Ten courses of which eight must be in the department, including Philosophy 1 and 33; one from among 120, 121, 131; and one seminar from among 187, 188, 191, 192, or under appropriate circumstances 291, or 292. The remaining two courses must be approved related courses in a single field, normally in a single department or additional philosophy courses may be substituted for one or both. Majors are also encouraged to take at least one course in the history of philosophy (151, 152, 161, 163, 164, 187, 188). A minimum of four courses above the 100 level is required to be considered for magna or summa cum laude.

PHL 001/Introduction to Philosophy
PHL 033/Logic
PHL 120/Metaphysics
PHL 121/Ethical Theory
PHL 131/Epistemology
PHL 151/Ancient Philosophy
PHL 152/History of Modern Philosophy
PHL 161/Empiricism
PHL 163/Rationalism
PHL 164/Kant
PHL 187-188 Seminar in the History of Philosophy
PHL 191-192 Seminar in Problems of Philosophy

Philosophy 001/Introduction to Philosophy

Each semester, we offer several sections of Philosophy 001. In all sections an enrollment maximum is strictly enforced. The sections are taught as independent classes, each with separate reading lists, assignments, and examination policies, but the following features are common to all:

1. The classes are small and designed to introduce students to philosophical thinking through the reading of a few great texts.
2. They stress the development of good habits of writing, reading, and thinking by encouraging critical analysis, philosophical debate and discussion, and clear, rigorous writing.
3. Each section requires at least five short papers, which are carefully criticized and graded, with attention paid both to philosophical cogency and style.
4. Students having credit for English 001 may use Philosophy 001 to satisfy the second half of the College Writing Requirement as well as the Humanities Requirement.

Disciplinary Minor Programs

In addition to completing the courses for the concentration requirement, an undergraduate may elect to enroll in a minor program in a different, although possibly related field. A minor is a coherent group of four to six courses which may be a limited version of a field of concentration or a group of courses having closely related subject matter, e.g., area studies. Minors are optional and in no way replace the field of concentration. The object of a minor program is to present students with the basic concepts in a single scholarly discipline, including an introduction to appropriate methodologies and ways of thinking about the subject.