Before You Declare
Philosophy
If you are interested in majoring, it is a good idea to take a
1000 or 2000-level course as early as possible to get a feeling for
philosophy as an academic discipline. Most of the 1000- and 2000-level
courses provide a good introduction to the subject matter of
philosophy. The PHIL 2110 & 2120 sequence should be of special
interest to the potential major. It provides a rather detailed survey
of the history of philosophy from ancient to modern. If you are
thinking about declaring a major you are encouraged to speak to the
undergraduate advisor – currently
Harold Langsam-
who can answer questions not answered here. The undergraduate advisor
can also put you in touch with current philosophy majors who can tell
you more about the major from a student's point of view.
Prerequisite for Major
Students must have passed at least one philosophy course (a course with the PHIL mnemonic)
with a grade of C or better before declaring the philosophy major. The only exception to
this policy shall be the following: if a student is currently enrolled in a philosophy
course the DUP, in consultation with the instructor of said course, may allow a student
to declare the major.
Declaring a Major
To declare a major in philosophy simply pick up a "Declaration of
Major" form from the Office of the Dean of the College (Monroe Hall)
or from the Philosophy Department Office in Cocke Hall. Next, make an
appointment to see the undergraduate advisor in the Philosophy
Department in order to complete the declaration form. When you declare
you will be assigned an advisor within the Philosophy Department. You
should meet with your advisor during preregistration week of each
semester to plan your schedule for the coming semester.
Requirements
The major in philosophy is designed to sharpen the student's analytical
and creative skills, and to enhance clarity of exposition. It also
acquaints the student with some of the most important themes in the
history of Western thought. In order to fulfill the requirements for a
major in philosophy, a student must complete at least three credits of
course work in each of the three areas of metaphysics and epistemology,
logic, ethics, and at least six credits of course work in the history
of philosophy, with the courses to be selected from among those listed
below.
| A. |
Metaphysics and
Epistemology PHIL 3310 (Metaphysics), PHIL 3320 (Epistemology), PHIL
3330 (Philosophy of Mind) |
| B. |
Logic PHIL 2420
(Introduction to Symbolic Logic), PHIL 5420 (Symbolic Logic), PHIL 1410
(Forms of Reasoning). NB: PHIL 1410 satisfies the logic requirement but
it does not count towards the 30 credit requirement. |
| C. |
Ethics PHIL 3710
(Ethics), PHIL 3720 (Contemporary Ethics), PHIL 3730 (Ancient Ethical
Theory), PHIL 2760 (Classics in Political Philosophy), PHIL 2770
(Political Philosophy) |
| D. |
History All majors must
take either PHIL 2110 (History of Philosophy: Ancient and Medieval) or
PHIL 2120 (History of Philosophy: Modern). Those who take PHIL 2110
must also take at least one of the following: PHIL 3140 (History of
Medieval Philosophy), PHIL 3150 (Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz), PHIL
3160 (Locke, Berkeley, Hume), or PHIL 3170 (Kant). Those who take PHIL
2120 must also take at least one of the following: PHIL 3110 (Plato),
PHIL 3120 (Aristotle), PHIL 3130 (Hellenistic Philosophy), PHIL 3140
(History of Medieval Philosophy). NB: PHIL 3140 can count as either
ancient or modern. |
Normally, students may count up to six transfer credits in philosophy courses towards the philosophy major, but transfer credits cannot be used to satisfy any of the above requirements. Students wishing to transfer credit must consult the DUP for approval. Currently matriculated students must do so prior to taking the course(s) in question; transfer students should consult the DUP as soon as possible.
A philosophy major requires a total of 30 credits of courses numbered
2000 or higher. Students double majoring in philosophy need 24 credits
of courses numbered 2000 or higher.
Summer School
The Philosophy Department ordinarily offers three or four courses each
summer. Because these summer courses are usually at the 1000-level,
students should not expect to take summer courses to work towards
completion of the requirements for the philosophy major.
Double Majors
A number of philosophy majors are double majors, and we encourage
students who are interested in doing this to try it. Students who
double-major need 24 credits of philosophy classes at the 2000+ level.
Majors with which the philosophy major is often combined include:
English, mathematics, economics, government, biology, anthropology, and
history. Many students also combine a philosophy major with a pre-med
curriculum.
Academic Standards
Normally, courses being applied to the major must be completed with a grade of C or higher. Students who incur a C- in a Philosophy course are placed on probation as majors for the following semester. Further, students whose cumulative GPA in major courses falls below 2.0 will also be placed on probation for the following semester. Absent significant improvement in their academic performance, these students may be discontinued as a major in Philosophy.
Seminars for Majors
The seminars for majors are small seminars in which a specific
philosophical problem is studied intensively. Recent seminars have been
on the problem of universals, utilitarianism, skepticism, perception
and selected topics in Plato and Aristotle. The majors participating in
this Seminar help choose the seminar topic and are expected to present
at least one seminar paper during the semester. These seminars can be
extremely rewarding, offering the student an opportunity to investigate
and grapple with a philosophical problem in the context of a group of
equally interested inquirers.
Independent Study and the
Senior Thesis
Majors who wish to do independent work with a specific instructor
should either speak to the instructor or their major advisor. If the
instructor agrees, the student should register for either PHIL 4993 or
4995. Both of these are 3 credit courses and count towards the major. A
Senior Thesis is not required for the major. However, students who plan
to go on in philosophy are strongly encouraged to consider a project of
this kind. Ideally a student should begin research on the thesis topic
in the sixth or seventh semester. This initial preparation should be
done under the supervision of a faculty member as a 3 credit
Independent Study. The actual writing of the thesis should be done
during the following semester as another 3 credit course (PHIL 4999
Senior Thesis).
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