“This, I believe, is the greatest gift given to me by the philosophy department at USM: providing me the opportunity to put my deepest and most fundamental beliefs to the test of argumentation and to emerge with a clearer understanding of myself and the world around me.”
— William Harper, Philosophy Alum

Read about William’s experience taking the optional senior thesis course.

Learn More
Headshot of William Harper
William Harper, photo provided by William

Meet the 2023 Mackensen Award in Philosophy Recipient

Congratulations to Zaid Shaikh, who was chosen for the Mackensen Award in Philosophy. The award is given to an outstanding senior student, based on academic excellence, outstanding service, and quality of philosophical writing. Read about Zaid’s journey in philosophy through the link below.

Learn More
Photo provided by Zaid Shaikh
Photo of Professor Read

Professor Read Lectures at Wabash College

Professor Jason Read delivered the prestigious J. Harry Cotton Lecture in Philosophy virtually for Wabash College in the spring of 2021. You can view it on YouTube via the link below.

Learn More
Consider Philosophy
a photo of a green leaf among bown fall leaves
Registration begins soon for Fall 2023 courses. Take a peek at the course offerings in the Philosophy Department for the Fall 2023 semester. Many philosophy courses fulfill University core curriculum requirements as well as requirements for the BA in Philosophy.
Learn More
“We cannot learn philosophy; for where is it, who is in possession of it, and how shall we recognize it? We can only learn to philosophize, that is, to exercise the talent of reason, in accordance with its universal principles, on certain actually existing attempts at philosophy, always, however, reserving the right of reason to investigate, to confirm, or to reject these principles in their very sources..”
— Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), Critique of Pure Reason (1781)
Robert Louden Round Table Baselow Video Stills

Johann Bernhard Basedow and the Transformation of Modern Education

Professor Louden’s book, Johann Bernhard Basedow and the Transformation of Modern Education, is discussed in this international Zoom roundtable.

Learn More
Student walking on campus with bicycle.

Looking ahead to Law School?

Our Accelerated Graduate Pathway to the University of Maine School of Law can save you time and money in earning your JD.

Learn More

Current students, faculty, and staff: Visit us on MyUSM

We’ve moved our information for current students, faculty, and staff to MyUSM — streamlining access through our secure, single sign-on portal. Login required.

Get Started