- May 11th, 2020, 4:26 pm
#600108
According to Mark Foreman on Facebook, Liberty has dissolved the Philosophy department.
Moderators: jcmanson, Sly Fox, BuryYourDuke
Jonathan Carone wrote: ↑May 11th, 2020, 7:23 pm And that’s an entirely (legitimate) separate issue.Is that last question one that we don't already know the answer to?
I still don’t understand how an entire department - one that every student took a class in - now doesn’t exist. What’s the reasoning?
How did it go from absolutely vital every student took a philosophy class to it’s not worth it for any student to take a philosophy class?
And why are our professors finding out at the end of the semester when all the other jobs in the fall are already spoken for? If we knew we were doing this, why didn’t we give those employees a chance to find a new job?
PAmedic wrote:you're absolutely right
ATrain wrote: ↑May 11th, 2020, 7:41 pmIf you have to find another career path, make sure it's one in the public sector.Jonathan Carone wrote: ↑May 11th, 2020, 7:23 pm And that’s an entirely (legitimate) separate issue.Is that last question one that we don't already know the answer to?
I still don’t understand how an entire department - one that every student took a class in - now doesn’t exist. What’s the reasoning?
How did it go from absolutely vital every student took a philosophy class to it’s not worth it for any student to take a philosophy class?
And why are our professors finding out at the end of the semester when all the other jobs in the fall are already spoken for? If we knew we were doing this, why didn’t we give those employees a chance to find a new job?
Jonathan Carone wrote: ↑May 11th, 2020, 7:23 pm And that’s an entirely (legitimate) separate issue.I have no idea, so I'm just thinking out loud here, but can it be that other faculty (maybe from the English department, for example) will continue to teach some philosophy classes at the same time as the department is eliminated? That is, there may still be some few general philosophy classes to fulfill general humanities requirements, but Liberty will no longer grant degrees in philosophy? That would explain eliminating a department.
I still don’t understand how an entire department - one that every student took a class in - now doesn’t exist. What’s the reasoning?
How did it go from absolutely vital every student took a philosophy class to it’s not worth it for any student to take a philosophy class?
TH Spangler wrote: ↑May 11th, 2020, 8:13 pmYes, you've made your feelings towards federal civil servants known already, and you don't even come close to answering Jonathan's question or my rhetorical response.ATrain wrote: ↑May 11th, 2020, 7:41 pmIf you have to find another career path, make sure it's one in the public sector.Jonathan Carone wrote: ↑May 11th, 2020, 7:23 pm And that’s an entirely (legitimate) separate issue.Is that last question one that we don't already know the answer to?
I still don’t understand how an entire department - one that every student took a class in - now doesn’t exist. What’s the reasoning?
How did it go from absolutely vital every student took a philosophy class to it’s not worth it for any student to take a philosophy class?
And why are our professors finding out at the end of the semester when all the other jobs in the fall are already spoken for? If we knew we were doing this, why didn’t we give those employees a chance to find a new job?
PAmedic wrote:you're absolutely right
Rubicon wrote: ↑May 11th, 2020, 8:41 pmWhy not have the Film Studies Faculty teach World History? Or the Exercise Science Department pick up the Bible classes?Jonathan Carone wrote: ↑May 11th, 2020, 7:23 pm And that’s an entirely (legitimate) separate issue.I have no idea, so I'm just thinking out loud here, but can it be that other faculty (maybe from the English department, for example) will continue to teach some philosophy classes at the same time as the department is eliminated? That is, there may still be some few general philosophy classes to fulfill general humanities requirements, but Liberty will no longer grant degrees in philosophy? That would explain eliminating a department.
I still don’t understand how an entire department - one that every student took a class in - now doesn’t exist. What’s the reasoning?
How did it go from absolutely vital every student took a philosophy class to it’s not worth it for any student to take a philosophy class?
It could be a practical matter of wanting to trim down Liberty's offerings by eliminating degrees it's hard to be gainfully employed in (other than in academia). What's the old joke? What does an employed Philosophy PhD say to an unemployed Philosophy PhD? Did you want fries and a Coke with your burger?
There are other departments that grant degrees that almost no one gets a job in, but Liberty doesn't have any of those (women's studies, gender studies, Native American studies, Latino studies, etc.). Other hard-to-employ fields, such as English or History, won't ever be eliminated. While there are a lot of unemployed English or History majors, it's not as hard to find work for jobs that pretty much just care that you have a degree. They aren't usually super high-paying, though.
