Philosophy Minor

Philosophy Minor

IN THIS SECTION

Develop your ability to think critically about yourself and the world around you

In the Philosophy Minor, you will discover what good reasoning is and what demands it places on us. The study of philosophy will help you develop insights into the nature of individuals, societies, and values. By studying philosophical works from the past and present, east, west, north, and south, you will engage with theories about such central concepts as personhood, justice, gender, knowledge, language, and science. As a student in the Philosophy Department, you will explore philosophical works in small classes under the guidance of internationally respected scholars on interdisciplinary topics. In lively discussions with peers and professors, you will investigate some of life’s most challenging questions, including:

  • What does it mean to be human?
  • What are race, gender, sexuality, and other identities, and what role do they have in human society and inequality?
  • What are freedom, justice, and truth?
  • What is the best political arrangement for a society? Does this vary by time and culture?
  • What is art, and what should we make of its cultural significance?
  • How are body and mind related?
  • What are time and space?
  • How do we agree on terms and understand each other as we communicate across experiences and cultures?

Whether you choose to enter graduate school or the workforce after graduation, you will have the knowledge and practical experience you need to succeed. Our alumni pursue advanced studies or go on to successful careers in a diverse array of fields including law, business, medicine, and the sciences.

Requirements

Explore sample courses in this program.

PH-100 Introduction to Philosophy

The fundamentals of philosophy: its vocabulary, problems, and methods.
3 credits

PH-101 Ancient Greek Philosophy

Introduction to fundamental topics in Western philosophy through the works of ancient philosophers, including Plato and Aristotle. While predominantly Greek thinkers are studied, the course may include Roman or other ancient thinkers as well.
3 credits

PH-102 History of Modern Western Philosophy 1600-1800

Engages central topics of Western philosophy through study of important modern philosophers, typically from Descartes through Kant.
3 credits

PH-110 Critical Thinking

Critical thinking through informal logical identification, analysis, and evaluation of arguments, including identification of fallacious arguments, through engagement with rhetoric and public discourse.
3 credits

PH-115 Logic I

A study of introductory symbolic (formal) logic, covering sentential logic and the foundations of predicate logic.
3 credits

PH-130 Ethics: Human Conduct and Values

The nature of morality and value and their place in the world of human action.
3 credits

PH-131 Medical Ethics

An introductory-level examination of various ethical issues such as abortion, euthanasia, cloning and other genetics issues, access to health care, race and health care, and women’s health.
3 credits

PH-132 Business Ethics

An introduction to ethical theory and issues such as truth in advertising, product liability, affirmative action, employer and employee rights and duties, whistle blowing, and corporate responsibility.
3 credits

PH-133 Social and Political Ethics

Investigates major social and political theories and their applications to selected problems of justice.
3 credits

PH-134 Computing Ethics

An introduction to significant issues in the ethics of computing, including the application of ethical theories to the development of technology, cyberculture, and artificial intelligence, as well as some distinct ethical theories that emerge from thinking about computing and information technology.
3 credits

PH-150 Women in Western Ideas

Investigates the concept of “woman” from ancient Greece to the present.
3 credits

PH-151 Race, Gender, and the Law

This course provides a philosophical approach to issues of race and gender as expressed in legislation, judicial interpretation, enforcement, and public policy.
3 credits

PH-152 Philosophy of Love and Sex

Investigates the concepts of love and sex and structural and discursive factors contributing to our daily experiences of these phenomena.
3 credits

PH-163 Philosophy on Television

An introduction to philosophy through philosophical writings on popular television shows.
3 credits

PH-170 Introduction to Asian Philosophy

Introduces and surveys the major philosophical traditions in East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. This course studies the different worldviews and conceptions of human nature and the good life from these philosophical perspectives and, where possible, makes comparisons with Western philosophies.
3 credits

PH-171 Buddhist Philosophy

Introduces and surveys the history and development of the major Buddhist traditions, and their interpretation of core Buddhist philosophies, as they move outward from India.
3 credits

PH-172 Chinese Philosophy

Surveys the philosophies of ancient China, including Taoism, Buddhism, legalism, and the development of the Confucian tradition in China.
3 credits

