Philosophy, BA
Program Description
Philosophy involves rigorous, persistent reflection on a wide range of issues, such as how one ought to live, the existence of God and the problem of evil, the relation between mind and body, and the ways in which beliefs may be justified. Students in philosophy courses learn to:
- understand important periods, themes, movements, and figures in the history of philosophy;
- apply ethical theories to major social issues;
- analyze arguments using the principles and methods of logic;
- develop their own philosophical views and arguments;
- evaluate responses to problems in metaphysics, epistemology, and other areas of philosophy.
The study of philosophy can have a significant impact on one’s beliefs and values, and it helps develop a variety of intellectual skills and abilities which students can put to use in their lives, whatever they choose to do after they graduate. Among those skills and abilities are the capacities to engage in thinking that is critical, disciplined and creative; to express oneself effectively and appreciate the ideas and perspectives of others; to uncover and examine assumptions; to understand, construct, and evaluate arguments on different sides of issues; and to deal reasonably with questions to which there are no easy answers.
Studying philosophy also prepares students well for professional careers in such fields as law, ministry, psychology, business, and medicine, and for postgraduate work in philosophy. In recent years, philosophy majors have achieved exceptionally high scores on admissions tests to law schools and business schools (the LSAT and the GMAT) and on the GRE. They have been extremely successful in gaining admission to law schools and medical schools.
Students may select philosophy as a major or as a minor. Philosophy courses are also offered as electives for students in all fields of study.
Program Requirements
Students majoring in philosophy must complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of philosophy course work, at least 21 of which must be at the upper-division level.
General Requirements
| Requirements | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| Core Curriculum Program | 42 |
| First-Year Seminars (when applicable)1 | 0-2 |
| Philosophy Major Requirements | 30 |
| University Electives | 42 |
| Foreign Language Requirements | 6 |
| Total Credit Hours | 120-122 |
- 1
First-Year Seminars or Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time, First-year Students | ||
| UNIV 1101 | University Seminar I | 1 |
| UNIV 1102 | University Seminar II | 1 |
| Core Curriculum Program | ||
| University Core Curriculum | 42 | |
| Philosophy Major Requirements | ||
| PHIL 1301 | Introduction to Philosophy 1,2 | 3 |
| PHIL 2303 | Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking 1,2 | 3 |
| PHIL 2306 | Introduction to Ethics 1 | 3 |
| History of Philosophy | ||
| Select 6 hours of the following: | 6 | |
| History of Eastern Philosophy I | ||
| History of Eastern Philosophy II | ||
| American Philosophy 3 | ||
| Ancient Philosophy 3 | ||
| Modern Philosophy 3 | ||
| Contemporary Philosophy 3 | ||
| Metaphysics and Epistemology | ||
| Select 6 hours of the following: | 6 | |
| American Philosophy 3 | ||
| Minds and Machines | ||
| Metaphysics | ||
| Truth, Knowledge, and Justification | ||
| Ancient Philosophy 3 | ||
| Modern Philosophy 3 | ||
| Contemporary Philosophy 3 | ||
| Philosophy and History of Science and Technology | ||
| Issues in Philosophy of Religion | ||
| Values and Society | ||
| Select 3 hours of the following: | 3 | |
| Philosophy of Love and Sex | ||
| Philosophy of Law | ||
| Social and Political Philosophy | ||
| The Meaning of Life | ||
| Ethics, War, and Terrorism | ||
| Moral Issues in Contemporary Medicine | ||
| Environmental Ethics | ||
| Moral Philosophy | ||
| Prescribed Electives | ||
| Select 6 hours of the following or any other upper-level Philosophy courses not used to satisfy the requirements of the groups listed above: | 6 | |
| Elementary Formal Logic | ||
| Philosophy and Science Fiction | ||
| Advanced Seminar in Philosophy | ||
| Philosophy of Language | ||
| Topics in Philosophy | ||
| Directed Individual Study | ||
| University Electives | ||
| Select 42 hours of university electives. | 42 | |
| Foreign Language Requirements | ||
| See the College of Liberal Arts for the college language requirement. | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 122 | |
- 1
May not be taken for both Philosophy credit and Core Curriculum credit. Students who take the course for Core Curriculum credit must take an upper level Philosophy course to meet this Basic Philosophy Course requirement.
- 2
Students are encouraged to take PHIL 1301 Introduction to Philosophy (3 sch) and PHIL 2303 Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking (3 sch) as early as possible in their pursuit of the major.
- 3
May count towards either the History of Philosophy requirement or the Metaphysics and Epistemology requirement (but cannot be counted towards both requirements).
Course Sequencing
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | |
| UNIV 1101 | University Seminar I | 1 |
| ENGL 1301 | Writing and Rhetoric I | 3 |
| PHIL 1301 | Introduction to Philosophy | 3 |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| Foreign Language Requirements | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| UNIV 1102 | University Seminar II | 1 |
| ENGL 1302 or COMM 1311 | Writing and Rhetoric II or Foundation of Communication | 3 |
| PHIL 2303 | Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking | 3 |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| Foreign Language Requirements | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| PHIL 2306 | Introduction to Ethics | 3 |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| Lower Divisional Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| PHIL 3342 | Philosophy of Love and Sex | 3 |
| PHIL 4322 | Modern Philosophy | 3 |
| Upper Divisional Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Divisional Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Divisional Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| PHIL 3327 | American Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 4303 | Minds and Machines | 3 |
| Upper Divisional Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Divisional Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Divisional Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| PHIL 4305 | Truth, Knowledge, and Justification | 3 |
| PHIL Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Divisional Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Divisional Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Divisional Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| PHIL Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Divisional Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Divisional Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Divisional Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Divisional Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 122 | |
Courses
An examination of major philosophical issues such as the existence of God, freedom and determinism, moral rights and obligations, and the nature and limits of human knowledge.
