Philosophy is the critical study of the fundamental concepts and assumptions involved in all central areas of human experience, including religion, morality, science, and art. The core curriculum includes courses in the history of philosophy covering the period which begins with the development of rational inquiry by the philosophers of ancient Greece and which concludes with the construction of the modern philosophical systems of the Enlightenment, as well as courses in each of the major fields of philosophical study: ethics, which is concerned with the basis of morality; metaphysics, which explores different views about what fundamentally exists; epistemology, which examines the nature and limits of human knowledge; and logic, which studies general methods of reasoned argument and analysis.
The interdisciplinary character of philosophy, together with its focus on evaluative issues and its unique emphasis on general methods of reasoned argument and analysis, leads to an unusually broad and intellectually sound major for students preparing themselves for such professions as law, medicine, social work, government service, and the ministry. The philosophy major is indispensable for those who wish to prepare for a career as a philosopher within a college or university setting.
Students may choose to focus their advanced coursework in ways that meet their specific interests and career goals. All students complete a core set of requirements and can determine, in consultation with faculty and their academic advisor, which specific option to follow. The option will be documented on the final transcript.
Standard Option
The standard option allows students the most flexibility to design a significant portion of their curriculum from a variety of courses. A number of courses reflect the role of philosophy in investigating the fundamental concepts and assumptions of other disciplines, including courses in medical ethics, the philosophy of law, the philosophy of science, and the philosophy of mathematics. Other courses focus on the role of philosophy in the critical analysis of basic evaluative conceptions and assumptions. Courses in political philosophy critically examine the evaluative concepts and assumptions involved in our beliefs about government, individual liberty, and social and economic justice. Courses in the philosophy of religion do the same for beliefs about the nature and existence of God and about the relations between faith and knowledge. The department also offers courses in aesthetics, the philosophical study of art, music, and literature understood as fundamental forms of human culture and significant expressions of the human spirit.
Ethics and Law Option
The Ethics and Law option offers an introductory course in Philosophy of Law, then focuses on coursework in both foundational and applied ethics.
Graduates of philosophy will be able to:
- Write clear and persuasive argumentative essays.
- Interpret complex philosophical texts.
- Critically explain major issues and positions in the history of philosophy, value theory, and metaphysics/epistemology.
- Analyze arguments using formal logic.
- Reason philosophically.

