Undergraduate Catalog

B.A. in Philosophy

Summary of Requirements


2023-2024
Core Curriculum 43
Major and Related Courses 30
Free Elective Courses 47
TOTAL 120

Required philosophy courses 12 credits

PHI 201Introduction to Logic

3

PHI 311History of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy

3

PHI 312History of Renaissance and Early Modern Philosophy

3

PHI 313History of Late Modern and Contemporary Philosophy

3

Elective philosophy courses 15 credits

Choose fifteen credits:

PHI 150Introduction to Philosophy

3

PHI 190Animal Rights

3

PHI 195Special Topics

1-5

PHI 210Science Fiction Philosophy

3

PHI 240Applied Ethics

4

PHI 255Ethics in Popular Culture

3

PHI 257Moral Philosophy

3

PHI 288Feminism

3

PHI 290Ethics and Health Care

3

PHI 295Special Topics

1-5

PHI 300Metaphysics and Epistemology

3

PHI 318Social and Political Philosophy

3

PHI 320Topics in Ethics

3

PHI 325Philosophy of Religion

3

PHI 359Philosophy of Criminal Punishment

3

PHI 395Special Topics

1-5

PHI 410American Philosophy

3

PHI 415Great Thinkers in Philosophy

3

PHI 450Bioethics and the Deaf Community

3

PHI 495Special Topics

1-5

PHI 499Independent Study

1-3

Required Capstone course 3 credits

Choose one course:

PHI 493Senior Research Paper

3

PHI 494Senior Thesis

3

Program Outcomes

1. Intelligently discuss important philosophical problems and theories.

      a. Identify philosophical questions, clarifying what is at issue and why the question is controversial.

 

      b. Describe significant attempts to answer these questions (i.e., theories, particular philosophers' responses).

 

      c. Discuss shortcomings in these attempted answers and how they might be debated.

 

2. Demonstrate sophisticated critical thinking skills.

 

      a. Analyze arguments, identifying premises, conclusions, assumptions, and logical relations.

 

      b. Evaluate arguments, judge the quality of the reasoning/information, and raise specific objections.

 

      c. Provide compelling reasons in support of opinions, avoid common argument flaws, and thoughtfully respond to objections

 

      d. Solve problems logically and innovatively

 

3. Actively engage with debates and developments in the history of philosophy.

 

      a. Explain themes, theories, and arguments involving philosophers from the (1) ancient/medieval period, (2) early modern period, and (3) late modern to contemporary period, demonstrating connections among them.

 

      b. Critically engage with complex primary source texts.

 

4, Perform high-quality independent philosophical research.

 

      a. Identify a clear and specific philosophical question and develop a research plan to address it.

 

      b. Integrate material from relevant, diverse, high-quality sources to apply to the question.

 

      c. Present arguments that build on other authors' work, but also include original analysis.

 

      d. Apply the above to create a substantial scholarly document that explores a student-selected philosophical topic.

 

5. Make reasoned decisions about ethical issues.

 

      a. Recognize ethical issues in complex contexts, clarifying how various issues relate to each other.

 

      b. Articulate multiple points of view on ethics and values.

 

      c. Describe ethical theories, pointing out their strengths and weaknesses.

 

      d. Apply ethical concepts and theories to evaluate actions and debate controversial social issues. 

Subject:

Philosophy and Religion