<p>From what I've read, it seems like UChicago's philosophy department is top notch, but has more of a continental bent to it. I tend to prefer more analytic philosophy, so I was wondering how their philosophy department stacks up in that category. I'm also very interested in metaethics and Kantian philosophy, so if anyone has any feedback on how those are at UChicago that'd be great.</p>
<p>Also, if anyone knows how UChicago's philosophy department compares to Columbia's, that would also be really helpful.</p>
<p>In the major philosophy graduate ranking Chicago is tied for 20th and Columbia is tied for 11th [The</a> Philosophical Gourmet Report 2011 :: Overall Rankings](<a href=“http://www.philosophicalgourmet.com/overall.asp]The”>http://www.philosophicalgourmet.com/overall.asp). I’m not sure how relevant that is to undergraduate philosophy. I have also heard that Chicago’s department has more of a continental bent which is reflected in course offerings. I wouldn’t worry too much about Chicago’s strength in subfields of philosophy because most of the philosophy classes you will take will not be in that subfield.</p>
<p>I guess I’m just wondering if UChicago is generally considered to be a solid philosophy department overall, or whether its reputation comes solely from its strength in more continental-esque courses</p>
<p>This is how the department describes its position on the analytic/continental balance on its website (you can find more details if you follow the link below):
[quote]
While we are a “full service” department in the western philosophical tradition, with its center of gravity in the analytic tradition of philosophy, there are certain areas of distinctive strength or character in the department that merit special mention, a number of which fall outside the scope of that tradition, at least as it is usually conceived. Within the history of philosophy, two areas stand out. First, the history of German Idealism, and more broadly, the tradition of German Philosophy from Kant forward to the present, has long been and remains an outstanding strength of the program in philosophy at Chicago, with numerous faculty having research interests that draw upon this tradition in one way or another. Secondly and more recently, the depth and breadth of our offerings in classical Greek philosophy have become genuinely noteworthy, with nine of our faculty now working part- or full-time in some area of ancient Greek philosophy. <a href=“%5Burl=http://philosophy.uchicago.edu/welcome.html]The%20Department%20of%20Philosophy%20|%20The%20University%20of%20Chicago%20Division%20of%20the%20Humanities[/url]”>/quote</a></p>
<p>I don’t think you would need to be concerned about not getting enough analytical philosophy as an undergraduate, though it’s true that there is definitely some sort of “continental bent.” In any case there is certainly a lot of Kant here, and metaethics to be had as well ([Candace</a> Vogler | The Department of Philosophy | The University of Chicago Division of the Humanities](<a href=“http://philosophy.uchicago.edu/faculty/vogler.html]Candace”>Candace Vogler | Department of Philosophy)). </p>
<p>Again, the kinds of questions you’re asking matter much more at the graduate level. However set you may be on majoring in philosophy, I would be more concerned with issues of class size, structure, teaching quality, etc. (and of course the broader questions that pertain to the rest of the undergraduate experience). If you do have any more questions about undergrad philosophy, I might be able to help you out over PM.</p>