Whitney Phillips
Year Graduated: 
2004
Assistant Professor of Communication and Rhetorical Studies
Syracuse University
Submitted: 
Jul 5, 2021

Job description

I teach courses on digital culture/media literacy/online ethics as well as folklore/pop culture/monsters. My research and writing—which includes several books, a number of book chapters, and lots of news articles—combines both areas.

Why did you choose this program?

I enrolled in an Intro to Philosophy class in 2002 and declared it as a major within a few weeks. Philosophy gave me a vocabulary to describe arguments and assumptions operating within media and politics, and a framework for understanding the ethical stakes of public discourse. It inspired me to think big things about everyday stuff.

How did this program prepare you for your job?

I carried everything I learned about arguments, assumptions, and ethical stakes into my professional life—which still focuses on media, politics, and public discourse. Philosophy was the foundation for everything else, and still inspires me to seek out the big things in everyday stuff.

What did you enjoy most about the program?

Throughout the program, I was able to apply philosophical ideas to media and pop culture, which made me appreciate both things so much more. My professors were some of my very favorite people, and shaped my own teaching style now that I am a professor.

What would you say to prospective students who are thinking about applying to this program?

Philosophy provides analytic tools, patterns of thought, and critical thinking skills that can be applied to any other discipline and any conceivable profession. It also instills the questions: "Why is it like this? Could it be some other way?" What I learned as an undergrad has been foundational to all the work I've done since. I couldn't have chosen a better program.

Other comments?

I have been so influenced by HSU in general, and the Philosophy Department in particular, that I've found ways to integrate imagery from Arcata (especially the community forest) into several published works. It only seems fitting as a tribute to everything I learned from my time at HSU!

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