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
2023 - 2024
Winter
Tuesday Thursday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
Gottlieb, D. (PI)
Dowling, G. (TA)
Amaral, J. (TA)
Brophy, S. (TA)
Bible, M. (TA)
Erhardt, R. (TA)
PHIL 2
2023 - 2024
Autumn
Tuesday Thursday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
Cooper, E. (TA)
Madigan, T. (PI)
Wong, E. (TA)
Erhardt, R. (TA)
Henry, P. (TA)
PHIL 22Q
2023 - 2024
Autumn
Monday Wednesday
9:30 AM
10:50 AM
Lawlor, K. (PI)
PHIL 26Q
2023 - 2024
Autumn
Monday Wednesday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
Turman, J. (PI)
PHIL 60
2023 - 2024
Autumn
Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Ryckman, T. (PI)
Kajercline, H. (TA)
Pereira, A. (TA)
PHIL 80
2023 - 2024
Autumn
Monday Wednesday
3:00 PM
4:20 PM
Kang, S. (TA)
McKinnon, J. (TA)
Ha, J. (TA)
Kemmann, B. (TA)
Peacocke, A. (PI)
PHIL 80
2023 - 2024
Spring
Tuesday Thursday
9:00 AM
10:20 AM
Briggs, R. (PI)
PHIL 81
2023 - 2024
Autumn
Monday Wednesday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
Dowling, G. (TA)
McGuthry, M. (TA)
Machado de Oliveira, M. (TA)
Peacocke, A. (PI)
Landy, J. (PI)
PHIL 100
2023 - 2024
Autumn
Tuesday Thursday
12:00 PM
1:20 PM
Hazel, A. (TA)
Amaral, J. (TA)
Bobonich, C. (PI)
PHIL 102
2023 - 2024
Winter
Monday Wednesday
11:30 AM
1:20 PM
Wong-Taylor, G. (PI)
Luo, A. (TA)
Kang, S. (TA)
PHIL 108
2023 - 2024
Winter
Wednesday
3:00 PM
5:50 PM
Code, A. (PI)
PHIL 125
2023 - 2024
Winter
Tuesday
12:00 PM
2:50 PM
De Pierris, G. (PI)
PHIL 137
2023 - 2024
Autumn
Monday Wednesday
3:00 PM
4:20 PM
Hills, D. (PI)
PHIL 165
2023 - 2024
Winter
Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Ryckman, T. (PI)
Hall, Z. (TA)
PHIL 167D
2023 - 2024
Winter
Tuesday Thursday
9:00 AM
10:20 AM
Cao, R. (PI)
Pereira, A. (TA)
PHIL 170
2023 - 2024
Spring
Tuesday Thursday
4:30 PM
5:50 PM
Madigan, T. (PI)
PHIL 172
2023 - 2024
Winter
Monday Wednesday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Hills, D. (PI)
PHIL 175
2023 - 2024
Winter
Monday Wednesday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
Davis, J. (TA)
Biondo, A. (TA)
Bratman, M. (PI)
PHIL 176
2023 - 2024
Spring
Monday Wednesday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Hills, D. (PI)
PHIL 176A
2023 - 2024
Winter
Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Schwartz, A. (PI)
Ober, J. (PI)
PHIL 180
2023 - 2024
Autumn
Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Hussain, N. (PI)
PHIL 184
2023 - 2024
Spring
Monday Wednesday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Brophy, S. (TA)
Lawlor, K. (PI)
PHIL 186
2023 - 2024
Winter
Tuesday Thursday
12:00 PM
1:20 PM
Lawrence, P. (TA)
ORourke, J. (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

PHIL 29S
2023 - 2024
Summer
Tuesday Thursday
3:00 PM
4:20 PM
Hope, P. (PI)

WAY-ER: Ethical Reasoning

PHIL 2
2023 - 2024
Autumn
Tuesday Thursday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
Cooper, E. (TA)
Madigan, T. (PI)
Wong, E. (TA)
Erhardt, R. (TA)
Henry, P. (TA)
PHIL 13N
2023 - 2024
Winter
Monday Wednesday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
Wenar, L. (PI)
PHIL 72
2023 - 2024
Spring
Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Mapps, M. (PI)
PHIL 76
2023 - 2024
Winter
Tuesday Thursday
9:30 AM
11:00 AM
Cooper, E. (TA)
Lin, T. (PI)
PHIL 170
2023 - 2024
Spring
Tuesday Thursday
4:30 PM
5:50 PM
Madigan, T. (PI)
PHIL 171
2023 - 2024
Autumn
Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Coyne, B. (PI)
Minsk, A. (TA)
Ladendorf, T. (TA)
Owen, M. (TA)
Ray, W. (TA)
Thomas, M. (TA)
Luo, S. (TA)
PHIL 171P
2023 - 2024
Spring
Tuesday Thursday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
Coyne, B. (PI)
Cloward, J. (TA)
PHIL 172
2023 - 2024
Winter
Monday Wednesday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Hills, D. (PI)
PHIL 175
2023 - 2024
Winter
Monday Wednesday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
Davis, J. (TA)
Biondo, A. (TA)
Bratman, M. (PI)
PHIL 176
2023 - 2024
Spring
Monday Wednesday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Hills, D. (PI)
PHIL 176A
2023 - 2024
Winter
Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Schwartz, A. (PI)
Ober, J. (PI)
PHIL 176P
2023 - 2024
Spring
Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Coyne, B. (PI)
PHIL 178M
2023 - 2024
Winter
Monday Wednesday
3:00 PM
4:20 PM
Cooper, E. (TA)
McGuthry, M. (TA)
Abelson, S. (PI)

WAY-FR: Formal Reasoning

PHIL 49
2023 - 2024
Spring
Monday Wednesday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
Bassett, R. (PI)
PHIL 99
2023 - 2024
Autumn
Friday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
Krejci, B. (PI)
Eigbe, N. (TA)
Ota, K. (TA)
Mon, K. (TA)
Schechtman, K. (TA)
Forster, M. (TA)
Goodman, N. (PI)
PHIL 99
2023 - 2024
Winter
Thursday
12:00 PM
1:20 PM
Krejci, B. (PI)
Wu, J. (PI)
PHIL 150
2023 - 2024
Autumn
Monday Wednesday
3:00 PM
4:20 PM
Icard, T. (PI)
Thobani, I. (TA)
Bassett, R. (TA)
Tilton, S. (TA)
Apsel, L. (TA)
PHIL 151
2023 - 2024
Winter
Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Icard, T. (PI)
Bassett, R. (TA)
Tilton, S. (TA)
Schechtman, K. (TA)
Kemmann, B. (TA)
PHIL 154
2023 - 2024
Spring
Tuesday Thursday
1:30 PM
2:50 PM
van Benthem, J. (PI)

WAY-SMA: Scientific Method and Analysis

PHIL 165
2023 - 2024
Winter
Tuesday Thursday
10:30 AM
11:50 AM
Ryckman, T. (PI)
Hall, Z. (TA)

WAY-SI: Social Inquiry