Philosophy Major

The Philosophy major invites you to be a part of conversations about the deepest, most pressing issues we face:  What is valuable?  What is real and what is true?  How can I live a good life?  How should we treat each other?  What is justice?  What are human rights?  What is the law?  What is the mind, and how does it relate to my brain and body?  Do we really know the things we think we know?  What does it all mean?  Why are we here?
 
As a Philosophy major, you became a sharp critical thinker while learning how to apply abstract theory to real-world problems.  You develop an in-depth understanding of contemporary philosophical debates and the global history of philosophy.  You participate in ongoing conversation in areas such as ethical theory, applied ethics (e.g., environmental ethics, business ethics, and biomedical ethics), feminist philosophy, philosophy of race, social and political philosophy, aesthetics and philosophy of art, philosophy of mind, metaphysics, theory of knowledge, philosophy of film, philosophy of law, philosophy of language, philosophy of science, existentialism, philosophy of religion, and Asian and Indian philosophy.  You have the opportunity to explore connections between philosophy and contemplative practices such as yoga, meditation, and the martial arts.  You will learn how to take philosophical theory and apply it to deal with real-world problems in public policy, scientific inquiry, global conflict, and your individual life.

The Philosophy major can be a stand-alone major, but it is designed to allow for students easily to combine the Philosophy major with a second major and/or with one or more minors.

A Philosophy major is useful for careers involving critical thinking and analysis and those that require writing skills and an ability to solve complex, theory-laden problems.  Philosophy is a traditional pathway into elite law schools, and many philosophy majors go on to graduate school in a variety of fields.

 

Philosophy Major Degree Requirements

 

Requirements for the major in Philosophy

PHL 215	Ancient Philosophy: Plato and Aristotle	4
PHL 302	Modern Philosophy: Metaphysics and Epistemology from Descartes to Kant	4
PHL 201	Logic	4
Any-level PHL or REL elective	Any PHL or REL course at any level	4
Upper-level PHL electives	12 credits (typically three 4-credit courses) of PHL 3XX and/or PHL 4XX	12
PHL 401	The Philosopher's Capstone: Living in the World Today	4
Total Credit Hours:		32

 

The Philosophy major can be your one and only major, but it also can be combined with other majors so that you graduate with a double major.

You can begin the Philosophy major by taking any PHL or REL course for which you meet the pre-requisites. 

Word to the wise:  if you are planning on taking an exam for professional school or graduate school such as the LSAT or the GRE, it might be a good idea to take PHL 201 Logic in the semester before you take that exam.

 

Total Credit Hours: 32