MA in History of Philosophies, East and West in Stony Brook United States | Stony Brook University, SUNY

The HPEW program encompasses studies in Islamic, Buddhist, Chinese, Japanese, and Hindu philosophies alongside ancient Greek, medieval, and contemporary Western thought. It systematically explores ethics, political philosophy, metaphysics, cosmology, psychology, aesthetics, theology, and epistemology from historical viewpoints. Courses examine Eastern philosophies through Western lenses and Western philosophies through Eastern perspectives, with instruction rooted in original texts supplemented by secondary materials. Particular focus is given to grasping indigenous terminology and concepts in their source languages (potentially including German, French, Italian, Greek, Latin, Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit, Pali, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean). Students are highly encouraged to develop reading proficiency in one or more of these languages. This unique program stands among the rare Western institutions where philosophy graduate students can simultaneously study Eastern and Western traditions. Its distinctive approach seeks to draw scholars interested in comparative studies who desire to expand their philosophical historical knowledge under the mentorship of globally respected experts in classical, medieval, and modern philosophical traditions.