Philosophy
Undergraduate Programs
Philosophy lies at the core of the liberal arts education. It inspires a sense of wonder and facilitates students development of an understanding of their worlds, the arts and the sciences, as well as critical conceptual tools. Philosophy asks difficult and disturbing questions, and philosophy courses confront a wide spectrum of issues regarding, for example, human nature, freedom, knowledge, truth, existence, values, law, logic, reason and society.
The study of philosophy provides the kind of training that enables students (a) to read with sensitivity to concepts, language, meaning and context and to analyze arguments and texts effectively; (b) to develop arguments and communicate in speech and writing in a manner that is coherent, well-developed, creative and expressive of complex thought; and (c) to learn about some major thinkers, periods and fields of philosophy. A major in philosophy can be useful not only for students who plan to continue in philosophy, but also for those thinking of careers in law, business or industry, which require logical and analytical skills.
Philosophy Major
The philosophy majors requirements call for the completion of ten courses in philosophy. Of these:
A. One introductory course:
PHIL 101 (Introduction to Philosophy) or PHIL 105 (Introduction to Asian Philosophy) or PHIL 107 (Introduction to Existentialism and Phenomenology);
B. Either PHIL 121 (Methods of Reasoning) or PHIL 122 (Topics in Elementary Logic);
C. PHIL 201 (Plato and Aristotle) and PHIL 202 (Descartes, Hume, and Kant);
D. At least five of the ten philosophy courses have to be in the 300-400 levels and of these at least one has to be from Group A and a second from Group B:
Group A (courses in metaphysics, epistemology and the like): PHIL 336 (Buddhist Metaphysics), PHIL 423 (Philosophy of Science), PHIL 427 (Philosophy of Language), PHIL 431 (Metaphysics), PHIL 433 (Epistemology), PHIL 436 (Philosophy of Mind), PHIL 444 (Philosophy of Social Science)
Group B (courses in value theory): PHIL 340 (Ethical Theory), PHIL 342 (History of Western Social and Political Philosophy), PHIL 344 (Buddhist Ethics), PHIL 345 (Philosophy of Law), PHIL 455 (Advanced Philosophy of Law), PHIL 456 (Advanced Topics in Law and Political Theory), PHIL 457 (Advanced Topics in Law and Morality), PHIL 458 (Advanced Topics in Law and History), PHIL 486 (Advanced Topics in Ethics), PHIL 488 (Advanced Topics in Social and Political Philosophy);
E. At least one philosophy course bearing the General Education C designation.
Double Major
Students who double-major in philosophy and complete the degree requirements for two majors (philosophy and one other) have to complete eight courses in philosophy. Double majors have to meet the same kind of requirements as single majors. However, under (D.) they have to take at least four courses in the 300-400 levels. These have to follow the distribution requirement for a course each from Group A and B.
(Philosophy, Politics and Law (PPL) students who are pursuing a double major in philosophy have to fulfill the double-major requirements and take at least one upper-level philosophy course other than the upper-level philosophy courses required by PPL.)
When appropriate, students can petition to have a different course count as fulfilling requirements for courses in group A or B.
Honors Program
Students can pursue honors in philosophy. Honors work in philosophy takes place in ones senior year and includes the writing of an honors thesis. Students cannot begin honors work (a) before completing 60 college credits; (b) taking and completing at least three courses in philosophy, of which one must be PHIL 201 (Plato and Aristotle) or PHIL 202 (Descartes, Hume and Kant); and (c) having a GPA of 3.5. Students interested in honors work should consult the director of undergraduate studies in philosophy in their junior year.
Track in Social Thought
The philosophy track in social thought provides students with the same training as the philosophy major but also offers them a multidisciplinary program of studies that brings together a core of philosophy courses that are complemented by methodological courses and courses in the social sciences to form a coherent track focusing on social and political thought and analysis. It calls for the completion of twelve courses. Of these:
A. Six courses have to be in the 300-400 levels;
B. One course is a methods course from:
ANTH 200. Quantitative Methods in Anthropology
CS 100. Fundamentals of Programming
CS 105. Introduction to Computing
ECON 366. Statistical Methods
MATH 147. Statistics
PHIL 121. Methods of Reasoning
PHIL 122. Elementary Logic
PLSC 363. Computer-Based Research Methods in Political Science
PSYCH 243. Statistical Analysis and Design
Psych 344. Research Methods in Psychology
SOC 305. Social Research Methods;
C. Two courses are in the history of philosophy:
PHIL 201. Plato and Aristotle
PHIL 202. Descartes, Hume and Kant;
D. One course is in the philosophy of the social sciences:
PHIL 444. Philosophy of Social Science;
E. Five courses are social theory courses:
1. One from:
PHIL 140. Topics in Ethics
PHIL 142. Topics in Social and Political Philosophy
PHIL 146. Law and Justice
PHIL 147. Markets, Ethics and Law
PHIL 148. Medical Ethics
PHIL 149. Environmental Ethics and Policy
2. One is from:
PHIL 340. Ethical Theory
PHIL 342. Social and Political Philosophy
PHIL 344. Buddhist Ethics
PHIL 345. Philosophy of Law
3. One is from:
PHIL 455. Advanced Philosophy of Law
PHIL 456. Advanced Topics in Law and Political Theory
PHIL 457. Advanced Topics in Law and Morality
PHIL 458. Advanced Topics in Law and the History of Philosophy
PHIL 486. Advanced Topics in Ethics
PHIL 488. Advanced Topics in Social and Political Theory
4. Two are from:
ANTH 300. History of Anthropological Thought
ANTH 301. Contemporary Social Thought
ECON 144. Poverty and Discrimination
ECON 360. Microeconomic Theory
ECON 362. Macroeconomic Theory
ECON 426. History of Economic Thought
HIST 238. Science and Technology in the Modern World
HIST 353. Society and Thought in Modern America
PLCS 115. Introduction to Ideas and Politics
PLSC 287. Special Topics in Political Theory
PLSC 327. Special Topics in Political Theory
PLSC 455. Comparative Black Political Thought
PLSC 487. Seminar in Special Topics in Political Theory
SOC 200. Foundations in Social Theory
F. Three additional courses from two programs in the Social Science Division of Harpur College (Anthropology, Economics, Geography, History, Political Science, Sociology), at least one of which should be a 300-400 level course;
G. At least one of the philosophy courses has to carry the General Education C designation.
Under advisement, other courses can be substituted for those listed. One can do honors work in the Social Theory track by following the guidelines for honors work in philosophy.