The Department of Philosophy offers a unique Bachelor of Science degree in Philosophy consisting of:

• a thorough grounding in three main areas of philosophy;
• a four-course specialization within philosophy;
• a focus or “core competence” in a discipline outside of philosophy (this could be a minor or other coherent set of courses in a non-philosophy discipline, including, for double-majors, courses in the other discipline);
• a Senior Thesis integrating philosophy with a field of application (e.g., the non-philosophy core competence); and
• general education courses and other miscellaneous requirements.

Most of the skills required for student and career success—how to learn, how to apply that learning in professional and personal environments, and how to communicate that knowledge—are central to philosophical training. Philosophy students are taught to evaluate complex problems, identify and examine underlying principles, investigate issues from diverse perspectives, and communicate clearly in both written and oral forms.

A student in this degree program will develop a unique combination of philosophy with a core competence (or even a double major) in another discipline. The reciprocal interaction between philosophy and another discipline will encourage students to creatively pursue cross-disciplinary relationships. Students will hone the traditional critical tools of rigor and clarity while appreciating the importance of traversing the boundaries of professional disciplines.

Education after the baccalaureate degree can be useful in order to compete beyond the entry-level job market, and the Philosophy program is oriented toward making its students uniquely competitive for further graduate and professional education. Students could prepare for graduate programs by choosing an appropriate core competence outside of philosophy or by pursuing a double major or dual degree. The BS in Philosophy can therefore prepare students for further education by giving them a distinctive ability to think philosophically while drawing upon disciplinary and professional skills.

Program requirements

(A .pdf file with the following and additional information is available here.)

The six numbered items in the table above are explained below.

1. Philosophy Core: 24 credit hours divided into three areas of philosophy:

Three courses in the History of Philosophy area:

Required:
0509-456  Ancient Philosophy
0509-457  Modern Philosophy
Choose one from:
0509-462  Contemporary Philosophy
0509-467  Medieval Philosophy
0509-469  19th Century Philosophy

Two courses in the Value Theory area:

Required:
0509-476  Ethical Theory
Choose one from:
0509-442  Philosophy of Art/Aesthetics
0509-445  Social and Political Philosophy
0509-446  Philosophy of Law

Choose one from the Reasoning/Epistemology area:

0509-441  Logic
0509-443  Philosophy of Science
0509-455  Theories of Knowledge

2. Specialization within Philosophy: In addition to six courses in the philosophy core, each student will take four courses which will constitute an area of specialization within philosophy, usually related to the student’s program electives and/or professional core (described below). Seven such pre-approved specializations are given here. With faculty advising, students may also develop their own specializations. (Courses taken to satisfy a specialization must not duplicate courses taken to satisfy the Philosophy core.)

Philosophy of Mind and Cognitive Science: covers the philosophical issues involved in studying intelligence, cognition, identity, consciousness, rationality, creativity and emotion, especially as such concepts and categories are invoked by computer and cognitive scientists, and as they are applied in relation to natural and artificial systems. (Choose 4 from: Logic, Philosophy of Mind, Metaphysics, Minds and Machines, Technology and Embodiment, Philosophy of Language, and appropriate sections of Great Thinkers, Special Topics, or Seminar in Philosophy not used to satisfy other requirements, evaluated case by case.)

Philosophy of Science and Technology: examines the concepts, methodologies, and philosophical implications of science and technology, and explores the underlying theories, practices, and consequences of science and technology and their role in shaping societies and their values. (Choose 4 from: Logic, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Technology, Theories of Knowledge, Technology and Embodiment, and appropriate sections of Great Thinkers, Special Topics, or Seminar in Philosophy not used to satisfy other requirements, evaluated case by case.)

