Program Requirements
Major Common Core
Philosophers of Ancient Greece, Rome and the early middle ages: The presocratics, Plato, Aristotle, Hellenistic and Roman philosophers, St. Augustine.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Late Medieval Philosophy and its influence on the Renaissance, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibnitz and Continental Rationalism, Locke, Berkeley, Hume and British Empiricism, and Kant.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Logic Requirement - Choose 3 Credit(s).
Traditional syllogistic logic and an introduction to the elements of modern symbolic logic.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-02, GE-04
Study of the elements of first order symbolic logic, i.e., the propositional calculus and the predicate calculus, and its applications to ordinary language and mathematics.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Major Restricted Electives
Cluster 1: History of Philosophy - Choose 3 Credit(s). Each course can fulfill only one cluster requirement.
Philosophers and philosophies of the 19th century.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Critical discussion of the topics chosen from the Asian philosophical traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Diverse Cultures:
- Purple
In-depth analysis of major European existentialists such as Kierkegaard, Heidegger, and Sartre.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Cluster 2: Language, Epistemology, Metaphysics, and Mind - Choose 6 Credit(s). Each course can fulfill only one cluster requirement.
Critical discussion of the topics chosen from the Asian philosophical traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Diverse Cultures:
- Purple
Theories of meaning, speech acts and semantics, relation of language to the world.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Theories of knowledge and justification, skeptical attacks on the possibility of knowledge, and anti-skeptical defenses.
- Prerequisites:
- none
An investigation of the most fundamental concepts of reality, including the nature of things, identity over time, modality, causation, free will, space and time, and universals and particulars.
- Prerequisites:
- none
This course examines the conceptual and philosophical complexities of efforts to understand the mind in science. Topics include the difference and similarities between humans and other animals, the nature of psychological explanation, and reductive strategies for explaining consciousness, intentionality and language. Fall
- Prerequisites:
- none
Cognitive and epistemic issues surrounding sensory perception, including the nature of perception, its immediate objects, and its ability to deliver knowledge of the world.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Philosophical issues concerning the mental lives of non-human animals, with emphasis on consciousness, rationality, language, and implications for non-human animal ethics.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Cluster 3: Philosophy of Science - Choose 3 Credit(s). Each course can fulfill only one cluster requirement.
This course explores what makes reasoning scientific as distinguished from non-scientific. Issues are inductive reasoning, causal reasoning, fallacies, hypothetico-deductive reasoning, falsifiability, and scientific knowledge.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-02, GE-04
This course examines the conceptual and philosophical complexities of efforts to understand the mind in science. Topics include the difference and similarities between humans and other animals, the nature of psychological explanation, and reductive strategies for explaining consciousness, intentionality and language. Fall
- Prerequisites:
- none
Nature of explanations, causality, theoretical entities, and selected problems.
- Prerequisites:
- none
This course examines conceptual and philosophical issues in biology, the nature and scope of biological explanation and conflicts between evolutionary and religious explanations for the origin of life.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Cluster 4: Ethics and Social and Political Philosophy - Choose 6 Credit(s). At least 3 credits must be 300-400 level. Each course can fulfill only one cluster requirement.
To what extent do the differences among races and between genders represent biological differences, and to what extent are they constructed by society? Is racism best conceptualized as an additional burden to sexism or as one different in kind?
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-06, GE-7A
Discussion of theories of value and obligation.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-06, GE-09
Discussion of the ways that a culture both creates human community and shapes self-identity. Exploration of similarities and differences between and interdependence among cultural traditions, and of vocabularies for assessing traditions.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-06, GE-08
Ethical perspectives relevant to issues such as euthanasia, genetic engineering, organ transplant, patients' rights, abortion, etc.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-06, GE-09
Introduction to ethical theories and concepts and their application to specific cases in the world of business.V
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-06, GE-09
Questions about human responsibilities to other animals and the environment gain urgency as environmental crises become more prevalent, and animal species continue to be eliminated. Learn about, critique, and apply the principles underlying evaluations of human environmental conduct.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-09, GE-10
Consideration of the basic philosophical approaches to the idea of justice and how this idea relates to other fundamental ideas in political philosophy, ethics, and law.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-06, GE-09
Human rights and responsibilities in relation to the organization of society and government.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Topics in normative, meta-ethical and applied ethical theory.
- Prerequisites:
- Select one course: PHIL 120W, PHIL 222W, PHIL 224W, or PHIL 226W
This course will introduce students to important texts in moral and social philosophy that provide the foundation for modern economics. In addition, we will discuss philosophical accounts of rationality, well being, and freedom and their relevance to economic analysis.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Discussion of philosophical issues in law by way of connecting legal problems to well-developed and traditional problems in philosophy, e.g., in ethics, political philosophy, and epistemology, and investigates the philosophical underpinnings of the development of law. The course takes an analytical approach to law (as opposed to historical sociological, political, or legalistic approaches) and devotes a substantial part of the semester to a major work on law written by a philosopher.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Cluster 5: Aesthetics - Choose 3 Credit(s). Each course can fulfill only one cluster requirement.
