WAYS Requirements

Beginning Autumn Quarter 2013, entering first-year students must satisfy the WAYS requirement, an initiative of Stanford University to develop undergraduate capacities through the general education requirements.

You will find that a variety of philosophy courses satisfy WAYS requirements. Find all the WAYS categories below and examples of Philosophy courses that fulfill each category. 

The WAYS requirement includes the completion of 11 WAYS courses in eight diverse areas — two courses each in WAY-AII (Aesthetic and Interpretive Inquiry), WAY-SI (Social Inquiry), and WAY-SMA (Scientific Method and Analysis), and one course in each of the remaining five WAYS.  Although courses may be certified to fulfill two WAYS, you may only count a single course toward any one WAY requirement in your program of study

  • Thinking Matters courses typically satisfy a WAY.
  • Courses may also count both for major and General Education requirements.

Please check the Stanford Bulletin (ExploreDegrees) for the most up to date requirements.

You can jump down the page to each of the following sections:

WAY-A-II: Aesthetic and Interpretive Inquiry

PHIL 1
2022 - 2023
Winter
Tuesday Thursday
3:00 PM
4:20 PM
Gottlieb, D. (TA)
Kim, R. (PI)
Hobbs, L. (TA)
Moore, A. (TA)
Tilton, S. (TA)
Kemmann, B. (TA)
Ikpeazu, C. (TA)
PHIL 2
2022 - 2023
Spring
Tuesday Thursday
3:00 PM
4:20 PM
Dowling, G. (TA)
Kelley, M. (TA)
Madigan, T. (PI)
Valenzuela, C. (TA)
Benossi, L. (TA)
Ladendorf, T. (TA)
Covington, J. (GP)
PHIL 8N
2022 - 2023
Spring
Tuesday Thursday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
Bratman, M. (PI)
PHIL 60
2022 - 2023
Autumn
Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Ryckman, T. (PI)
Friesacher, A. (TA)
Pereira, A. (TA)
PHIL 77S
2022 - 2023
Summer
Tuesday Thursday
9:00 AM
10:20 AM
McDougal, A. (PI)
Covington, J. (GP)
PHIL 80
2022 - 2023
Autumn
Tuesday Thursday
3:00 PM
4:20 PM
Warren, J. (PI)
McGuthry, M. (TA)
Bible, M. (TA)
Kajercline, H. (TA)
Wang, Z. (TA)
PHIL 80
2022 - 2023
Spring
Monday Wednesday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
Kim, R. (TA)
Briggs, R. (PI)
Hazel, A. (TA)
Cooper, E. (TA)
Bible, M. (TA)
Wang, Z. (TA)
Forster, M. (TA)
PHIL 81
2022 - 2023
Autumn
Monday Wednesday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
Hobbs, L. (TA)
Keren, I. (TA)
Dule, G. (TA)
Peacocke, A. (PI)
Landy, J. (PI)
PHIL 100
2022 - 2023
Autumn
Tuesday Thursday
12:00 PM
1:20 PM
Dowling, G. (TA)
Amaral, J. (TA)
Attwood, A. (TA)
Bobonich, C. (PI)
PHIL 102
2022 - 2023
Winter
Monday Wednesday
11:30 AM
1:20 PM
Wong-Taylor, G. (PI)
Luo, C. (TA)
Sparling, R. (TA)
PHIL 125
2022 - 2023
Winter
Monday Wednesday
10:30 AM
12:20 PM
De Pierris, G. (PI)
Kim, H. (TA)
PHIL 165
2022 - 2023
Winter
Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Ryckman, T. (PI)
Cooper, E. (TA)
PHIL 170
2022 - 2023
Spring
Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Gottlieb, D. (TA)
Dannenberg, J. (PI)
Covington, J. (GP)
PHIL 176A
2022 - 2023
Winter
Monday Wednesday
9:30 AM
10:50 AM
Schwartz, A. (PI)
Spikol, A. (TA)
Ober, J. (PI)
PHIL 180
2022 - 2023
Winter
Tuesday Thursday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
Hussain, N. (PI)
PHIL 184
2022 - 2023
Autumn
Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Hussain, N. (PI)
PHIL 186
2022 - 2023
Spring
Tuesday Thursday
12:00 PM
1:20 PM
Lawrence, P. (TA)
Sparkes, B. (TA)
McGuthry, M. (TA)
ORourke, J. (PI)
PHIL 193C
2022 - 2023
Autumn
Wednesday
3:30 PM
5:20 PM
Gottlieb, D. (TA)
Dannenberg, J. (PI)
Jimenez, P. (TA)
Cooper, E. (TA)
Cotsapas, P. (TA)
Galietti, A. (TA)
Benossi, L. (TA)
Landy, J. (PI)
PHIL 194H
2022 - 2023
Winter
Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Hussain, N. (PI)

WAY-AQR: Applied Quantitative Reasoning

No courses offered in the current year.

