Welcome to the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Northeastern University. Our department is filled with faculty and students who love to think, read and talk about “the big questions,” as well as about current events and contemporary issues involving ethics, religion, and political philosophy. We have an active research faculty and an award winning group of students whose plans range from heading off to graduate or law school to careers in public service, non-profit organizations, and business. Many of our students take advantage of our combined majors with other disciplines, such as computer science, international affairs, environmental studies, physics, history, english, economics, and media and screen studies.
The Department is home to The Ethics Institute, which does research in applied ethics, religious ethics, descriptive ethics, and normative theory. Our Philosophy Club is an active group of undergraduates who gather weekly for dinner and discussions. Our Ethics Bowl team studies pressing social and ethical issues and competes in competitions around the region. We are fortunate to have a vibrant intellectual community that is committed to bringing philosophical and religious studies research and methods to bear on contemporary events and issues.
On this website you will find information about our majors and minors, about experiential liberal arts opportunities, and about our student and faculty community. You can also “Like” us on Facebook, where you can see upcoming events, recent photos of different activities, and see exciting opportunities for students.
If you have any questions about our programs or department, please feel free to contact me at r.sandler@northeastern.edu or call us at 617.373.3636.
Ron Sandler
Department Chair
Accused sex trafficker and convicted prostitution client Jeffrey Epstein is dead, but many questions about his financial ties to business mogul and mega-philanthropist Leslie Wexner live on. Details about their two-decade-long relationship are murky, and the transfers of large amounts of money and high-value property between the businesses and charitable foundations of the two men remain…
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Muslim women have been intimidated, harassed and kicked out for wearing modest bathing suits across America. Manar Hussein stood in the sand and faced the blue Atlantic Ocean, as the water hit her toes over and over in waves. The 27-year-old Muslim woman had not been to the beach in years, despite living in a…
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A platform for violent hate speech has been implicated in three mass shootings. Should regulators step in? Twenty minutes before the alleged shooter stormed into a Walmart in El Paso, Texas and killed 22 people, he reportedly posted an anti-immigrant screed onto 8chan, an online message forum that’s been linked to violent extremism. The post…
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Uncivil Disobedience: Hi-Phi Nation looks at the disruptive tactics of the animal liberation movement in Australia. In Australia, vegan and animal liberation activism has recently become intense and disruptive, invading farms, restaurants, and city centers. They’re doing everything from rescuing animals to blocking traffic and occupying steakhouses. Some argue that these new activists are needlessly…
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PPE Guest Speaker: Meira Levinson More information to come.
PPE Guest Speaker: Stephanie Silverman More information to come.
Misconceptions abound about low-wage work in the United States. Many people think that it is easy, mindless, and unimportant, and that the workers who fill these jobs are only there because they are some combination of imprudent, untalented, lazy, and unambitious…
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