobbeslocke]

I someone who has done different degrees in philosophy, poli sci, and religion, I think you can find a number of schools that fulfil your requirements, both in philosophy and political science.

You may want to do an MA in in Phil or poli thought the meantime to figure out more about your academic interests.

For more mid-ranked schools, check out MA and phd programs at St. Johns Annapolis, The New School in NYC, Stony Brook, philosophy at Milwaukee.

At the high end,  WashU Political Science, Chicago political science, social thought or philosophy could all possibly fit the bill. They also have the MAPS and MAPH MA programs, which let you take any courses you want in the university. Some things of interest in poli sci at Yale or Duke

Other things out there as well.

Best of luck to you!

[anxiousapplicant]

Hi all,

I've been perusing the board for a few days now. I recently graduated undergrad with a B.A. in Political science and a B.A. in Philosophy and I'm currently at an impasse of sorts. I adore philosophy, but my understanding is that not only are most philosophy PhD programs impossibly difficult to get in to (my GPA is mediocre, LORs would be from not necessarily notable {albeit incredible} professors, and I�m not sure I have an adequate writing project), but the academic climate that seems to surround the academic philosophy world is not one that's necessarily appealing to me. I studied primarily epistemology and philosophy of mind as well as philosophy of science. My senior writing project was on Types A, B, and C materialism, defending type C and using that to reconcile with traditional physicalism.

My political science background is rooted in political thought. As an undergrad I took a total of 9 credits that were not first and foremost political philosophy. It's safe to say that if I were to pursue a doctorate in political science I would continue down this road and I think I would excel in such a program. However, I don't which schools have adequate political theory/philosophy programs that would sufficiently slake my lust for philosophy and combine it with a kind of real world application. I know that many political science departments focus on things like voter turnout, censuses, etc. I don't care too much for these things. I would rather discuss the Allegory of the Cave, than demographics of voters in 2008.

Here's where I feel that my education fails me. Having gone to a relatively small state school with almost zero penchants for humanities and social sciences, I feel that I have inadequate preparation to have discovered what I ought to pursue. For instance, I never studied Hagel, many of the political theorists that have been discussed on this board might as well be obscure Tajik royalty, and not one continental philosophy course was ever offered in my 4-year tenure.

Essentially I'm looking for some direction. For instance, would I be a candidate for a terminal MA in philosophy prior to pursuing a PhD? I'm open to all suggestions and they need not be confined into the two arenas that I've specified. I think that my career goal at this juncture is this: to secure a tenure track position at any university, but not before attempting some sort of actual application of my education.

Is there any hope for me or ought I start to look at being satisfied as a buffet style intellectual who will end up managing a Barnes and Noble or coffee shop recanting the days of what was and making excuses for what could have been?

I'm in almost the exact same boat. I am graduating with political science and philosophy as well. I am applying to poli sci programs, but I really don't fit into either. When I do too much political science--all that crap with numbers and voting behavior and blah blah blah--I drift back to philosophy; but then I get tired of talking about things that bear no resemblance to lived reality so I drift back to poli sci. I'm really in the middle of the two fields.... I guess I have nothing useful to contribute here, except that I feel your pain. Maybe enroll in the program closest to your interests and conduct independent studies to allow yourself latitude to explore the gray area between the fields.

Edited January 3, 2010 by anxiousapplicant

[Ziz]

My problem is that I have an undergrad degree in PoliSci and a master's in political theory. While I was doing my master's I became interested in a set of questions that our profs emphasized and now I want to study them more. Problem is, when I'm looking for fit in political science departments there's nobody interested in that topic. In philosophy departments everyone is. Problem? I don't have a degree in philosophy and they are extremely hesitant to admit people who don't have a BA or MA in the subject. What irritates me is that I only became exposed to these topics while doing a POLITICS degree, yet cannot find anywhere to actually study these issues in a politics department! And before anyone asks, the school I did the master's at isn't really an option because the profs who taught me these things have left and gone elsewhere (where I am applying).

[exposingfalsehoods]

Political Science likely will be heavily quantitative. If political theory is more your thing, then do political philosophy and practical ethics--you still keep up on political science trends, you still are engaged with practical affairs, and you will be trained better than a political scientist in evaluation and formulation of arguments.

Edited February 11, 2010 by exposingfalsehoods

[Lanaaa]

Political Science likely will be heavily quantitative. If political theory is more your thing, then do political philosophy and practical ethics--you still keep up on political science trends, you still are engaged with practical affairs, and you will be trained better than a political scientist in evaluation and formulation of arguments.

This is totally correct BUT if you've already got the BA in Poli Sci, then you've already taken research methods...so it might be more reasonable, job prospects wise, to stay on that track. Then again...political theory programs in Poli Sci are slowly dying out and moving to Philosophy. So, you'd be good staying with Poli Sci, but your theory education will not be nearly as good as if you had gone with philosophy.

[pianoise]

Hi, I just graduated with double majors in poli sci and comparative lit. and I feel a sense of affinity to the dilemma posed here.

I first started out with poli sci but I was completely mesmerized by a general elective course on critical thought.

The frustrating thing is because my school is new, there weren't any political theory course nor philosophy major offered; the closest was comparative lit. So I decided to pursue a double major track.

The problem now is: although I really wish to pursue phD in political philosophy, the lack of a formal training in political theory is very discouraging. It's not like I can suddenly pursue a degree in philosophy either, because I didn't receive any serious training in that field.

I've read/studied/self-studied mostly on continental thinkers, but while maintaining interest, I also wish to explore the analytic anglo-american tradition.

Do I have a chance at philosophy? Or political philosophy? Does previous BA degree matter a lot for political philosophy/philosophy?

I had believed that there's no problem if one wished to change track at grad level .. I'm starting to be convinced otherwise.

[dgobox]

I don't think that your case marks necessary cause for immediate concern or stress. Maybe I'm being prolix for a message board...I don't think that you should consider your career thus far to be a precluding factor upon your pursuit advanced degrees in related fields. Professor Michael Marder will be at Duquesne in the Fall of 2011 and his trajectory looked like this:

B.A. Psychology / Social and Political Thought, York University 2002

M.A. Political Science, York University 2003

PhD Philosophy, NSSR 2007

Source:

http://www.duq.edu/philosophy/faculty-and-staff/Michael-Marder.cfm

[pianoise]

Thanks, that's reassuring to hear.

I was kind of freaking out back then, I'm still freaking out, but only mildly.

Anyway, I think what I should do is pursue a MA in either political thought or philosophy if I really want to pursue a PhD in any of these fields.

Btw, I noticed that you were applying to Comparative Literature programs. I might just go for a PhD in Comparative Literature, but I am a little reserved because I'm not sure whether a degree in this field would have a strong voice in political theory / philosophy as this is where I plan to be contributing to. What do you think? Or anyone?

[dgobox]

I applied to three but was rejected from two and wait-listed at Emory outside Atlanta. For your professed interests I am not sure that Comp Lit is the best move, but I don't feel like I can tell you that it wouldn't permit you to work in political theory/philosophy. Sometimes it can be harder to get into a Comp Lit program if you are presenting as your "languages" something like English, Psychology, and Philosophy as opposed to something like English, Philosophy, German/French. Point being, I'd make sure you have (at least) reading knowledge of at least one foreign language before applying within that sector. Some schools care more about the language component than do others. I can't comment on precisely which programs those are and are not because it's been a while since I applied. I think that Emory is an example of a Comp Lit program that interprets 'language' in a broad way. Stony Brook might as well...but I am unsure.