Glendale Community College’s Philosophy and Religious Studies department held the Philosophy Outreach event in January so the professors could connect with students and introduce their courses.
The start of another semester is exciting and stressful for students, old and new. It can also be overwhelming with the plethora of classes to sign up for around campus. That is why the staff and professors saw this as an essential opportunity.
The department began hosting the Philosophy Outreach event last semester, in which the faculty held a mini open house at the Center Mall from 10 a.m. to noon. The open houses were during the last two weeks of January. They allowed students to hear about the benefits and discussions that could come from learning the subjects.
In an interview, Professor Derek Ayala, a philosophy and religious studies instructor at GCC and advisor of the Philosophy Club, shared his thoughts on how helpful it can be to engage in philosophy. He said, “Philosophy, I would argue, is one of those more important disciplines- or is an important discipline, in that, it encourages you to be curious, and creative, and analytic. And sort of come up with creative and interesting questions about the world around you.”
He and many of the other instructors in the department feel that the lessons and skills that can be learned through these classes are influential in all parts and walks of life. While the Philosophy Outreach events stopped after registration week, there are still multiple ways for students and staff to get involved and engage with others.
The Philosophy Club is a relaxed but dedicated group that is open to a multitude of ethical discussions. Ayala describes the members as a “club of misfits” and those who want to seek out truth. They have weekly meetings on Tuesdays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Most meetings involve the club discussing chosen topics in a round table. These practicing philosophers exercise their skills through curiosity and analyzing things from different angles. Ayala’s favorite part of working in his field as an instructor and with his club members is helping people understand themselves and others and what it means to be human.
If these discussions and ideas excite you, the Philosophy Club has multiple interesting and insightful events coming up.
On Tuesday, their club will invite one of the deans, Dr. Carly Zufelt, to discuss the philosophy behind fashion, style, and identity.
Then, on March 5th, the club will host a Dialogue Panel that invites the community to see a formal debate about animal rights.
I’d agree with Professor Ayala in the fact that philosophy is an important discipline. They explained it very well on why I also think philosophy is very important. Philosophy is something I’ve always found so interesting because of how complex it can really get. Especially when you realize that most people will think of someone like Socrates or Plato when speaking of philosophers or philosophy in general, but someone like Diogenes is considered one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived and he was homeless (by choice of course). Another good example of philosophers not being the typical Socratesesque philosopher is Friedrich Nietzsche, who by all definitions is a madman, is considered the father of one of the most well known philosophies out there: Nihilism.
A formal debate about animal rights while on par for what you’d expect for the philosophy club, is something I was not expecting and is actually something I’d be interested in talking about. Though one thing I kind of don’t get from Professor Ayala is his favorite part being “..helping people understand themselves and others and what it means to be human.” To me, that seems more like an ethics kind of deal rather than a philosophy one, but it’s not a big deal. But to be honest, I didn’t even know there was a philosophy club here, but it does seem like a club I’d be interested in joining.
Hi Jaylyn, it was interesting to read about the Philosophy and Religious Studies department and what they offer. Your article provides a lot of good insight into who is running these programs and events and offers interesting information about what the clubs and events around the department revolve around. I found it interesting to read about one of the professors behind this study and hear his point of view on Philosophy. I liked how you mentioned that Derek Ayala mainly wants to help people “understand themselves and what it means to be human.” I felt like that is a beautiful way to describe the purpose of philosophy and religious studies. Along with Ayala, I also thought describing the character of the Philosophy club was very insightful. I think this would be a nice introduction to anyone who is looking to join the club. I believe it would suit those who have curious minds and those who want to make new friends and build connections over these topics. I myself am curious about what kind of Philosophy courses GCC has to offer as I attend another Maricopa college. Another aspect I enjoyed about this article was that it informs the readers of more events to look forward to. Anyone interested in participating in these activities will want to know when the latest events will be.