Total Credits

72 Credits, 12 of which are from the comps sequence (PHIL 395 (not offered 2024-25), PHIL 399: Senior Thesis, PHIL 400 (not offered 2024-25))

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 395 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 this document.
  • Click here for 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 119: Meaning of Life
  • PHIL 211: Being, Time and Identity (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 213: Ethics
  • PHIL 217: Reason in Context: Limitations and Possibilities (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 218: Virtue Ethics
  • PHIL 223: Philosophy of Language (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 225: Philosophy of Mind (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 226: Love and Friendship (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 255: Comparative Philosophy (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 261: The Individual and the Political Community (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 317: Objectivity in Science (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 323: Living Wisely
  • POSC 250: Political Science Topics (not offered 2024-25)
  • RELG 231: From Luther to Kierkegaard (not offered 2024-25)
  • RELG 270: Philosophy of Religion (not offered 2024-25)
  • Traditions 2 point courses:
  • CHIN 258: Classical Chinese Thought: Wisdom and Advice from Ancient Masters (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 100.01: Utopias (24/FA)
  • PHIL 100.02: This Course is About Discourse: An Introduction to Philosophy Through Dialogues (24/FA)
  • PHIL 219: American Pragmatism
  • PHIL 270: Ancient Greek Philosophy
  • PHIL 272: Early Modern Philosophy: Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Philosophy
  • PHIL 297: Kant’s Philosophy of Mind (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 338: Philosophy East and West (not offered 2024-25)
  • POSC 160: Political Philosophy
Value Theory: 4 points, two of which must be from the same course
  • Value Theory 1 point courses:
  • CGSC 336: Moral Thinking, Reasoning, and Decision Making (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 100.02: This Course is About Discourse: An Introduction to Philosophy Through Dialogues (24/FA)
  • PHIL 202: Philosophy Lab: Leading a Pre-Collegiate Philosophy Program
  • PHIL 203: Bias, Belief, Community, Emotion (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 226: Love and Friendship (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 270: Ancient Greek Philosophy
  • PHIL 272: Early Modern Philosophy: Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Philosophy
  • PHIL 275: Latina Feminist Philosophy
  • PHIL 276: Existentialism and Literature (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 289: Death, Dying and Discussion
  • PHIL 299: Ethics Bowl
  • PHIL 303: Bias, Belief, Community, Emotion (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 319: Self-Knowledge (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 320: Surviving Death (not offered 2024-25)
  • POSC 254: Freedom, Excellence, Happiness: Aristotle’s Ethics (not offered 2024-25)
  • POSC 256: Nietzsche: Beyond Good and Evil (not offered 2024-25)
  • RELG 234: Angels, Demons, and Evil (not offered 2024-25)
  • RELG 274: Religion and Biomedical Ethics (not offered 2024-25)
  • Value Theory 2 point courses:
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 (not offered 2024-25)
  • GWSS 200: Gender, Sexuality & the Pursuit of Knowledge
  • GWSS 265: Black Feminist Thought (not offered 2024-25)
  • GWSS 334: Feminist Theory (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 100.01: Utopias (24/FA)
  • PHIL 113: The Individual and the Political Community (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 124: Friendship
  • PHIL 219: American Pragmatism
  • PHIL 260: Philosophy of Race
  • PHIL 299: Ethics Bowl
  • PHIL 324: The Self
  • POSC 160: Political Philosophy
  • POSC 251.00: Science and Humanity (25/WI)
  • POSC 255: Post-Modern Political Thought (not offered 2024-25)
  • POSC 275: Black Political Thought (not offered 2024-25)
  • POSC 355: Identity, Culture and Rights (not offered 2024-25)
  • RELG 220: Justice and Responsibility (not offered 2024-25)
  • Social and Political Theory 2 point courses:
  • PHIL 203: Bias, Belief, Community, Emotion (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 221: Philosophy of Law (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 232: Social and Political Philosophy (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 257: Contemporary Issues in Feminist Philosophy
  • PHIL 261: The Individual and the Political Community (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 303: Bias, Belief, Community, Emotion (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 322: Social Construction (not offered 2024-25)
Language, Epistemology, Metaphysics, Mind: 4 points, two of which must be from the same course
  • Language, Epistemology, Metaphysics, Mind 1 point courses:
  • CGSC 130.00: What Minds Are What They Do (24/FA)
