Overview
In 1951 when the University College of Addis Ababa was inaugurated, several courses of philosophy were part of the curricula of the different departments of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. All the first and second year students of the University College were required to take courses in Logic, Epistemology and Ethics as “general courses.” Moreover, Metaphysics and Philosophical Psychology were given as “common courses” to third and fourth year students.
On 31 October 1961 the Department of Humanities was established comprising three sections; namely, Philosophy, Ethiopian Languages, and European Languages. Philosophy became an autonomous “Minor Department” on 30 January 1963. Up to the end of the 1976/77 academic year, it functioned with the same status offering general and common courses. It became a full-fledged department in 1977/1978 academic year, when it started enrolling the first batch of students majoring in philosophy for the first time. This continued until 1990.
At the end of the 1989/90 academic calendar, its degree program was suspended because of government policy changes. Starting from 1991to 2002 the Department of Philosophy had remained catering two 100-level courses, namely, “Introduction to Logic” and “Introduction to Philosophy” to students of most Faculties and Colleges of the Addis Ababa University (AAU).
In 2002 the Department revised its curriculum and reopened the undergraduate program. The revised curriculum has been in operation for the last fifteen years. Based on the lessons drawn from its teaching experiences and the guidelines of the Ministry of Education, the Department modularized the curriculum of its undergraduate programin 2013. There is a genuine desire to make the philosophy program more liberal and pluralistic as well as cognizant of important contemporary philosophical trends and the interest of the Nation.
The program focuses on history of Western philosophy, logic, epistemology, metaphysics, moral philosophy and political philosophy, and various African and Asian philosophical traditions as core areas. There are also other areas of philosophy (such as applied ethics, philosophy of education, philosophy of religion, gender issues and philosophy, philosophy of science and intercultural philosophy) that could be seen as second-order inquiries. They would immensely enrich the program in both theoretical and practical dimensions. The courses of the program are classified as core, elective, general, and supportive. All students are required to take all core courses, because without some familiarity with these subjects, they cannot reasonably qualify for a degree in philosophy. On the other hand, students have the right to choose some courses from elective courses.
Graduate Program
The Department launched an MA program in philosophy in 2007/2008, which was also extended to the Evening Division in 2011/2012. The main objective of the program is to train strong and high level instructors, researchers, civil servants, critical thinkers and writers in pertinent areas of philosophical inquiry.
The Department also started a PhD Program in 2016. The program aims to produce qualified critical scholars, educators, researchers (particularly for the country’s rapidly expanding universities), writers and thinkers.
The intellectual and social profile of the Department includes teaching, research, consultancy and the organization of academic discourses (such as international conferences, seminars, workshops and public lectures).
Vision and Mission
Vision
The major vision of the Philosophy Department is to establish a unique research, graduate studies, and undergraduate program built on the strengths and interests of its faculty members and students with the objective of making a real contribution to the university and society at large.It aspires to be a leading academic unit in philosophical education, research and service rooted in the unique reality and perspectives of Ethiopia and Africa.
Mission
The mission of the Department of Philosophy at the AAU today, in both its teaching and scholarly research, is to transmit knowledge of philosophy to its students, to promote innovative teaching, research, and service; to teach students to think creatively, critically, effectively and systematically; to encourage students to challenge themselves and others to be more deliberative and open to alternatives and be confident intellectuals and citizens in a rapidly changing world, and apply their philosophical knowledge to address the problems of their society.
Given the deep and generally acknowledged questions concerning the problem of improving the quality of higher education while vastly expanding the quantity of its output our objective is not merely the production of degree-holders but individuals who are truly empowered and capacitated to fulfill advanced social, economic, cultural and political functions within Ethiopian society.
Our undergraduate and graduate programs are designed to contribute to humanity’s general understanding while at the same time affirming the uniquely Ethiopian and other African perspectives.