Major Requirements for students graduating in ’27 and beyond – Philosophy

Major Requirements – 72 Total Credits

72 Credits, 12 of which are from the comps sequence (PHIL 398: Comps Proposal, PHIL 399: Senior Thesis, PHIL 400: Integrative Exercise)

Distribution of Levels

Up to 12 credits from 100-level courses can count toward the major.
Students must take at least two courses at the 300-level other than 398 and 399.
With some few exceptions (e.g. a cognitive science seminar taught by Jason Decker), the two seminars must be taught in the philosophy department.

Distribution of Areas

Below are the areas students must accumulate points in and the number of points they must accumulate in each area.

For a complete list of all courses offered and how many points that contribute to different categories see the Course Points OFFICIAL document.
The Carleton Philosophy Course Points Calculator is a tool that will easily show you what your point totals are based on what classes you take. The link will prompt you to make a copy of the sheet, which you can then save.

Traditions: 4 Points, two of which must be from the same course

Traditions 1 Point Courses

PHIL 100.01: Utopias (25/FA)
PHIL 119: Meaning of Life (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 211: Being, Time and Identity (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 213: Ethics
PHIL 215: Objectivity in Science
PHIL 217: Reason in Context: Limitations and Possibilities (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 218: Virtue Ethics
PHIL 223: Philosophy of Language (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 225: Philosophy of Mind
PHIL 255: Comparative Philosophy (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 261: The Individual and the Political Community
PHIL 317: Objectivity in Science
PHIL 323: Living Wisely (not offered 2025-26)
POSC 250.01: Kings, Tyrants, Philosophers: Plato’s Republic (25/FA)
RELG 231: From Luther to Kierkegaard (not offered 2025-26)

Traditions 2 Point Courses

CGSC 207: Japanese Philosophy: No Mind, No Life (not offered 2025-26)
CHIN 258: Classical Chinese Thought: Wisdom and Advice from Ancient Masters
PHIL 207: Japanese Philosophy: No Mind, No Life (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 219: American Pragmatism (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 270: Ancient Greek Philosophy
PHIL 272: Early Modern Philosophy
PHIL 297: Kant’s Philosophy of Mind (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 338: Philosophy East and West (not offered 2025-26)
POSC 160: Political Philosophy

Value Theory: 4 points, two of which must be from the same course

Value Theory 1 Point Courses

GWSS 114: Love and Sex
PHIL 114: Love and Sex
PHIL 202: Philosophy Lab: Leading a Pre-Collegiate Philosophy Program
PHIL 203: Bias, Belief, Community, Emotion
PHIL 270: Ancient Greek Philosophy
PHIL 272: Early Modern Philosophy
PHIL 275: Latina Feminist Philosophy (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 276: Existentialism and Literature
PHIL 289: Death, Dying and Discussion (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 299: Ethics Bowl (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 319: Self-Knowledge
PHIL 320: Surviving Death
POSC 254: Freedom, Excellence, Happiness: Aristotle’s Ethics (not offered 2025-26)
POSC 256: Nietzsche: Beyond Good and Evil
RELG 234: Angels, Demons, and Evil (not offered 2025-26)

Value Theory 2 Point Courses

GWSS 365: Black Feminist Thought
PHIL 119: Meaning of Life (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 123: Topics in Medical Ethics (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 124: Friendship
PHIL 213: Ethics
PHIL 218: Virtue Ethics
PHIL 260: Critical Philosophy of Race
PHIL 323: Living Wisely (not offered 2025-26)

Social and Political Theory: 4 points, two of which must be from the same course

Social and Political Theory 1 Point Courses

AFST 215: Contemporary Theory in Black Studies
GWSS 200: Gender, Sexuality & the Pursuit of Knowledge (not offered 2025-26)
GWSS 265: Black Feminist Thought
GWSS 334: Feminist Theory (not offered 2025-26)
GWSS 365: Black Feminist Thought
PHIL 100.01: Utopias (25/FA)
PHIL 111: Bullshit: How To Spot It and Protect Yourself
PHIL 124: Friendship
PHIL 219: American Pragmatism (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 260: Critical Philosophy of Race
PHIL 299: Ethics Bowl (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 324: The Self (not offered 2025-26)
POSC 160: Political Philosophy
POSC 255: Post-Modern Political Thought (not offered 2025-26)
POSC 275: Black Political Thought (not offered 2025-26)
RELG 220: Justice and Responsibility (not offered 2025-26)

Social and Political Theory 2 Point Courses

AFST 200: Frederick Douglass: The Politics and Philosophy of Citizenship (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 203: Bias, Belief, Community, Emotion
PHIL 221: Philosophy of Law
PHIL 232: Social and Political Philosophy (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 257: Contemporary Issues in Feminist Philosophy (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 261: The Individual and the Political Community

Language, Epistemology, Metaphysics, Mind: 4 points, two of which must be from the same course