Aesthetic principles, theories, and the creative process. Theories of visual arts, music, literature, dance, etc.
- Prerequisites:
- none
This course investigates some of the central philosophical issues in our thinking about film, including questions about narrative, ontology, ethical criticism of film, the role of artistic intentions in interpretation, artistic medium, and the art/entertainment distinction.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Major Unrestricted Electives
Choose 9 Credit(s). These courses may not also be counted toward the Major Common Core or the Major Restricted Electives
Study of the elements of first order symbolic logic, i.e., the propositional calculus and the predicate calculus, and its applications to ordinary language and mathematics.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Human rights and responsibilities in relation to the organization of society and government.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Topics in normative, meta-ethical and applied ethical theory.
- Prerequisites:
- Select one course: PHIL 120W, PHIL 222W, PHIL 224W, or PHIL 226W
This course will introduce students to important texts in moral and social philosophy that provide the foundation for modern economics. In addition, we will discuss philosophical accounts of rationality, well being, and freedom and their relevance to economic analysis.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Philosophers and philosophies of the 19th century.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Critical discussion of the topics chosen from the Asian philosophical traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Diverse Cultures:
- Purple
Theories of meaning, speech acts and semantics, relation of language to the world.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Theories of knowledge and justification, skeptical attacks on the possibility of knowledge, and anti-skeptical defenses.
- Prerequisites:
- none
An investigation of the most fundamental concepts of reality, including the nature of things, identity over time, modality, causation, free will, space and time, and universals and particulars.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Discussion of philosophical issues in law by way of connecting legal problems to well-developed and traditional problems in philosophy, e.g., in ethics, political philosophy, and epistemology, and investigates the philosophical underpinnings of the development of law. The course takes an analytical approach to law (as opposed to historical sociological, political, or legalistic approaches) and devotes a substantial part of the semester to a major work on law written by a philosopher.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Intensive study of a single philosopher or topic.
- Prerequisites:
- none
In-depth analysis of major European existentialists such as Kierkegaard, Heidegger, and Sartre.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Aesthetic principles, theories, and the creative process. Theories of visual arts, music, literature, dance, etc.
- Prerequisites:
- none
This course investigates some of the central philosophical issues in our thinking about film, including questions about narrative, ontology, ethical criticism of film, the role of artistic intentions in interpretation, artistic medium, and the art/entertainment distinction.
- Prerequisites:
- none
The nature of consciousness, mind and body relations, freedom of action.
- Prerequisites:
- none
This course examines the conceptual and philosophical complexities of efforts to understand the mind in science. Topics include the difference and similarities between humans and other animals, the nature of psychological explanation, and reductive strategies for explaining consciousness, intentionality and language. Fall
- Prerequisites:
- none
Cognitive and epistemic issues surrounding sensory perception, including the nature of perception, its immediate objects, and its ability to deliver knowledge of the world.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Philosophical issues concerning the mental lives of non-human animals, with emphasis on consciousness, rationality, language, and implications for non-human animal ethics.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Nature of explanations, causality, theoretical entities, and selected problems.
- Prerequisites:
- none
This course examines conceptual and philosophical issues in biology, the nature and scope of biological explanation and conflicts between evolutionary and religious explanations for the origin of life.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Individual study of a philosopher or problem.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Other Graduation Requirements
Choose 8 credit(s): take one series Language
Minor
A minor is required. Any minor (outside Philosophy) is acceptable.
4-Year Plan
The 4-Year Plan is a model for completing your degree in a timely manner. Your individual 4-Year plan may change based on a number of variables including transfer courses and the semester/year you start your major. Carefully work with your academic advisors to devise your own unique plan.
* Please meet with your advisor on appropriate course selection to meet your educational and degree goals.
First Year
Fall - 15 Credits
Spring - 15 Credits
Second Year
Fall - 16 Credits
Philosophers of Ancient Greece, Rome and the early middle ages: The presocratics, Plato, Aristotle, Hellenistic and Roman philosophers, St. Augustine.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Spring - 14 Credits
Late Medieval Philosophy and its influence on the Renaissance, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibnitz and Continental Rationalism, Locke, Berkeley, Hume and British Empiricism, and Kant.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Third Year
Fall - 15 Credits
Spring - 15 Credits
Fourth Year
Fall - 15 Credits
Spring - 15 Credits
Policies
P/N Grading Policy. Upper-division PHIL courses for a major or minor must be taken for a letter grade.
Minor: A minor is required. Any minor except for Critical Thinking, Ethics, or Philosophy is acceptable. A minor in Human-Animal Studies may be chosen only if PHIL courses contribute less than 50% of the credits for the minor.
Degree
Bachelor of Arts
Major Credits
42
Total Credits
120
Locations
Mankato
Career Cluster
People and Cultures