John Uglietta, Unit Head

Christine DeMichieli, Office Coordinator

Contact us:
Mackinac Hall B3-105
Allendale, Michigan 49401
Email: phidept@gvsu.edu
Tel (616) 331-2114
Fax (616) 331-2601  

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The Department of Philosophy is part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences http://www.gvsu.edu/clas/  and offers both a Major and a Minor in Philosophy.

The Department counts 21 full-time faculty members working in a variety of specialties.

The Department's international faculty is made of active scholars who are committed to undergraduate education. They are at Grand Valley to share their expertise in a wide variety of philosophical schools, national traditions, historical periods, and specialized areas of philosophical work.

The curriculum is designed to provide a foundation of solid understanding of the history of philosophy, but also to encourage students to pursue work in their own areas of interest. Formal coursework is only one part of the Philosophy student's education. Since inquiry and study are most fruitful when conducted in a vital community of fellow scholars, the Department is committed to offering a number of excellent learning opportunities that go beyond traditional classroom structures.

More than 100 colleges and universities throughout the US participate in the Ethics Bowl competitions around the country. This is the second year that Grand Valley State University students have prepared for and competed in the Ethics Bowl competitions. 

One Saturday, November 17, the GVSU Ethics Bowl team competed at the Upper-Midwest Regional Ethics Bowl in Chicago. Jessica Shaltry, Anna Stewart, Richard Vegh, and Mallory Wietrzykowski comprised the first team which went undefeated in the four-round competition. Only three other teams among the 30 teams participating achieved the same perfect score. The GVSU team earned  2^nd place overall qualifying them for the National Ethics Bowl in Baltimore in March 2019. In the tournament, they won their matches against Northwestern, Oakland 2, Bowling Green, and University of Detroit Mercy.

Natalia Blanco, Abbie Branderhorst, Aaron Kopplin, Kieran Mangan, and Christian Miller comprised the second team who won their first two matches against Illinois Wesleyan and Loyola Chicago, tied it up with Carleton College and had a razor-thin loss against Oakland 1.

Congratulations to both teams for their amazing work and achievements.

Philosophy Professor, Dr. Ronald Loeffler, organized and guided the team to success both this year and last. He along with Dr. Phyllis Vandenberg (GVSU Philosophy professor) accompanied the students to the competition in Chicago this year. 

 A practice competition was held prior to the regionals with many GVSU faculty, present and former students, and some Grand Rapids community members stepping up to volunteer as judges. Among them were Dr. Peter Anderson (Classics), Dr. Jeff Byrnes (Philosophy), Dr. David Crane (Classics), Dr. Mladjo Ivanovic (Philosophy), Dr. Andrew Knoll (Philosophy), Anne Hagen, Carla Jackson, Dr. Hope Sample (Philosophy), Dr. Charles Pazdernik (Classics), Dr. Ryan Pollock (Philosophy), Keegan Richards, and Dr. Peggy Vandenberg (Philosophy).

Many thanks to the Office of Student Life for their financial contribution to this event. 

To learn more about the Ethics Bowl team, contact Ronald Loeffler via email: loeffler@gvsu.edu.