Philosophy

Students graduating with a B.A. in philosophy will have acquired skills in critical thinking, conceptual analysis, argumentation, close reading of classic and contemporary philosophical texts, and composition of clear, cogent, and persuasive prose. More specifically, they will be able to: 

• Demonstrate their knowledge of major thinkers (such as Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Hume, Kant) and texts of the ancient and modern philosophical traditions; Demonstrate their understanding of central problems and dominant theoretical traditions in moral theory (Kantianism, utilitarianism) and either epistemology (skepticism, other minds, the problem of induction, decision theory), metaphysics (the mind-body problem, free will and determinism, causation, the nature of space and time), or the philosophy of language; 
• Construct and evaluate deductive arguments using formal symbolic notation; 
• Discuss and reflect critically on difficult philosophical texts and outstanding problems in a seminar setting with their fellow majors.

First-year students interested in a Philosophy major or minor are encouraged to take PHIL UN1001 Introduction to Philosophy or any other 1000- or 2000-level course that interests them. Students need not begin with Introduction to Philosophy. The 2000-level History of Philosophy courses may be taken in any order. First-year students interested in taking a 3000-level course are encouraged to reach out to see if it is appropriate for them. First-year students are also encouraged to join the department mailing list and attend department events.