This major provides a broad, deep, historically informed, and ethically aware engagement with fundamental philosophical issues. This means engaging, from a range of perspectives, the urgent and vexing problems that confront all persons and the methods found productive for making sense of them—and perhaps even for providing some solutions. Central problems and topics include the nature of the good and moral life (e.g., ethics, politics, aesthetics), the nature of reality and human existence (e.g., metaphysics, religion, existentialism), and the nature of understanding and reasoning (e.g., logic, epistemology, philosophy of science). Central approaches involve critical thinking, feminist theory, non-Western intellectual traditions, ancient and modern modes of analysis, and the close scrutiny of social context, including that of race, sexuality, and class. The courses offered within the major include a particular focus on ethics courses applied to life in the professions, including, for example, that of law, business, media, and leadership.
The studies that constitute the General Philosophy Option enhance imaginative, interpretative, analytical, critical, and communicative capacities. Majors should acquire the intellectual abilities crucial for self-fulfillment, responsible participation in public and civic life, and success in a wide range of careers: among them, law, business, education, technology, writing, medicine, and non-profit or government service.
| PRESCRIBED COURSES (REQUIRE A GRADE OF C OR BETTER) | ||
| PHIL 12 | Symbolic Logic  | 3 |
| ADDITIONAL COURSES (REQUIRE A GRADE OF C OR BETTER) | ||
| Select 12 credits in philosophy at the 200 level | 12 | |
| Select 9 credits in philosophy at the 400 level, in consultation with adviser | 9 | |
| Select 6 credits in philosophy at the 000 or 100 level | 6 | |
How to Declare
You can declare the General Philosophy Option through your Student Center in Lion PATH. Please make sure you meet with an adviser to ensure appropriate course selection.