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The Department of History, Philosophy, and Liberal Studies prepares students for future roles as global citizens and for various career opportunities as educators, researchers, legal professionals, public servants, curators, and media and business professionals, to name a few.
Alumni in arts, humanities, and social sciences are employed or in graduate school within 6 months after graduation
Average starting salaries in History, Philosophy, and Liberal Studies fields (NACE)
Noteworthy History, Philosophy, and Liberal Studies Jobs and Mid-Career Salaries with 8+ Years of Experience (PayScale)
The ethics degree provides students with training in ethical frameworks and methods that benefit them in both future professional duties and personal decision-making. Awareness of ethical issues helps prepare students for employment in a global marketplace. It also prepares students for graduate professional studies in a variety of fields. The major brings together a community of students interested in practical, contemporary problems such as the recent collapse of the stock market and global financial systems, the nature of professionalism, stem cell research, whether people have a right to healthcare, and what we owe to future generations. The ethics major is structured to explore involved global issues from the perspective of the individual and personal responsibility, as well as organizations and social responsibility.
View academic program requirements and course descriptions in the University Course Catalog:
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History majors can undertake a guided independent study in an approved subject of their choice; intern as curators and archivists at local museums and historical societies; participate in the activities of the History Club; and earn membership in the university's chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the international history honor society.
Accelerated Program:
The College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences offers opportunities for a degree in liberal studies at the BA level. This program combines interdisciplinary training in the arts, humanities, and social sciences, allowing students to design a flexible yet rigorous program. Students declare two tracks from a variety of academic fields of study, including American Studies, Anthropology, Criminology and Criminal Justice, English, History, Legal Studies, Philosophy, Sociology, and other options. The liberal studies major prepares students for a wide range of careers and is ideal for those who seek a broad-based education and for pre-service teachers seeking certification in P-3, K-5, and 5-8 education.
The American Studies Minor is an 18-credit inter-disciplinary program that combines United States history, politics, literature, and culture.
A minor in Ethics offers provides students with the opportunity to take courses that study theory, empirical research and analysis. Minoring in Ethics will train students in ethical frameworks and methods to ensure successful execution of both future professional duties and personal decision-making. This minor complements a variety of majors, including nursing, public health, business, finance, pre-law, and majors across the humanities.
The History Minor is an 18-credit program. History has important links to other fields of study, including political science, philosophy, literature, economics, law, criminal justice, and social justice.
A minor in Philosophy offers a rich variety of traditional courses in Ancient Greek, medieval, modern, nineteenth and twentieth century philosophy, along with specific courses in philosophical areas such as logic, ethics, political and social philosophy, philosophy of mind, theory of knowledge, philosophy of language, philosophy of religion, philosophy of art, existentialism, phenomenology, metaphysics, as well as Eastern philosophy and religion. Many of these courses are chosen by non-majors as part of their liberal studies, general education requirements, or free electives.
This 12-credit certificate in Genealogy and Family History is open to anyone interested in exploring genealogical research and family history. In their various coursework for this certificate program, students will learn how to effectively research and analyze a variety of historical source materials, including census data, oral histories, maps, town records, military records, personal letters and diaries, and material culture.
The Healthcare Ethics certificate is a 12-credit interdisciplinary program that can be added to any major. This certificate program provides students with training in critical reasoning, ethical frameworks and methods, and applied healthcare ethics coursework to ensure successful execution of both future professional duties and personal decision-making.
The Mindfulness and Wellness Certificate offers interdisciplinary approaches to personal well-being by promoting the study and practices of yoga, meditation, mindfulness, contemplative studies and other wellness traditions for a range of cultures. Students who earn this certificate will be able to: distinguish between the fundamentals, principles, and practices of yoga, meditation, mindfulness, contemplative studies, and other wellness tradition, identify and explain the philosophical, historical, psychological, and other principles of yoga meditation, mindfulness, contemplative studies, and other wellness traditions and identify and employ a variety of techniques and practices to promote well-being and reduce stress. Numerous studies and organizations, including the CDC, affirm the benefits of wellness and mindfulness in the workplace. Wellness programs have been shown to increase productivity and focus, while decreasing burnout and absenteeism.
This certificate is designed to be available to any student, but is especially appropriate for 1st and 2nd year students since courses in the program contribute to the Core Curriculum and to a range of majors.
