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Petition Type: New
ID: 940
Submitted: April 14, 2015 at 10:54:02 AM
First Name: William
Last Name: Maidment
Student Number: 10104086
Email: 13wcsm@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BAH
Plan: Phil
Level of Study: 2
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Request to take more than 6.0 units of courses on a letter of permission through another institution
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: I am deeply interested in spending the winter semester of the 2015-2016 academic year (my third year) pursuing my philosophical interests at King¿¿s College London. I have been accepted to the philosophy program at King¿¿s, and wish to pursue this opportunity because it would contribute to the development of my intellectual capacities and prepare me for future academic endeavors.
First and foremost, I wish to study at King¿¿s because it has a world-renowned philosophy department. It is frequently ranked as one of the UK¿¿s best philosophy programs, and I look forward to the challenge of distinguishing myself in this department. While I recognize these rankings often focus on graduate work, they are a testament to the academic culture at King¿¿s. Aside from its general strength as a department, King¿¿s College London emphasizes the analytic tradition of philosophy. This makes King¿¿s the ideal destination for me. The emphasis on rigid logical standards in argumentation is what drew me to philosophy, and I believe that its application to the metaphysical issues that are of interest to me will enrich my future studies. Thus my time at King¿¿s College London would contribute to my understanding of a fascinating field of thought. This experience would also further an academic goal that I have. I am interested in pursuing philosophy at the graduate level in the United Kingdom, and the exposure to the UK grading system (which I know to be different from our own from my experience of taking a summer course at the London School of Economics) would help me make this transition. Thus for a number of reasons I think I would benefit from this experience, and would allow me to contribute more to the learning environment at Queen¿¿s while I finish my degree.
First and foremost, I wish to study at King¿¿s because it has a world-renowned philosophy department. It is frequently ranked as one of the UK¿¿s best philosophy programs, and I look forward to the challenge of distinguishing myself in this department. While I recognize these rankings often focus on graduate work, they are a testament to the academic culture at King¿¿s. Aside from its general strength as a department, King¿¿s College London emphasizes the analytic tradition of philosophy. This makes King¿¿s the ideal destination for me. The emphasis on rigid logical standards in argumentation is what drew me to philosophy, and I believe that its application to the metaphysical issues that are of interest to me will enrich my future studies. Thus my time at King¿¿s College London would contribute to my understanding of a fascinating field of thought. This experience would also further an academic goal that I have. I am interested in pursuing philosophy at the graduate level in the United Kingdom, and the exposure to the UK grading system (which I know to be different from our own from my experience of taking a summer course at the London School of Economics) would help me make this transition. Thus for a number of reasons I think I would benefit from this experience, and would allow me to contribute more to the learning environment at Queen¿¿s while I finish my degree.
Academic Plan
Academic Plan: I have been interested in going on exchange for a long time, thus I have devised a plan that will allow me to fulfill my degree requirements while spending a semester abroad. In order to receive my degree from Queen¿¿s, a number of conditions must be met. First, the student must take a 100-level philosophy course, and Phil 250 and Phil 257. I have satisfied the first requirement, and am in the midst of taking 250 and 257. A philosophy major must also take Phil 361 (a logic course) and one of a number of 300-level history of philosophy courses. I have spoken to Deborah Knight, the head of the Philosophy department, and she has assured me that Phil 361 will be offered in the fall semester of the 2015-16 academic year. I will take it during that time, thus satisfying that requirement. As for the history of philosophy course, I am in the midst of satisfying that requirement. Though I am only in second year, I received the permission of a professor who is familiar with my work to take Phil 329 this semester. I have deeply enjoyed this class, and it will satisfy my degree requirement. All that remains is a 400-level seminar (which I can do in fourth year, or fall semester of 2015-16 if I find a professor who will admit me a year early). I have mapped out my requirements quite thoroughly, and spending a semester taking 4 philosophy modules at King¿¿s College London will not preclude me from satisfying them in any way.
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: Deborah Knight, Head of the Philosophy Department, has sent a letter of support to the International Programs Office on my behalf.