Philosophy (BA in Philosophy)
Philosophy Program
The department, through a varied and extensive program of courses, presents students with past and present attempts to think critically and reflectively about fundamental questions of knowledge and value in order that they will be led to examine their own views. The study of philosophical problems in the spirit of free inquiry requires the student to develop and exercise the powers of precise discrimination, creative imagination, logical organization and evaluative judgment.
Several sections of introductory courses (e.g. PHIL 100 Critical Questions in Philosophy, PHIL 150 First-Year Seminar, PHIL 201 Introduction to Philosophy, and PHIL 205 Meaning in Life) are offered. A large number of middle-level courses are offered to meet the needs of students who wish to take courses that might be particularly relevant to their own field or major. (Many philosophy courses are particularly suited to the needs of students with interdisciplinary majors.) The department also offers specialized and intensive courses of a historical, methodological and systematic character for those students who wish to major in philosophy. A major may serve as a preparation for graduate study, or, as is more usually the case, as a sound foundation for a liberal education. Many majors go into professions such as law, where training in philosophical analysis is particularly advantageous.
Required Credit Hours: 30-39
Course Requirements
(Those who wish to prepare for graduate study in philosophy or in a related discipline will normally take more than this required minimum.)
Core Requirements
The philosophy major’s core curriculum is six 3-credit classes, for a total of 18 credits. Satisfying these core requirements is a good way to start making progress toward the major, as every version of the major requires these core classes. In addition to the core curriculum, philosophy majors must choose one of the three versions of the major and complete its associated requirements: the standard major with no concentration, the Ethics & Law Concentration, or the Ethics for Data & Computing Concentration. No course can satisfy more than one requirement in the major, regardless of whether it is a core or concentration-specific requirement.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| History of Philosophy | ||
| PHIL 231 | Greek Philosophy | 3 |
| or PHIL 232 | Medieval Philosophy | |
| PHIL 252 | 17th- and 18th-Century European Philosophy | 3 |
| or PHIL 253 | Kant and his Successors | |
| Metaphysics & Epistemology | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Philosophy of Science | ||
| Philosophy of Language | ||
| Philosophy of Mind | ||
| Theory of Knowledge | ||
| Feminist Metaphysics | ||
| Metaphysics | ||
| Advanced Topics in Metaphysics & Epistemology | ||
| Adv Topics in Epistemology for Ethics & Law | ||
| Value Theory | ||
| Select one of the following: 1 | 3 | |
| PHIL 215 | Right and Wrong in the Contemporary World | 3 |
| PHIL 303 | Ethics | 3 |
| PHIL 305 | Social and Political Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 310 | Philosophy of Law | 3 |
| PHIL 403 | Advanced Topics in Value Theory | 3 |
| PHIL 404 | Adv Topics in Value Theory for Ethics & Law | 3 |
| Logic Course | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Critical Thinking 2 | ||
| Symbolic Logic | ||
| Logic and Discrete Structures 3 | ||
| Foundations of Math 3 | ||
| Core Writing Requirement | ||
| Select least one senior seminar from the following: 4,5 | 3 | |
| Advanced Topics in Value Theory | ||
| Adv Topics in Value Theory for Ethics & Law | ||
| Advanced Topics in Metaphysics & Epistemology | ||
| Adv Topics in Epistemology for Ethics & Law | ||
| Great Philosophers | ||
| Advanced Seminar In Philosophy | ||
| Advanced Seminar in Philosophy | ||
| Total Hours | 36 | |
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Note: For the standard major with no concentrations, PHIL 304 Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art also can satisfy the Value Theory Requirement.
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Note: PHIL 210 Critical Thinking is less recommended for those who plan to pursue graduate study in philosophy.
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If CSCI 243 Logic and Discrete Structures or MATH 214 Foundations of Math is used to satisfy the Logic requirement, then PHIL 301 Symbolic Logic cannot be counted toward the required credit hours for the major.
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Since they are special topic courses, the same course number, e.g., PHIL 403 Advanced Topics in Value Theory, can be taken more than once, provided that the topic of the course is different.
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Note: The following courses do not count as senior seminars or contribute to the Core Writing Requirement: PHIL 460 Advanced Logic, PHIL 441 Independent Study in Philosophy, PHIL 442 Independent Study in Philosophy, or Honors Research (PHIL 495 Honors, PHIL 496 Honors).
Note
Majors are strongly encouraged to complete the History of Philosophy, Value Theory, and Metaphysics & Epistemology requirements before the end of the junior year.
Philosophy (no concentration)
The standard philosophy major is the most flexible version of the major, allowing you the most freedom to follow your interests. If you don’t know which, if any, concentration is best for you, then just major in philosophy without a concentration. In addition to the 18 credits in the core curriculum, the standard major requires an additional 12 credits, broken down as follows.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Interdisciplinary Application | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Philosophy of Race: Identity, Racism, and Justice | ||
| Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art | ||
| Social and Political Philosophy | ||
| Issues in Environmental Ethics | ||
| Philosophy of Law | ||
| Philosophy of Religion | ||
| Philosophy of Science | ||
| Biomedical Ethics | ||
| Neuroscience and Ethics | ||
| Ethics and Data Science | ||
| Philosophy of Mind | ||
| Philosophy Electives (no concentration) | ||
| Any two PHIL courses of at least three credits, including honors research and independent studies, that are not being used to satisfy any other requirements on the major. | 6 | |
| Philosophy Additional Writing Requirement (no concentration) | ||
| Select a second senior seminar from the following: 1 | 3 | |
| Advanced Topics in Value Theory | ||
| Adv Topics in Value Theory for Ethics & Law | ||
| Advanced Topics in Metaphysics & Epistemology | ||
| Adv Topics in Epistemology for Ethics & Law | ||
| Great Philosophers | ||
| Advanced Seminar In Philosophy | ||
| Advanced Seminar in Philosophy | ||
| Total Hours | 12 | |
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Note: The following courses do not count as senior seminars or contribute to the Additional Standard Writing Requirement: PHIL 460 Advanced Logic, PHIL 441 Independent Study in Philosophy, PHIL 442 Independent Study in Philosophy, or Honors Research (PHIL 495 Honors, PHIL 496 Honors).