The Professional Ethics certificate is a 12-credit interdisciplinary program that can be added to any major. This certificate program provides students with training in critical reasoning, ethical frameworks and methods, and professional ethics coursework to allow successful execution of both future professional duties and personal decision-making.
Students in our programs benefit from the expertise of our professors and a variety of interdisciplinary course offerings. Students can pursue internships at local museums and historical societies; participate in civic engagement/service-learning activities; and earn membership in Phi Sigma Tau (Philosophy Honor Society) or Phi Alpha Theta (the international history honor society).
In our history, philosophy, and liberal studies programs, students learn in-demand skills that employers have identified as critical for job candidates, including:
Our history, philosophy, and liberal studies graduates pursue education careers as teachers, principals, and librarians, as well as positions in law and government as lawyers and public administrators. Our alumni excel in such fields as business, natural sciences, communication, public health, accounting, law, psychology, government, social work, marketing, and many others.
Many graduates have gone on to graduate school or law school, including Rutgers Law School, Duke University, University of Texas, Albert Einstein’s College of Medicine, and many more.
Our professors are proud practitioners in their fields and love to share their expertise beyond the classroom. Mentorship is at the core of our department, and it’s our goal that every student work directly with a faculty member to expand their knowledge and worldview.
Philosophy and elementary education, pursuing PhD in philosophy at Temple University
And we're ready to help you grow. At William Paterson, we provide students with the skills, knowledge, and experience they need to forge forward as a powerhouse—both in the classroom and in their careers. Apply today to discover your potential.
For many parents, bedtime stories are a comforting routine and an opportunity to build early literacy skills. But according to new research by William Paterson University philosophy professor Laura T. Di Summa, reading picture books with young children is also a shared aesthetic experience—one that shapes how children first encounter stories, images, and imagination.
In a new paper published in the British Journal of Aesthetics, Di Summa explores the philosophical significance of reading picture books with young children. Her article, “Who’s Reading? On Children’s Aesthetics and Parenting,” examines how shared reading introduces children to artistic expression while also reshaping how parents experience stories alongside them.
While the benefits of reading to children – from vocabulary development to early literacy –are widely recognized, Di Summa argues that the activity also has a deeper philosophical dimension. Reading together invites children into their earliest encounters with aesthetic experience: images, sounds, narrative voices, and imagination.
Reading with, not simply to, children
Di Summa suggests that reading with young children differs fundamentally from the way adults typically read books. Instead of a quiet, solitary activity, reading aloud becomes interactive and unpredictable. Parents change their voices for different characters, repeat favorite passages, and pause frequently as children ask questions or focus on unexpected details in the illustrations.
Children, she notes, do not always approach books as linear narratives moving from beginning to end. Instead, they often treat a book as a rich world of images and voices to explore.
As Di Summa describes in the paper, a child may interrupt the reading of a story to ask about a seemingly minor detail: “My toddler stops me to ask me what a little butterfly in the bottom right corner of the page (largely insignificant to the story) has to say.”
Moments like these reveal that children are not simply listening to a story but actively exploring the imaginative world of the book. Their attention may shift between characters, illustrations, sounds, and questions about what is happening on the page.
Picture books therefore play an important role in children’s earliest encounters with artistic expression. Through illustrations, color, rhythm, and narrative voice, children begin engaging with ideas about representation, imagination, and meaning: questions that lie at the heart of philosophical discussions about art and aesthetics.
Learning from children’s curiosity
Di Summa also argues that these shared reading moments can reshape the experience for adults. Because children respond to books in unexpected ways –focusing on small details, inventing interpretations, or asking surprising questions – reading together can become a process of discovery for parents as well.
Rather than simply teaching children how stories work, parents may find themselves learning how their child sees the world: what captures their attention, what makes them laugh, and what sparks their curiosity.
By entering a story together – pausing, performing, and wondering about what appears on the page – parents and children participate in a shared aesthetic experience that shapes how both come to understand stories, art, and imagination.
Ultimately, over time, these moments of shared exploration transcend understanding about philosophy and the world; they help deepen the emotional connection between parent and child, and their understanding of one another. As Di Summa writes, “Reading together can, in this sense, be viewed as an essential conduit for parental love.”