WAY-CE: Creative Expression

No courses offered in the current year.

WAY-EDP: Exploring Difference and Power

No courses offered in the current year.

WAY-ER: Ethical Reasoning

PHIL 2
2022 - 2023
Spring
Tuesday Thursday
3:00 PM
4:20 PM
Dowling, G. (TA)
Kelley, M. (TA)
Madigan, T. (PI)
Valenzuela, C. (TA)
Benossi, L. (TA)
Ladendorf, T. (TA)
Covington, J. (GP)
PHIL 8N
2022 - 2023
Spring
Tuesday Thursday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
Bratman, M. (PI)
PHIL 24S
2022 - 2023
Summer
Tuesday Thursday
3:00 PM
4:20 PM
Madigan, T. (PI)
Covington, J. (GP)
PHIL 25Q
2022 - 2023
Autumn
Tuesday Thursday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
Lee, R. (PI)
PHIL 72
2022 - 2023
Spring
Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Karlan, B. (PI)
PHIL 76
2022 - 2023
Winter
Tuesday Thursday
9:30 AM
11:20 AM
Soon, V. (PI)
Jordan, S. (TA)
PHIL 82
2022 - 2023
Winter
Monday Wednesday Friday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
Sahami, M. (PI)
Reich, R. (PI)
Kotov, S. (TA)
Chen, J. (TA)
Ludeke, D. (TA)
Kohrman, A. (TA)
Pistol, L. (TA)
Drazen, A. (TA)
Radiya-Dixit, E. (TA)
Bao, M. (TA)
Khattak, M. (TA)
Wisner, E. (TA)
Bitter, S. (TA)
Korkmaz, E. (TA)
Deasy, J. (TA)
Minsk, A. (TA)
Smith, A. (TA)
Wu, Y. (TA)
Jiang, S. (TA)
Walker, G. (TA)
Weinstein, J. (PI)
PHIL 127
2022 - 2023
Winter
Monday Wednesday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
Friedman, M. (PI)
PHIL 170
2022 - 2023
Spring
Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Gottlieb, D. (TA)
Dannenberg, J. (PI)
Covington, J. (GP)
PHIL 171
2022 - 2023
Autumn
Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Coyne, B. (PI)
Slate, D. (TA)
Panchakunathorn, P. (TA)
Mejia Cubillos, J. (TA)
Li, K. (TA)
Minsk, A. (TA)
Valenzuela, C. (TA)
PHIL 174E
2022 - 2023
Winter
Tuesday Thursday
3:00 PM
4:20 PM
Bidadanure, J. (PI)
Jaarte, M. (TA)
PHIL 176A
2022 - 2023
Winter
Monday Wednesday
9:30 AM
10:50 AM
Schwartz, A. (PI)
Spikol, A. (TA)
Ober, J. (PI)
PHIL 178M
2022 - 2023
Winter
Tuesday Thursday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
Valenzuela, C. (TA)
Benossi, L. (TA)
Ball-Blakely, M. (PI)

WAY-FR: Formal Reasoning

PHIL 49
2022 - 2023
Spring
Monday Wednesday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
Bassett, R. (PI)
PHIL 50S
2022 - 2023
Summer
Tuesday Thursday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
Thobani, I. (PI)
Covington, J. (GP)
PHIL 99
2022 - 2023
Autumn
Friday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
Icard, T. (PI)
Krejci, B. (SI)
Wu, J. (PI)
Kramer, F. (TA)
Luo, C. (TA)
Park, A. (TA)
Sudirdjo, D. (TA)
Wisner, E. (TA)
Zhao, A. (TA)
Adib, D. (TA)
Mon, K. (TA)
Graham, C. (TA)
Gupta, S. (TA)
Schouten, T. (TA)
PHIL 99
2022 - 2023
Winter
Friday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
Krejci, B. (PI)
Goodman, N. (PI)
PHIL 150
2022 - 2023
Autumn
Monday Wednesday
3:00 PM
4:20 PM
Bassett, R. (TA)
Sparkes, B. (TA)
Thompson, D. (PI)
Tilton, S. (TA)
Kemmann, B. (TA)
PHIL 151
2022 - 2023
Winter
Monday Wednesday
3:00 PM
4:20 PM
Icard, T. (PI)
Bassett, R. (TA)
Sparkes, B. (TA)
Thompson, D. (TA)

WAY-SMA: Scientific Method and Analysis

PHIL 165
2022 - 2023
Winter
Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Ryckman, T. (PI)
Cooper, E. (TA)

WAY-SI: Social Inquiry

No courses offered in the current year.