Philosophy, B.A.
Philosophy is an excellent foundation for work in law, business, teaching, communications, religious studies, public affairs, and more. In fact, philosophy majors have been shown to excel at standardized testing and thrive in the workplace. Hedge fund managers, CEOs, and tech start-up founders are among an impressive list of highly successful philosophy majors. Why is this?
• The study of philosophy is intellectually rigorous, which sharpens students’ minds and teaches them to engage systematically with problems large and small.
• Philosophy students learn the art of constructive debate, discussion and persuasion, in written and verbal forms. These skills serve them well in job interviews and competitive work environments.
• A solid foundation in ethics produces philosophy graduates who make careful decisions with concern for others.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required | ||
| PHIL 102 | Critical Thinking | 3 |
| PHIL 227 | Symbolic Logic | 3 |
| PHIL 234 | Ancient Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 239 | On Evil | 3 |
| Restricted Electives | ||
| History (take 1 course from the following): | ||
| PHIL 208 | Great Philosophers: Voices of Wisdom | 3 |
| PHIL 303 | Existentialism and Phenomenology | 3 |
| PHIL 314 | Great Philosophical Texts I | 3 |
| Theoretical (take 1 course from the following): | ||
| PHIL 205 | Metaphysics: Appearance and Reality | 3 |
| PHIL 206 | Epistemology: Theory of Knowledge | 3 |
| Practical (take 1 course from the following): | ||
| PHIL 244 | Political and Social Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 207 | Ethics | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Select a minimum of 15 credits from the following courses, at least 9 credits of which must be selected from courses numbered 300 or higher: 2 | 15 | |
| PHIL 105 | Issues in Religion | 3 |
| PHIL 110 | Mythology | 3 |
| PHIL 109 | Bioethics (Medical Ethics) 1 | 3 |
| PHIL 113 | Environmental Ethics 1 | 3 |
| PHIL 125 | Ethics in Everyday Life 1 | 3 |
| PHIL 135 | World Religions Today 1 | 3 |
| PHIL 140 | The Examined Life 1 | 3 |
| PHIL 203 | Philosophy of Religion | 3 |
| PHIL 215 | On Love | 3 |
| PHIL 216 | Aesthetics: Creativity & Imagination | 3 |
| PHIL 217 | Eastern Philosophy and Religion | 3 |
| PHIL 226 | Religion in the City: When Faith Encounters Urban Life | 3 |
| PHIL 232 | African(a) Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 235 | Perspectives on Death | 3 |
| PHIL 236 | Self: I as Mind 1 | 3 |
| PHIL 240 | Philosophy and Film | 3 |
| PHIL 245 | The Philosophy of Social Justice in the United States 1 | 3 |
| PHIL 246 | Food, Philosophy, and Global Health 1 | 3 |
| PHIL 260 | Practice, Policy and Philosophy of Education 1 | 3 |
| PHIL 290 | Myth, Magic, and Mysticism | 3 |
| PHIL 302 | Philosophy of Technology | 3 |
| PHIL 313 | Time | 3 |
| PHIL 317 | Philosophy and Literature | 3 |
| PHIL 320 | Philosophy of Psychology | 3 |
| PHIL 324 | Judaism, Christianity, and Islam | 3 |
| PHIL 390 | Pandemic Ethics | 3 |
| PHIL 397 | Re-Thinking Animals: A Paradigm Shift | 3 |
| PHIL 401 | Philosophy of Science | 3 |
| PHIL 405 | Advanced Seminar in Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 408 | Independent Study in Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 424 | Independent Study in Religion | 3 |
| Total Credits | 36 | |
| 1 | General Education Program elective courses do not count toward General Education Program requirements unless all major program requirements are otherwise fulfilled. |
| 2 | Take no more than 9 credits at the 100 level |
| Freshman | ||
|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | Credits | |
| ENGL 101 or ESL 101 | English Composition I or English Composition I for English as a Second Language Students | 4-6 |
| MATH 114 or MATH 140 | Contemporary Mathematics or Statistics I | 3 |
| PHIL 102 | Critical Thinking | 3 |
| General Education Tier I | 3 | |
| INTD 101 | Orientation to College *first time freshmen only | 1 |
| Credits | 14-16 | |
| Semester 2 | ||
| ENGL 102 or ESL 102 | English Composition II or | 4-6 |
| PHIL 207 or PHIL 244 | Ethics or Political and Social Philosophy | 3 |
| General Education Tier I | 3 | |
| General Education Tier I | 3 | |
| Elective/Minor | 3 | |
| Credits | 16-18 | |
| Sophomore | ||
| Semester 1 | ||
| PHIL 234 or PHIL 239 | Ancient Philosophy or On Evil | 3 |
| General Education Tier I | 3 | |
| General Education Tier II | 3 | |
| General Education Tier II | 3 | |
| Elective/Minor | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Semester 2 | ||
| PHIL 227 | Symbolic Logic | 3 |
| General Education Tier II | 3 | |
| General Education Tier II | 3 | |
| General Education Tier II | 3 | |
| Elective/Minor | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Junior | ||
| Semester 1 | ||
| PHIL 239 or PHIL 234 | On Evil or Ancient Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 205 | Metaphysics: Appearance and Reality | 3 |
| PHIL 206 | Epistemology: Theory of Knowledge | 3 |
| General Education Tier II | 3 | |
| Elective//Minor | 3 | |
| Elective/Minor | 3 | |
| Credits | 18 | |
| Semester 2 | ||
| PHIL 208 | Great Philosophers: Voices of Wisdom or Existentialism and Phenomenology or Great Philosophical Texts I | 3 |
| General Education Tier III Capstone | 3 | |
| Philosophy Elective 200/300-Level | 3 | |
| Elective/Minor | 3 | |
| Elective/Minor | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Senior | ||
| Semester 1 | ||
| PHIL Elective | 3 | |
| PHIL Elective | 3 | |
| Elective/Minor | 3 | |
| Elective/Minor | 3 | |
| Elective/Minor | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Semester 2 | ||
| PHIL Elective | 3 | |
| PHIL Elective | 3 | |
| Elective/Minor | 3 | |
| Elective/Minor | 3 | |
| Elective/Minor | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 123-127 | |
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the Philosophy BA program, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the major ideas, questions, methods and arguments in the core areas of philosophy in the context of philosophy's major historical periods.
- Engage in the close_critical but charitable-reading and interpretation of philosophical texts, and express ideas and arguments clearly in written and/or oral communication.
- Demonstrate strong critical thinking and problem solving skills by applying the tools of informal and formal logic to identify, construct, analyze, evaluate and respond to arguments.
- Discuss questions of value rationally, clearly, humbly, and with an open mind.