Identity area
Type of entity
Corporate body
Authorized form of name
Department of Philosophy
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1965 -
History
The Department of Philosophy was established by the Board of Governors in 1965 as one of the original Departments in the Faculty of Arts. The Department was responsible, through its Head, for the promotion of research and the development and delivery of programs in the discipline of Philosophy. Throughout its existence, the Department has had as its focus Western thought with a predominant analytic orientation. In keeping with the interdisciplinary approach of the University, the Department has been involved with the Cognitive Science and Humanities programs. A M.A. program was added in January 1967. The Department also had an informal liaison with the Ph.D. program at U.B.C., which in 1993 was formalized in the creation of a joint program.
Like other SFU departments, the Department of Philosophy was organized into a Head (renamed Chair in 1972) and departmental committees. The Chair was the chief administrative officer responsible for oversight of the operational budget; faculty tenure, promotion and salary recommendations; teaching assignments; and representation of the Department to external bodies. While the Chair had overall responsibility to the Department and the Dean of Arts for the efficient operation of the Department, most decisions were made at the committee level with major issues being referred to departmental meetings for decision. The Departmental Assistant was responsible for much of the day-to-day administration of the Department, which included the management of the departmental budget, the scheduling of courses, the provision of liaison with administrative offices, and advising students.
The number and composition of departmental committees varied little over time. In 1969, there were seven standing committees: Curriculum Review; Departmental Tenure; Faculty Search and Screening; Graduate Studies; Library; Undergraduate Studies; and Visiting Speakers. In 1994, there were also seven committees, with the main change being the creation of a Discipline Committee, and the movement of responsibility for graduate and honours admissions to the Committee of the Whole. Ad hoc committees were also formed when needed, such as in the case of the search for a new Chair.