PH-177 Introduction to Latin American Philosophy

An introduction to many of the principal texts, thinkers, and debates within Latin American philosophy.
3 credits

PH-178 Africana Philosophy

Explores the philosophy of the African diaspora in African, African American, and Caribbean writings. The course addresses both historical and contemporary material across intersections of race, gender, and class using philosophy, history, and literature.
3 credits

PH-180 Sports and Philosophy

Examines key ethical and other issues in sports, including competition, fair play, sportspersonship, drug use, race and gender, and violence.
3 credits

PH-201 19th-Century European Philosophy

Engages the radical new philosophical ideas developed on the European continent in the 19th century, beginning with Hegel.
3 credits

PH-220 Philosophy of Mind

Drawing on canonical philosophical texts as well as research from relevant disciplines, this course is an investigation of the relationship between mental phenomena and physical states and processes, along with implications for such issues as personal identity and free will.
3 credits

PH-221 Existentialism and Phenomenology

Examines the Existentialist movement of the first half of the 20th century.
3 credits

PH-223 American Philosophy

Surveys key movements in the history of philosophy in the United States that have come to be identified with the tradition of American philosophy, including Transcendentalism, Pragmatism, indigenous philosophy, and African American philosophy, and their representative thinkers.
3 credits

PH-225 Philosophy of Language

A survey of theories of reference, truth, word and sentence meaning, ordinary language philosophy, embodied communication, and/or dialogic ethics.
3 credits

PH-231 Philosophy of Law

Survey of the legal theories and issues and the philosophical bases of key legal and related political concepts.
3 credits

PH-237 Philosophy of Space and Time

An investigation into philosophical problems regarding space and time, with a focus on those that emerge from the history of science and contemporary physics.
3 credits

PH-240 Political Theory

Investigates concepts including political power, equality, revolution, liberties, slavery, socialism and patriarchal power, race, and gender.
3 credits

PH-241 Genocide and Human Rights

This course treats the ethical, political, and other dimensions of systematic mass violence through case studies and general theoretical analyses.
3 credits

PH-242 Race, Nation, Class, Gender, and Sexuality

Examines these 5 important social categories that define the political, legal, economic, and cultural contexts in which we live.
3 credits

PH-250 Global Feminisms

Investigates the theoretical underpinnings of women’s movements for equal rights around the globe.
3 credits

PH-251 Mass Violence Against Women

A philosophy-based, interdisciplinary course examining historical and contemporary mass violence against women.
3 credits

PH-254 Feminist Theory

Examines the development of feminist ideas and movements from the 18th century to the present in the US and, particularly in recent decades, globally. A close analysis of Second Wave, Postmodern, and Black Feminist ideas are studied as a basis for writings and social action that attends to issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality, using intersectional methodologies and critiques to address issues of reproduction and health, labor and economic power, violence, and state power.
3 credits

PH-260 Philosophy of Science

Critically investigates such questions as: What distinguishes sciences from pseudo-sciences? When is a theory confirmed? What is a law of nature?
3 credits

PH-261 Philosophy of Religion

Examination of the roles of faith and reason in beliefs concerning a deity and in such issues as the problem of evil.
3 credits

PH-262 Philosophy of Art

An investigation of the nature of aesthetic experience, art and art history, creativity, criticism, and artistic reception.
3 credits

PH-263 Film and Philosophy

An intermediate study of films presenting philosophical ideas about film.
3 credits

PH-264 Philosophy of Education

Examines philosophical approaches to education through readings of various authors such as Plato, Rousseau, Wollstonecraft, Dewey, and Freire. Additionally, surveys recent empirical and/or cross-disciplinary work that engages with philosophical approaches to education, including psychology, cognitive science, education, feminist theory, critical race theory, and/or decolonial theory.
3 credits

PH-276 Contemporary Asian Philosophy

Surveys contemporary developments in Asian philosophy, the continued relevance of ancient Asian philosophies in contemporary Asia, and Asian philosophical responses to the Western tradition.
3 credits

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