TH Spangler wrote: ↑May 11th, 2020, 8:50 pm Liberal arts universities are under scrutiny for leaving young people in debt for degrees that lead no where. Might that have something to do with it. An engineering degree leading to a career in advanced manufacturing might make more sense soon.A person interested in understanding the thought process of Christian leaders and how we can best integrate Evangelical thought in the Modern World is not someone who will usually be interested in engineering. The person who wants to understand a Christians place in these changing times is not someone who will generally be interested in Coding.
Purple Haize wrote: ↑May 11th, 2020, 9:31 pmI don't think it takes a degree in philosophy for a person to understand a Christians place in these changing times. Biblical studies seems to fit the description a lot better. At least that leads to a career.
A person interested in understanding the thought process of Christian leaders and how we can best integrate Evangelical thought in the Modern World is not someone who will usually be interested in engineering. The person who wants to understand a Christians place in these changing times is not someone who will generally be interested in Coding.
Ill flame wrote: ↑May 11th, 2020, 10:23 pmYes and no. It’s certainly not a high volume career field that’s for sure. But it does take Philosophers to ask and ponder questions that need to be asked and pondered. If they are not trained from an Evangelical or Christian point of view, where will they be trained? How will future generations “know thyself’ if they have no one to train them?Purple Haize wrote: ↑May 11th, 2020, 9:31 pmI don't think it takes a degree in philosophy for a person to understand a Christians place in these changing times. Biblical studies seems to fit the description a lot better. At least that leads to a career.
A person interested in understanding the thought process of Christian leaders and how we can best integrate Evangelical thought in the Modern World is not someone who will usually be interested in engineering. The person who wants to understand a Christians place in these changing times is not someone who will generally be interested in Coding.
ATrain wrote: ↑May 11th, 2020, 9:08 pmI have no problem civil servants. I was raised by two. Just pointing out they rarely deal with lose of employment, pay or benefit cuts. Great retirement package. A better career path these days.TH Spangler wrote: ↑May 11th, 2020, 8:13 pmYes, you've made your feelings towards federal civil servants known already, and you don't even come close to answering Jonathan's question or my rhetorical response.ATrain wrote: ↑May 11th, 2020, 7:41 pmIf you have to find another career path, make sure it's one in the public sector.
Is that last question one that we don't already know the answer to?
Purple Haize wrote: ↑May 11th, 2020, 9:31 pm The person who wants to understand a Christians place in these changing times is not someone who will generally be interested in Coding.Totally random, but I own a web design business and got an ad for a new ThD from Evangelical that was reeeaallly intriguing. It was all about "social, systemic and relational flourishing, the constituents of meaningful and successful living and the application of the aforementioned to ministry."
Jonathan Carone wrote: ↑May 11th, 2020, 10:38 pmJohnathan not sure what your profit per year is with your private sector business, but a friend with your skill set just did a little research, he said it pays 100k per year in the civil service world in Norfolk. Includes great benefits. Once you get in you're in for life. It's almost impossible to get fired. It's a great career path if you ever need a new one.Purple Haize wrote: ↑May 11th, 2020, 9:31 pm The person who wants to understand a Christians place in these changing times is not someone who will generally be interested in Coding.Totally random, but I own a web design business and got an ad for a new ThD from Evangelical that was reeeaallly intriguing. It was all about "social, systemic and relational flourishing, the constituents of meaningful and successful living and the application of the aforementioned to ministry."
So I guess I'm the outlier in your example.
Jonathan Carone wrote: ↑May 11th, 2020, 10:38 pmAre you going to pursue it? If not then you’re not an outlier. If you were not happy doing what you were doing and did not find fulfillment in it, then pursued it than maybe. But being intrigued by something and actually doing it are two entirely different thingsPurple Haize wrote: ↑May 11th, 2020, 9:31 pm The person who wants to understand a Christians place in these changing times is not someone who will generally be interested in Coding.Totally random, but I own a web design business and got an ad for a new ThD from Evangelical that was reeeaallly intriguing. It was all about "social, systemic and relational flourishing, the constituents of meaningful and successful living and the application of the aforementioned to ministry."
So I guess I'm the outlier in your example.
rogers3 wrote: ↑May 12th, 2020, 8:12 am My guess is that all PHIL classes will be lower level only and will be all online. I'm thinking that some of these canned professors will be offered positions to teach these new online offerings at a substantially discounted pay scale. Bottom line, there is little that is Christian in the leadership at Liberty.Well for years the fear is that LU would become a school that used to a Christian university like all the others before. Now in 2020....
What do you expect when your school is run by a real estate lawyer, a retail petroleum guy and a rather crusty old TV station manager. What a bunch of clowns.