Philosophy 

Meet the Faculty | Department Information Sheets

Academic Program
Emory & Henry’s Department of Philosophy seeks to give you a foundation in philosophy and in the techniques of sound reasoning. We believe that an education in philosophy is an important part of the liberal arts education and preparation for employment or graduate school.

Degree Program
Our courses are designed to engage you in critical and reflective inquiry. Our courses include ethics, argumentation and debate, techniques in reasoning, philosophy of religion, jurisprudence and political philosophy.

Alumni
Our alumni list encompasses a group of individuals in diverse positions: administrative director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts; founder and president of a manufacturing firm; attorneys; journalists; ministers; computer scientists; and educators.

Faculty
Department Chair
Dr. Ben Letson, bhletson@ehc.edu
Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University; B.A. from Emory & Henry College

Dr. Letson specializes in the history of philosophy and ethics. He has published a book on the philosophy of Donald Davidson, and in 2008 he contributed a chapter to a book on the philosophy of football. With a strong devotion to students, Dr. Letson was a teaching fellow and held an assistantship at Vanderbilt. While an undergraduate, he received the Emily Williams English Speaking Union Award, which enabled him to complete a term of study at Exeter College at the University of Oxford in England.
 
Dr. Ed Damer, edamer@ehc.edu
Ph.D. from Boston University; M.Div. from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; B.A. from William Jewel College

Dr. Damer has been a consultant and workshop leader at regional, national and international conferences on critical thinking. He has been awarded the College’s Excellence in Teaching Award, and, in 1988, he was named Virginia Professor of the Year by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. He is the author of a best-selling textbook, Attacking Faulty Reasoning, which incorporates ideas he developed during his many years as a popular teacher. His interests include the arts, and he serves as chair of the E&H Division of Visual and Performing Arts.

Major Checklists
Philosophy