Basic principles and techniques used in understanding, constructing, and evaluating arguments. Topics covered may include formal methods of analyzing arguments, informal fallacies, scientific reasoning, and moral arguments.
This course includes a study of ethical theories and principles, and application of those theories and principles to ethical issues.
An historical and critical examination of traditional Indian philosophical and religious systems (such as various versions of Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism) and their relevance for contemporary people and societies.
A historical and critical examination of some of the philosophical and religious systems developed in China, Tibet, and Japan (such as various schools of Mahayana Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Zen Buddhism).
An introduction to American philosophy and the influential movement known as Pragmatism. The course focuses on the works of C.S. Peirce, William James, John Dewey, and George Santayana. Issues addressed include skepticism, the rejection of foundationalism, the role of belief in inquiry, verification and meaning, and the nature of truth.
This course is a study of the ethics of human relationships. Topics include friendship, romance, marriage, sexual orientation, adultery, promiscuity, sexual consent, sexual harassment, rape, pornography, and prostitution.
An introduction to philosophical issues concerning the law, such as the nature of law, relations between law and morality, theories of legal responsibility, and the role of law in society.
A survey of classical and contemporary material in social and political philosophy, covering topics such as individual liberty and government intervention, the role of government, and social justice.
An exploration of a variety of views concerning the meaning of life. Three kinds of responses to the question of life's meaning will be examined: theistic responses; non-theistic responses focusing on the creation of personal meaning within a natural universe; and responses that challenge the intelligibility of the question regarding the meaning of life.
A course on technical methods and foundational issues in Philosophy, Computer Science, and Mathematics. Topics include the Propositional Calculus, First-Order Predicate Calculus, meta-theoretic results (such as consistency, soundness, completeness, and decidability), and Zermelo-Fraenkel Set Theory.
An exploration of issues in contemporary philosophy such as the nature of life, personhood and self, knowledge and skepticism, time travel, and obligations to the non-human world. The course combines the reading of purely philosophical works with an examination of contemporary works of science fiction (including novels, short stories, and films).
Why is it wrong to kill? Is killing an innocent person ever justified? Under what conditions can we justify war? How should we respond to terrorist threats? The course explores ethical theories in application to these and similar issues.
A study of the relationship of the mental to the physical as it pertains to the foundations of psychology, artificial intelligence, and robotics.
An examination of issues in contemporary metaphysics, such as freedom of the will and determinism, the nature of causation, the mind-body problem, and the existence of abstract and concrete entities.
In this course, we will discuss the following questions among others: What is the nature of truth? Should truth be understood as correspondence with reality? What is it to know something? Is knowledge of the external world possible at all? Can I conclusively rule out the possibility that I might be dreaming right now, or that I might be just a brain in a vat? Are there any privileged beliefs that can be said to constitute the foundation for all of our knowledge? Are the standards for rationality and justification absolute or rather relative to cultural norms? Can there be rational disagreement between equally intelligent people who share the same body of evidence?
A survey of the ancient Western philosophical tradition, including the Presocratics, Plato, Aristotle, and the Hellenistic Philosophers.
A study of some of the major philosophical developments of the 17th -20th centuries, focusing on topics such as the relation between mind and body, religious belief and the problem of evil, rationalism and empiricism, and the limits of human knowledge.
A course on important trends in contemporary philosophy beginning with the Fregean linguistic turn, and examining the major works of philosophers such as Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, Quine, Davidson, Dummett, Putnam, Kripke, and Lewis.
An exploration of important issues concerning the natural and formal sciences from the standpoint of historical disputes and technological advances. Issues include the nature of science and of scientific progress, the justification of scientific theories, the possibility of objective knowledge of the world, the distinction between science and pseudo-science, and the relationship between faith and science.
Standard philosophical methods will be used to explore issues such as the existence and nature of God, the problem of evil, and the relationship between morality and religion.
An examination of moral issues that arise in medicine, focusing on topics such as euthanasia, genetic interventions, medical research involving vulnerable subjects, and the distribution of medical resources.
A study of moral theories, and of moral issues such as whether morality is subjective, whether there are moral facts, and the justification of practices such as capital punishment and abortion.
In-depth exploration of philosophical topics, designed for philosophy majors, with emphasis on student research and presentations.
A philosophical investigation into the nature of language. Topics include meaning, truth, theories of mediated reference, theories of direct reference, and speech acts.
Study of important philosophical themes and figures. May be repeated for credit when topics vary. Topics may include, for example, Minds and Machines, Eastern Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy, Environmental Ethics, American Philosophy, and Moral Issues in Contemporary Medicine.
See College description.
Practical experience is acquired through placement in a Philosophy internship position. Positions may be with law firms, organizations with an applied ethics focus (e.g., environmental or medical ethics), or other organizations in which philosophical skills and abilities play a significant role. Students are eligible to apply for a Philosophy internship if they meet the following criteria: have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a minimum GPA of 3.25 in Philosophy coursework; have at least junior standing at the university; be a Philosophy major or minor; and have completed at least 12 hours of coursework in the major or minor. If a student does not meet the eligibility criteria, they must solicit a recommendation from a Philosophy program faculty member in order to be considered for an internship. This course is graded Credit/No Credit.