Ethics for Data & Computing Concentration
A humanities degree for a STEM world. This concentration prepares students to write and reason in a world increasingly driven by computers and data, as well as understand the ethical implications of data, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies. It ensures that students know how to evaluate competing conceptions of value, integrate ethical theories with scientific theories, as well as reflect critically on the assumptions of science, artificial languages, and/or technology. In addition to the 18 credits in the core curriculum, this concentration requires a minimum of 18 additional credits, 12 additional credits in philosophy and at least 6 (including at least 3 as pre-reqs) credits in a related scientific field.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Data Ethics Requirement | ||
| PHIL 330 | Ethics and Data Science | 3 |
| Science and Ethics Elective | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| First-Year Seminar (Philosophy of Technology) | ||
| Philosophy of Race: Identity, Racism, and Justice | ||
| Philosophy of Love and Friendship | ||
| Biomedical Ethics | ||
| Neuroscience and Ethics | ||
| Adv Topics in Value Theory for Ethics & Law | ||
| Scientific Reflection Requirement | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Philosophy of Language | ||
| Philosophy of Mind | ||
| Theory of Knowledge | ||
| Feminist Metaphysics | ||
| Philosophy of Science | ||
| Ethics for Data & Computing Additional Writing Requirement | ||
| Select a second senior seminar or honors research, to be selected from the following: | 3 | |
| Advanced Topics in Value Theory | ||
| Adv Topics in Value Theory for Ethics & Law | ||
| Advanced Topics in Metaphysics & Epistemology | ||
| Adv Topics in Epistemology for Ethics & Law | ||
| Great Philosophers | ||
| Advanced Seminar In Philosophy | ||
| Advanced Seminar in Philosophy | ||
| Honors | ||
| Science Sequence Requirement | ||
| Students must take courses in computational or quantitative sciences that reinforce their ability to reason about and with data, computers, artificial languages, and technology. This progress is attained by completing at least one of the following courses and its associated prerequisites: | 3 | |
| Data Sequence: | ||
| Introduction to Data Science & AI | ||
Computer Science Sequence: | ||
| Data Structures | ||
| Linguistics Sequence: | ||
| Computational Methods in Language Science | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
Note on adding Honors to this concentration
While the minimum number of credits for this concentration is 36 (30 credits in philosophy and 3 credits [with 3-4 pre-req credits] in a related science), the minimum number of credits for both honors and this concentration is 39. The first semester of honors research (PHIL 495 Honors) satisfies the Additional Comp/Data Ethics Writing Requirement, as noted above. The second semester of honors research (PHIL 496 Honors) is a general philosophy elective beyond the minimum credits required for the major.
Philosophy Ethics & Law Concentration
This concentration is great for those who intend to pursue careers in law, public policy, politics, or would otherwise benefit from more extensive study of ethics and law. In addition to the 18 credits in the core curriculum, the Ethics & Law Concentration requires an additional 12 credits, broken down as follows.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Law Requirement | ||
| PHIL 310 | Philosophy of Law | 3 |
| Law Elective | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Critical Questions in Philosophy | ||
| Right and Wrong in the Contemporary World | ||
| Philosophy of Race: Identity, Racism, and Justice | ||
| Ethics | ||
| Social and Political Philosophy | ||
| Biomedical Ethics | ||
| Honors | ||
| Regulation of Markets | ||
| Economic Analysis of Law | ||
| International Law | ||
| American Legal Process | ||
| Civil Rights and Civil Liberties | ||
| Ethics & Law Elective | ||
| Any PHIL course of at least three credits, including honors research and independent study, that is not being used to satisfy some other requirement on the major. | 3 | |
| Ethics & Law Additional Writing Requirement | ||
| second senior seminar, such that at least one senior seminar has the “PHIL-Ethics & Law Seminar Req” course attribute; The following seminars always have this attribute: 1 | 3 | |
| Adv Topics in Value Theory for Ethics & Law | ||
| Adv Topics in Epistemology for Ethics & Law | ||
| Total Hours | 12 | |
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Other senior seminars-PHIL 422 Great Philosophers, PHIL 431 Advanced Seminar In Philosophy, and PHIL 432 Advanced Seminar in Philosophy-may have the “PHIL-Ethics & Law Seminar Req” course attribute occasionally, when the topic of the seminar permits. PHIL 460 Advanced Logic, PHIL 441 Independent Study in Philosophy, PHIL 442 Independent Study in Philosophy, and Honors Research (PHIL 495 Honors, PHIL 496 Honors) cannot count toward the Additional Ethics & Law Writing Requirement.
Note
Note on adding Honors to the Ethics & Law Concentration: While the minimum number of credits for the concentration is 30, the minimum number for both honors and the concentration is 33. The first semester of honors research (PHIL 495 Honors) can satisfy the Philosophy Elective, as noted above. The second semester of honors research (PHIL 496 Honors), would be an elective course that goes beyond the minimum credits to complete the concentration.