Majors, Minors, and Concentrations
Philosophy Major
Exploration of some of the most basic and interesting questions about ourselves and our world, such as ones that concern God, freedom, and the mind as well as ones that concern truth, goodness, and beauty. Students also learn a way of thinking that emphasizes clarity, careful reflection, critical thinking, analytical rigor, questioning assumptions, thinking for oneself, respectful dialogue, and straightforward and clear oral and written expression.
Courses include Ancient Philosophy, Modern Philosophy, Metaphysics, Epistemology, Logic, Ethical Theory, and Philosophy of Religion.
There is also an Honors Philosophy Concentration.
Legal & Political Philosophy Concentration
Exploration of basic issues that arise in law and politics, such as the nature of legal and political systems, theories of justice, democracy, and human rights, how legal and political values apply to institutions and persons, the relationships between law, politics, and morality, oppression and marginalization by legal and political systems, legal reasoning and adjudication, and political authority and legitimacy.
Courses include Philosophy of Law, Social and Political Philosophy, Philosophical Foundations of Democracy, Global Justice and Human Rights, and Philosophy of Feminism.
Ideal for students interested in Law School.
There is also an Honors Legal and Political Philosophy Concentration.
Philosophy of Science & Medicine Concentration
Exploration of basic issues that arise in science and medicine, such as the nature of science, the ethical responsibilities of scientists and health professionals, relationship between experiments, theories, and scientific practice, whether science is objective, how theories change and how scientific disputes get settled, heuristics and biases in human reasoning, relationship among scientific methodologies, scientific knowledge, and social understandings of sex, gender, and race, and the nature of disability as part of the human condition.
Courses include Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Social Science, Bioethics, Feminist Philosophy of Science, and Race, Science, & Medicine.
Ideal for students interested in Medical School or other health professional schools.
There is also an Honors Philosophy of Science and Medicine Concentration.
Philosophy Minor
Exploration of some of the most basic and interesting questions about ourselves and our world, such as ones that concern God, freedom, and the mind as well as ones that concern truth, goodness, and beauty. Students also learn a way of thinking that emphasizes clarity, careful reflection, critical thinking, analytical rigor, questioning assumptions, thinking for oneself, respectful dialogue, and straightforward and clear oral and written expression.
Courses include Ancient Philosophy, Modern Philosophy, Metaphysics, Epistemology, Logic, Ethical Theory, and Philosophy of Religion.
Only requires 6 Philosophy courses at the 200 level or higher.
Philosophy of Science and Medicine Minor
Exploration of basic issues that arise in science and medicine, such as the nature of science, the ethical responsibilities of scientists and health professionals, relationships between experiments, theories, and scientific practice, whether science is objective, how theories change and how scientific disputes get settled, relationship among scientific methodologies, scientific knowledge, and social understandings of sex, gender, and race, and the nature of disability as part of the human condition.
Courses include Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Social Science, Bioethics, Feminist Philosophy of Science, and Race, Science, & Medicine.
Ideal for students interested in Medical School or other health professional schools.
Only requires 6 Philosophy courses at the 200 level or higher.
5 Year BA/MA Program
The Department of Philosophy offers a program in which qualified students may earn both a BA and MA in philosophy in five years. This is accomplished by applying 9 hours of approved graduate courses to both the BA and MA.