Philosophy Major
Building upon the core courses in ethics and philosophical perspectives, students majoring in philosophy go on to complete a total of 36 hours of course work. This includes a course in logic plus eight electives which are distributed between courses in the history of philosophy (three courses) and free electives (five courses). In addition, majors will also take a specialized course in metaphysics restricted only to students who have declared a major or minor in philosophy.
Students who intend to go on to graduate school with an interest in ancient or medieval philosophy will find a reading knowledge of Greek and Latin necessary; those who intend to concentrate on modern or contemporary philosophy should look to French or German.
The major program culminates in the preparation of a thesis during the student's final year. Majors work closely with a mentoring faculty member to prepare a lengthy research project to demonstrate the student's abilities in the discipline. An oral defense of the thesis completes the requirements for the major program. The major leads to a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree.
The following is an outline of one possible course sequence for philosophy majors. Schedules will be tailored to students' specific academic plans and interests.
Year One
| First Semester | Credit Hours | Second Semester | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHILOSOPHY 100 Ethics as Intro. to Philosophy |
3 | SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVES Elective |
3 |
| ENGLISH 101 or 115 English Composition or Rhetoric |
3 | ENGL/FREN/GERM/SPAN 205 Literature and the Moral Imagination |
3 |
| second language 201 Elective |
3 | second language 202 Elective |
3 |
| CORE 100 First Year Seminar |
3 | THEOLOGY 111 Theological Foundations |
3 |
| CREATIVE PERSPECTIVES Elective |
3 | ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Elective* |
3 |
| Total | 15 | Total | 15 |
Year Two
| First Semester | Credit Hours | Second Semester | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHILOSOPHY 200 Philosophical Perspectives |
3 | HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY Philosophy 300-309, 354, 362-364 |
3 |
| MATHEMATICAL PERSPECTIVES Elective |
3 | PHILOSOPHY Elective |
3 |
| HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES Elective |
3 | SOCIAL SCIENCE Elective |
3 |
| NATURAL SCIENCE Elective |
3 | THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES Elective |
3 |
| General Elective | 3 | QUANTITATIVE REASONING Elective* |
3 |
| Total | 15 | Total | 15 |
Year Three
| First Semester | Credit Hours | Second Semester | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY Philosophy 300-309, 354, 362-364 |
3 | HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY Philosophy 300-309, 354, 362-364 |
3 |
| PHILOSOPHY 311 Symbolic Logic |
3 | PHILOSOPHY 340 Metaphysics |
3 |
| PHILOSOPHY Elective |
3 | PHILOSOPHY Elective |
3 |
| ETHICS/ RELIGION and SOCIETY Elective* |
3 | DIVERSITY CURRICULUM REQUIREMENT* | 3 |
| GENERAL Electives |
3 | HUMANITIES Elective |
3 |
| Total | 15 | Total | 15 |
Year Four
| First Semester | Credit Hours | Second Semester | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHILOSOPHY 398 Thesis Review I |
1 | PHILOSOPHY 399 Thesis Review II |
2 |
| PHILOSOPHY Seminar |
3 | GENERAL Electives |
12 |
| HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY Philosophy 300-309, 354, 362-364 |
3 | ||
| GENERAL Electives |
9 |
||
| Total | 16 | Total | 14 |
*May double count with other core or major courses
A minimum of 120 credit hours is required for the degree