Brockport / Catalogs / 2013-14 / Programs / Philosophy Major (BA/BS)

Philosophy Major

Philosophy Major

Description

The study of philosophy is excellent preparation not only for a career as an academic philosopher, but also for careers in all fields that require clear, analytical thinking, writing, and speaking, including teaching and education, government, the ministry, business and management, publishing, and many other fields. Philosophy is also an excellent major for pre-law students.

What can I do with a philosophy major?

Admission to the Program

Anyone can declare this major.

Program Requirements

Students in the philosophy major pursue either a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree, and must complete the corresponding degree's requirements.

Core Courses

  • PHL101
  • PHL102
  • PHL205
  • PHL304
  • PHL305
  • One of the following courses:
    • PHL396
    • PHL491
  • Four PHL courses, at least two of which must be upper-division courses

Total Number of Credits: 30

Student Learning Outcomes

  1. Students will demonstrate the ability to identify premises, conclusions, and unstated assumptions; to analyze the structure of complex arguments, to avoid logical fallacies; to recognize and to construct deductively valid arguments and inductively correct arguments. (taught in PHL 202, and PHL 104)
  2. Students will demonstrate the ability to use the techniques of syllogistic logic and modern sentential logic to analyze and evaluate arguments. (taught in PHL 202, PHL 205, and PHL 322)
  3. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the main philosophical theories and methods of the classical Greek philosophers. (taught in PHL 304, PHL 414, PHL 491).
  4. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the main metaphysical and epistemological theories of the modern philosophers Descartes, Hume, and Kant, and of at least two of the following modern philosophers: Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley. (taught in PHL 305, PHL 491)
  5. Students will demonstrate an understanding of topics in the field of ethics such as: psychological egoism, ethical egoism, ethical relativism, utilitarianism, deontological ethics, virtue ethics, theories of justice. (taught in PHL 102, PHL 101)
  6. Students will demonstrate an understanding of at least three of the following issues in metaphysics: the existence and nature of God, change and permanence, the problem of universals, idealism and realism, the mind-body problem, the problem of personal identity, freedom and determinism. (taught in PHL 101, PHL 304, PHL 305, PHL 333, PHL 390, PHL 396, PHL 490)
  7. Students will demonstrate an understanding of at least three of the following issues in the theory of knowledge: the problem of perception and the external world, the problem of defining propositional knowledge, the nature of a priori knowledge, the nature of epistemic justification, the problem of induction, the problem of other minds, he nature of memory, testimony. (taught in PHL 323, PHL 305, PHL 396, PHL 490, PHL 491)
  8. Students will demonstrate an understanding of major issues in at least three of the following sub-fields of philosophy: philosophy of religion, philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, political philosophy, aesthetics, feminist philosophy, medical ethics, business ethics. (taught in PHL 103, PHL 326, PHL 308, PHL 321, PHL 335, PHL 342, PHL 352, PHL 390, PHL 490)
  9. Students will demonstrate the ability to write a well-informed, well-reasoned, clear, well-organized, and properly-documented philosophical essay. (taught in PHL 304, PHL 305, PHL 308, PHL 321, PHL 323, PHL 326, PHL 333, PHL 396, PHL 390, PHL 490, PHL 414, PHL 428, PHL 491)

Course Descriptions

Department of Philsophy

Department Chair: Georges Dicker
Location: Hartwell 100
Visit Website
Email: lblake@brockport.edu
Phone: (585) 395-2420
Fax: (585) 395-5281

Related Programs

Other Undergraduate Programs


    
Faculty & Staff

    


Gordon P Barnes Ph.D
 (University Of Wisconsin Colleges)  
Associate Professor
Lauren A Blake 
Secretary 1
Georges  Dicker Ph.D
 (University Of Wisconsin-Madison)  
Professor/ Chair/ Director Philosophy Exchange
Harold  Greenstein Ph.D
 (New York University)  
Professor
Katherine A Guin MA
 (Florida State University)  
Visiting Assistant Professor
Joseph  Long Ph.D
 (Florida State University)  
Visiting Assistant Professor
Yevgenia  Skorobogatov-Gray Ph.D
 (SUNY At Binghamton)  
Lecturer