Language, Epistemology, Metaphysics, Mind 1 Point Courses

CGSC 130.01: Revolutions in Mind (26/WI)
CGSC 130.01: The Musical Mind (26/SP)
PHIL 210: Logic
PHIL 274: Existentialism
PHIL 297: Kant’s Philosophy of Mind (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 318: Buddhist Studies India Program: Buddhist Philosophy
PHIL 338: Philosophy East and West (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 373: Reptiles and Demons (not offered 2025-26)

Language, Epistemology, Metaphysics, Mind 2 point courses

CGSC 253: Philosophy of Cognitive Science (not offered 2025-26)
CGSC 330: Embodied Cognition (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 111: Bullshit: How To Spot It and Protect Yourself
PHIL 116: Sensation, Induction, Abduction, Deduction, Seduction (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 208: Improv: Acting and Thinking Collectively
PHIL 209: Philosophy of Theater: Actors, Characters, Performances (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 211: Being, Time and Identity (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 223: Philosophy of Language (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 225: Philosophy of Mind
PHIL 255: Comparative Philosophy (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 319: Self-Knowledge
PHIL 320: Surviving Death
PHIL 324: The Self (not offered 2025-26)

Logic and Formal Reasoning: 2 points

Logic and Formal Reasoning 1 Point Courses

MATH 236: Mathematical Structures
PHIL 116: Sensation, Induction, Abduction, Deduction, Seduction (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 373: Reptiles and Demons (not offered 2025-26)

Logic and Formal Reasoning 2 Point Courses

PHIL 210: Logic

Continental Philosophy: 2 points

Continental Philosophy 1 Point Courses

Continental Philosophy 2 Point Courses

CGSC 340: Phenomenology and Cognitive Science (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 217: Reason in Context: Limitations and Possibilities (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 274: Existentialism
PHIL 276: Existentialism and Literature

Interdisciplinary: 2 points

Interdisciplinary 1 Point Courses

AFST 200: Frederick Douglass: The Politics and Philosophy of Citizenship (not offered 2025-26)
CGSC 207: Japanese Philosophy: No Mind, No Life (not offered 2025-26)
CGSC 253: Philosophy of Cognitive Science (not offered 2025-26)
CGSC 330: Embodied Cognition (not offered 2025-26)
CGSC 340: Phenomenology and Cognitive Science (not offered 2025-26)
CHIN 258: Classical Chinese Thought: Wisdom and Advice from Ancient Masters
PHIL 112: Intelligence, Agency and Autonomous Machines
PHIL 123: Topics in Medical Ethics (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 202: Philosophy Lab: Leading a Pre-Collegiate Philosophy Program
PHIL 207: Japanese Philosophy: No Mind, No Life (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 208: Improv: Acting and Thinking Collectively
PHIL 209: Philosophy of Theater: Actors, Characters, Performances (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 221: Philosophy of Law
PHIL 232: Social and Political Philosophy (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 257: Contemporary Issues in Feminist Philosophy (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 289: Death, Dying and Discussion (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 373: Reptiles and Demons (not offered 2025-26)

Interdisciplinary 2 Point Courses

AFST 215: Contemporary Theory in Black Studies
CGSC 130.01: Revolutions in Mind (26/WI)
CGSC 130.01: The Musical Mind (26/SP)
GWSS 114: Love and Sex
GWSS 200: Gender, Sexuality & the Pursuit of Knowledge (not offered 2025-26)
GWSS 265: Black Feminist Thought
GWSS 312: Queer and Trans Theory
GWSS 334: Feminist Theory (not offered 2025-26)
MATH 236: Mathematical Structures
PHIL 114: Love and Sex
PHIL 275: Latina Feminist Philosophy (not offered 2025-26)
PHIL 318: Buddhist Studies India Program: Buddhist Philosophy
POSC 250.01: Kings, Tyrants, Philosophers: Plato’s Republic (25/FA)
POSC 254: Freedom, Excellence, Happiness: Aristotle’s Ethics (not offered 2025-26)
POSC 255: Post-Modern Political Thought (not offered 2025-26)
POSC 256: Nietzsche: Beyond Good and Evil
POSC 275: Black Political Thought (not offered 2025-26)
RELG 220: Justice and Responsibility (not offered 2025-26)
RELG 231: From Luther to Kierkegaard (not offered 2025-26)
RELG 234: Angels, Demons, and Evil (not offered 2025-26)

Senior Integrative Exercise – Required 12 credits

All students must completed the Philosophy Comps sequence in order:

PHIL 398: Comps Proposal (a 3 credit S/Cr/NC class offered each fall devoted to developing a proposal for a comps project)
PHIL 399: Senior Thesis (a 6 credit graded course offered each fall devoted to writing a substantial piece of philosophy)
PHIL 400: Integrative Exercise (a 3 credit S/NC class offered each spring devoted to presenting one’s project to peers and the public)

Additional Departmental Notes

Courses from outside Philosophy

Students may count up to 12 credits from other departments toward the major. The department will keep a list of courses from outside the department that can count toward our major and assign points for these courses. We will consider other courses on a case-by-case basis.