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Why I Opted Out of “Bird” Courses and Started Taking Philosophy Courses

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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at McMaster chapter.

Aristotle vs. An Easy A

Finding the right electives for an already busy academic life is not exactly a simple task.

There’s a complicated tension between picking a ‘bird’ course to lighten the workload or a course that will enhance your academic experience and give you your money’s worth. With heavy course loads and jam-packed extracurriculars, it’s easy to keep it easy.   

But what if an elective was able to strengthen your skills so that you were better prepared to succeed in your major? That has been my experience with philosophy classes. If you’re thinking of Plato and Aristotle, ancient cities, hard-to-read text, and marble busts, you’re certainly not alone or wrong, but you’re also not entirely right. Humanities teach us what it means to be human and philosophy is not exception.

Some argue that philosophy’s innate focus is humanity and its experience. If you have ever thought about beauty, wisdom, society, or knowledge, a philosophy course could be the perfect fit. Philosophy classes vary in focus, but they all examine the meaning of something. Specific right? That is precisely its power. It is so incredibly applicable in abstract ways, to the point that it can be intimidating – especially when you care about your grades and tend to use electives to bump up your GPA. The value of a philosophy class, however, is not to be underestimated.

Here are some things I gained from taking philosophy courses:

Critical Thinking

Soft skills are important for modern day life and something everyone could get better at. I found that learning to interpret and write about philosophical texts is one of the best opportunities for this. Trust me, once you read some of Plato’s work, the readings for your other classes, written in modern-day English, will fly by.  

Understanding

Learning about philosophers enhanced my understanding of why we live the way we do. The best way to understand society is to look at its past and what better way to go about that than to study philosophers! They are known to have been directors of change for eternity.

Personal Growth

I engaged in disagreements and expanded my worldview. In my first year, I took a course titled “Meaning in Life.” While it may seem obvious, there are a lot of different perspectives on what a well-lived life looks like. This extends not only to the philosophers studied, but also to the respectful discussions held in lectures and tutorials. Learning how to disagree and why is a huge part of understanding who you are as a person, and a philosophy course can be a great space for that.

Well-Versed Writing

As a psychology major, most of my classes are evenly split between writing and test-taking. Philosophy classes tend to heavily focus on writing, which can be intimidating, but this is university, after all! We’re here to embrace challenges! Additionally, lots of first- and second-year philosophy courses have larger assignments set up in stages so that you can ensure that you’re putting your best work into the abyss of essays.

Application

Taking courses on the meaning of life, political philosophy, and early modern philosophers has been more applicable to my life and my major than I anticipated. In tutorials, I can often provide a psychological perspective on a topic and vice versa for my psychology and sociology courses. Philosophy can be easily relatedto what you already know, believe, and study!Remember that philosophers were thinkers, too! So, no matter what your major is, there are chances that some philosopher has already thought of its theory in a philosophical manner; which is fascinating.

Final Thoughts
This article isn’t to discredit the necessary ‘bird’ course here and there. Life is busy, and academics can be cut-throat. Philosophy courses are about content in the same way that every other class is, but I’ve found their approach to be unique. Philosophy courses have added something to my perspective that may be difficult to find in other disciplines because of their very nature. Simply put, rather than focusing just on what to think, a philosophy class focuses on how to think.

Ava van Popta

McMaster '26

Ava is a full time writer for HerCampus McMaster, currently in her third year studying Social Psychology. In her precious spare time you can find her reading, drinking coffee, and watching Gilmore girls. Some of her favourite female authors include Mary Oliver, Donna Tartt, Jeanette Walls, Arundhati Roy, Ann Patchett, and Emily St John Mandel.