Philosophy Department, San Francisco State University, USA

The Philosophy Department of San Francisco State University, USA offers extraordinary opportunities for students interested in cross-cultural philosophy. The Department has three accomplished faculty who regularly teach and write on Non-Western philosophy; these are Mohammad Azadpur (Islamic Philosophy), Michael Sudduth (Indian and Zen Buddhist Philosophy), and Justin Tiwald (Chinese Philosophy). On a rotating basis, it offers 10 courses devoted explicitly to Non-Western thinkers and comparative philosophy, and several more that substantially engage philosophers and philosophical debates outside of the West. The former include: Islamic Philosophy, Islamic Mysticism, Chinese Philosophy & Religion, The Buddhist Tradition, Great Thinkers East & West, and graduate seminars on Confucian Philosophy, Buddhist Philosophy, and Islamic philosophy. Justin Tiwald is also a translator of classical Chinese texts and offers a regular reading circle, which students can take for credit, in which they learn to read the Confucian and Daoist classics in the original language. The University also offers regular courses in classical Arabic and Persian, two central languages for research in Islamic philosophy. Students attending SF State are able to take and receive credit for courses at the University of California Berkeley, giving them access to Berkeley’s own considerable course offerings in philosophy, area studies, and religious studies.

SF State is a comprehensive university, offering both bachelor’s and master’s degrees. It boasts one of the most diverse student bodies in the United States and has 128 study abroad programs in over 30 countries. The Philosophical Gourmet lists the Philosophy Department’s terminal M.A. program as one of the top eight in the country.

—Justin Tiwald and Mohammad Azadpur, San Francisco State University, USA