Philosophy Major, BA (50 or 60 credits)
Students may choose either a 50-credit major or a 60-credit major. In order to graduate, a student who completes the 50-credit major must also have a minor or second major in another discipline. A student who completes the 60-credit major is not required to have a minor or second major.
Departmental Honors in Philosophy
The honors program in philosophy recognizes the exceptional scholarship of qualified students in the philosophy major. To qualify, students must have completed at least 25 credits in their major and have a minimum GPA of 3.0 overall and 3.5 in their major coursework.
In addition to their normal coursework, students seeking departmental honors must take one additional upper division course in their program, complete a superior thesis (PHIL 497: Honors Thesis) to be evaluated by a second reader from the departmental faculty, and make an oral presentation. Students graduating with honors will have that accomplishment recorded on their transcripts.
Program Learner Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:
- identify and describe the major ideas within diverse philosophical traditions, including historically under-represented traditions in academic philosophy;
- identify and critically evaluate arguments offered in support of philosophical and ethical positions;
- write thesis-driven papers, including a culminating undergraduate thesis essay, in which the student formulates their own argument in support of a philosophical position;
- examine multiple approaches to ethics and recognize their application - for example, by examining the implications of those approaches for specific moral problems, comparing different positions, or identifying their historical and cultural context;
- adapt their own arguments and positions to include new ideas after critical reflection; and
- engage with perplexing and confounding problems in philosophy through pluralistic thought.