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.
FIRST YEAR:
|
Fall Semester |
Hrs. |
Spring Semester |
|
|
First Year Seminar (CORE 100) |
3 |
Theological Foundations (THEO 111) |
3 |
|
Second Language 1 |
3 |
Second Language 2 |
3 |
|
Composition or Rhetoric (ENGL 100/115) |
3 |
Literature and Moral Imagination (ENGL 205) |
3 |
|
Philosophy 100 |
3 |
Scientific Perspectives Elective |
3 |
|
Creative Perspectives Elective |
3 |
Oral Communications Elective |
3 |
|
CORE 101 |
0 |
CORE 102 |
0 |
|
Total |
15 |
Total |
15 |
SECOND YEAR:
|
Fall Semester |
Hrs. |
Spring Semester |
|
|
Philosophy 200 |
3 |
History of Philosophy |
3 |
|
Mathematical Perspectives Elective |
3 |
General Elective |
3 |
|
Historical |
3 |
Social Science Elective |
3 |
|
Natural Science Elective |
3 |
Theological Perspectives Elective |
3 |
|
General Elective |
3 |
Quantitative Reasoning Elective |
3 |
|
Total |
15 |
Total |
15 |
THIRD YEAR:
|
Fall Semester |
Hrs. |
Spring Semester |
|
|
History of Philosophy |
3 |
History of Philosophy |
3 |
|
Philosophy Elective |
3 |
Philosophy 340 Metaphysics |
3 |
|
Philosophy Elective |
3 |
Philosophy Elective |
3 |
|
ERS Elective |
3 |
Diversity Curriculum Requirement |
3 |
|
General Elective |
3 |
Humanities Elective |
3 |
|
Total |
15 |
Total |
15 |
FOURTH YEAR:
|
Fall Semester |
Hrs. |
Spring Semester |
|
|
Philosophy Elective |
3 |
General Elective |
3 |
|
Humanities Elective |
3 |
General Elective |
3 |
|
General Elective |
3 |
General Elective |
3 |
|
General Elective |
3 |
General Elective |
3 |
|
General Elective |
3 |
General Elective |
3 |
|
Total
|
15 |
Total |
15 |