Program Information
John Schroeder, Chair
Professor of Philosophy
240 895 4456
jwschroeder@smcm.edu
Sharon Newcomb, Office Assistant I
240 895 2159
Program Highlight
The department offers a major and minor in Philosophy and a major and minor in Religious Studies. As an active and energetic department, we are committed towards an intercultural, international and interdisciplinary understanding of the world. We teach across the traditional fields of philosophy and religious studies, and beyond the cultural divides of East and West. Departmental faculty likes to teach in a variety of venues (Nitze Program; Women, Gender and Sexuality; Environmental Studies; Asian Studies; African and African Diaspora Studies), to take students on study tours (Greece, Germany/Poland, India, Thailand, and, in the future, England and Israel), and to bring questions of global relevance to the campus communities through scheduling events with renowned speakers and activists.
Study Tours
The department of Philosophy and Religious Studies offers a number of interesting and exciting learning experiences abroad.
- India Trip
- Greece Trip (Taber/Hall)
- Thailand Trip on Engaged Buddhism
- Holocaust Summer Program
- Japan Study Tour-
This course will examine Japanese philosophy, religion, and aesthetics through academic study and experiential learning. Participants will be introduced to material in advance of travel to acquaint themselves with the requisite background for appreciating the sites and experiences of the tour. In addition to visiting historical and cultural sites of interest, students will be participating in a number of unique experiences that include: viewing traditional theatre performances; a zazen meditation and lecture by a Rinzai Zen practitioner and scholar; interaction with a Shingon priest; and a stay in a Shingon Temple (including traditional meals and morning services). By integrating academic study and such "hands-on" learning, students will develop a much more nuanced and concrete understanding of Japanese philosophy, religion, and culture.
Itinerary: Two days in Tokyo, four days in Kyoto, and two days at Koya-san; the Sanja Festival in Asakusa Temple in Tokyo; downtown Tokyo; a kabuki performance at the Kabuki-za theatre in Tokyo; the Old Canal and temples along the Philosopher's Walk in Kyoto; Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavilion, and Ryôanji, a zen rock garden in Kyoto; Arashiyama and the surrounding temples in Kyoto; a noh performance in Kyoto; Japan's ancient capital of Nara; 2-nights at Koya-san temple, which is the center of Shingon Buddhism and burial place of Kôbô Daishi.