  • CGSC 130.00: Revolutions in Mind (25/WI)
  • CGSC 130.00: Revolutions in Mind (25/SP)
  • PHIL 210: Logic
  • PHIL 274: Existentialism
  • PHIL 287: Conspiracy Theories and Dogmatism (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 297: Kant’s Philosophy of Mind (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 318: Buddhist Studies India Program: Buddhist Philosophy
  • PHIL 322: Social Construction (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 338: Philosophy East and West (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 373: Reptiles and Demons (not offered 2024-25)
  • Language, Epistemology, Metaphysics, Mind 2 point courses:
  • CGSC 253: Philosophy of Cognitive Science (not offered 2024-25)
  • CGSC 330: Embodied Cognition
  • PHIL 116: Sensation, Induction, Abduction, Deduction, Seduction
  • PHIL 209: Philosophy of Theater: Actors, Characters, Performances
  • PHIL 211: Being, Time and Identity (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 223: Philosophy of Language (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 225: Philosophy of Mind (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 255: Comparative Philosophy (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 319: Self-Knowledge (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 320: Surviving Death (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 324: The Self
Logic and Formal Reasoning: 2 points
  • Logic and Formal Reasoning 1 point courses:
  • MATH 236: Mathematical Structures
  • PHIL 116: Sensation, Induction, Abduction, Deduction, Seduction
  • PHIL 287: Conspiracy Theories and Dogmatism (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 373: Reptiles and Demons (not offered 2024-25)
  • Logic and Formal Reasoning 2 point courses:
Continental Philosophy: 2 points 
  • Continental Philosophy 1 point courses:
  • Continental Philosophy 2 point courses:
  • CGSC 340: Phenomenology and Cognitive Science (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 217: Reason in Context: Limitations and Possibilities (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 274: Existentialism
  • PHIL 276: Existentialism and Literature (not offered 2024-25)
Interdisciplinary: 2 points 
  • Interdisciplinary 1 point courses:
  • CGSC 253: Philosophy of Cognitive Science (not offered 2024-25)
  • CGSC 330: Embodied Cognition
  • CGSC 340: Phenomenology and Cognitive Science (not offered 2024-25)
  • CHIN 258: Classical Chinese Thought: Wisdom and Advice from Ancient Masters (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 112: Intelligence, Agency and Autonomous Machines (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 123: Topics in Medical Ethics (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 202: Philosophy Lab: Leading a Pre-Collegiate Philosophy Program
  • PHIL 209: Philosophy of Theater: Actors, Characters, Performances
  • PHIL 221: Philosophy of Law (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 226: Love and Friendship (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 232: Social and Political Philosophy (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 257: Contemporary Issues in Feminist Philosophy
  • PHIL 287: Conspiracy Theories and Dogmatism (not offered 2024-25)
  • PHIL 289: Death, Dying and Discussion
  • PHIL 373: Reptiles and Demons (not offered 2024-25)
  • Interdisciplinary 2 point courses:
  • AFST 215: Contemporary Theory in Black Studies (not offered 2024-25)
  • CGSC 130.00: What Minds Are What They Do (24/FA)
  • CGSC 130.00: Revolutions in Mind (25/WI)
  • CGSC 130.00: Revolutions in Mind (25/SP)
  • CGSC 336: Moral Thinking, Reasoning, and Decision Making (not offered 2024-25)
  • GWSS 200: Gender, Sexuality & the Pursuit of Knowledge
  • GWSS 265: Black Feminist Thought (not offered 2024-25)
  • GWSS 334: Feminist Theory (not offered 2024-25)
  • MATH 236: Mathematical Structures
  • PHIL 275: Latina Feminist Philosophy
  • PHIL 318: Buddhist Studies India Program: Buddhist Philosophy
  • POSC 250: Political Science Topics (not offered 2024-25)
  • POSC 251.00: Science and Humanity (25/WI)
  • POSC 254: Freedom, Excellence, Happiness: Aristotle’s Ethics (not offered 2024-25)
  • POSC 255: Post-Modern Political Thought (not offered 2024-25)
  • POSC 256: Nietzsche: Beyond Good and Evil (not offered 2024-25)
  • POSC 275: Black Political Thought (not offered 2024-25)
  • POSC 355: Identity, Culture and Rights (not offered 2024-25)
  • RELG 220: Justice and Responsibility (not offered 2024-25)
  • RELG 231: From Luther to Kierkegaard (not offered 2024-25)
  • RELG 234: Angels, Demons, and Evil (not offered 2024-25)
  • RELG 270: Philosophy of Religion (not offered 2024-25)
  • RELG 274: Religion and Biomedical Ethics (not offered 2024-25)

Comps

All students must completed the Philosophy Comps sequence in order:

  • PHIL 395 (not offered 2024-25) (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 (not offered 2024-25) (a 3 credit S/NC class offered each spring devoted to presenting one’s project to peers and the public)

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.