Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences celebrates the class of 2023! To commemorate their upcoming graduation, we’ve connected with a few seniors about their time at Weinberg College and future plans. Sofia Stutz will be graduating in June with a major in Philosophy.
What did you study at Weinberg College and why? If applicable, please explain if your interests transformed or evolved during your time here.
I majored in philosophy, with a particular interest in moral and political theory. The philosophers I have centrally engaged with in my own research at Northwestern are Immanuel Kant and Iris Murdoch (my senior thesis was a comparative essay on these thinkers’ interpretation of and approach to the problem of self-absorption, which they both see as the root of immorality). I love studying philosophy in part because I find that the interlocutors I’ve encountered in the field are genuine in their search for compelling answers, and this manifests itself in the way they engage in philosophical conversation; philosophy is not (or shouldn’t be) a competition or combative debate, but a constructive dialogical exercise. Some of my favorite memories at NU involve philosophy “walk-and-talks” in Evanston with my thesis advisor, Professor Kyla Ebels-Duggan.
What is one of the most memorable moments (s) you’ve experienced in the classroom, campus, or at Northwestern in general?
Many of my most memorable experiences at NU involve the Brady Scholars Program in Ethics and Civic Life—a philosophy program dedicated to living out the values of justice and solidarity in the real world. For our senior capstone project, our cohort partnered with local organization Books & Breakfast, a before-school program offering books, breakfast, and homework help to K-8th graders. I got to volunteer weekly as a B&B tutor at Washington Elementary School, where I was once a student! Returning to that space was surreal—everything looked exactly the same but so much smaller than I remembered. The kids were adorable and had a zest for life that reminded me to forget about everything but the moment we were sharing. Another one of my favorite memories this past year was performing at “Kresgepalooza,” NU’s “tiny-desk” music festival. I write and record original raps under the alias “Audax the Damsel,” and had resolved, at the beginning of my senior year, to seek out more performance opportunities at NU than I had previously done. Kresgepalooza offered a supportive, low-stakes environment, and I had such a fun time sharing my songs with friends and family in a Kresge classroom decked out in rugs and twinkle lights. There was something symbolic about performing my music in a classroom in which I’d taken courses (several German classes!). It was a way of bringing together multiple facets of myself in one coordinate of space—something Northwestern at large has allowed me to do.
Do you have a favorite or transformative Weinberg College course you took? Or a professor that taught you?
I have many favorite classes at NU, but one of them was Professor Ebels-Duggan’s course on British philosophers “Phil 360: Anscombe, Murdoch, and Foot.” I took this class during the same quarter in which I was finishing up my senior thesis, which partially engages the work of Murdoch. This serendipitous timing allowed me to think about and work on my project beyond the bounds of my research seminar. I also loved that the class focused exclusively on women philosophers, a rare course topic in most philosophy departments. Moreover, Professor Ebels-Duggan has been a steady throughline during my undergraduate studies. She models so much of what I value and want for my own life: wisdom, a sense of humor, neighborliness, and humility. She has believed in me since the beginning, and I am deeply indebted to her for her guidance and commitment to mentorship.
What advice would you give to future students?
Pay attention to what you are currently doing, and only to that; it’s good to plan and think ahead but dwelling too much on the future rips you away from the present. Also, it’s never a waste of time to have conversations with people. Meaningful interactions bring joy and energy—they are the kinds of things that you remember so much more than this or that assignment that needed to get done.
What are your plans after you graduate?
I will be moving to Vienna as an English Teaching Assistant under the US Teaching Assistantship Program. After my year in Austria, I plan to pursue a graduate degree in philosophy.