Applied Ethics: examines the ethical underpinnings of different professions as well as the ethical presuppositions and implications of technology, engineering, science, management and other disciplines. Attention is also given to ethics education within the professions and to the role which professional ethicists can play in different professional and organizational settings. (Choose 4 from: Philosophy of Law, Contemporary Moral Problems, Philosophy of Peace, Professional Ethics, Environmental Philosophy, and appropriate sections of Great Thinkers, Special Topics, or Seminar in Philosophy not used to satisfy other requirements, evaluated case by case.)

Philosophy of the Social Sciences and Political Philosophy: examines philosophical issues arising from social and political life as well as the disciplines that study them. (Choose 4 from: Social and Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Law, Contemporary Moral Problems, Philosophy of Peace, Environmental Philosophy, Feminist Theory, Philosophy of the Social Sciences, East Asian Philosophy, Critical Social Theory, Technology and Embodiment, and appropriate sections of Great Thinkers, Special Topics, or Seminar in Philosophy not used to satisfy other requirements, evaluated case by case.)

Philosophy of Art and Aesthetics: examines how different philosophical frameworks conceive of the various arts and crafts and the forms of creative experience and production with which they are engaged; explores the relationship between aesthetic perception and other forms of experience and judgment, between art and society, between art and ethics, and between art and technology. (Choose 4 from: Philosophy of Art and Aesthetics, Social and Political Philosophy, Critical Social Theory, Philosophy and Literary Theory, Philosophy of Film, Philosophy of Vision and Imaging, and appropriate sections of Great Thinkers, Special Topics, or Seminar in Philosophy not used to satisfy other requirements, evaluated case by case.)

History of Philosophy: explores the development and connection of philosophical ideas, concepts, and movements throughout time through an in-depth analysis of major transformative moments and figures, and examines how philosophical positions result from an ongoing conversation with previous thinkers. (Choose 4 from: Medieval Philosophy, Nineteenth Century Philosophy, Existentialism, Critical Social Theory, American Philosophy, Contemporary Philosophy, East Asian Philosophy, and appropriate sections of Great Thinkers, Special Topics, or Seminar in Philosophy not used to satisfy other requirements, evaluated case by case.)

Philosophy and Law: helps prepare students for law school and other advanced studies by focusing on the skills and topics important to the study of the law. The courses in this specialization provide, first, an examination of the theoretical and ethical foundations of the law and, second, an understanding of the logical and epistemological skills useful in evaluating and constructing legal arguments. In addition, a grounding in these topics and skills is valuable in a range of professions outside the legal field. (Choose 4 from: Philosophy of Law, Symbolic Logic, Social and Political Philosophy, Professional Ethics, Theories of Knowledge, and appropriate sections of Great Thinkers, Special Topics, or Seminar in Philosophy not used to satisfy other requirements, evaluated case by case.)

3. Seminar in Philosophy: This course is an examination of a selected area or topic in philosophy at an advanced undergraduate level.

4. Senior Thesis: This course is required of Philosophy majors during their senior year. A student will choose a faculty member to serve as a primary advisor. With the advisor’s guidance, a student will research and write a substantial paper on a specific philosophical topic. Students will be encouraged to investigate a particular question in depth, likely building on their philosophy specialization and their professional core. The finished thesis will be discussed and examined by a committee including two other faculty members.

5. Program electives: These can be one or the other (or a combination) of:

• any upper-level philosophy courses not used to satisfy program requirements.
• complementary courses outside of the department of philosophy. (Students are free, with proper advising, to seek out non-philosophy courses which complement their Philosophy specializations.)

6. Professional Core: Each student must complete a series of courses designed to provide foundational knowledge in a professional/technical discipline outside of philosophy which complements the student’s studies in Philosophy. Such a core will be at least 20 credit hours and can be satisfied in any of the following ways:

• completing an existing minor (outside of philosophy);
• completing an individually designed professional core (subject to the approval of the student’s philosophy advisor and the external department); or
• for double-majors, completing the major in the other discipline.

Please note that for transfer students, some (or even all) of the professional core requirements might be satisfied by courses already taken in the former department.

Admission

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