Philosophy BA
Philosophy is about hard questions: Are we free? Is there a God? What is knowledge? What should I do with my life? In addressing these questions, philosophy develops your skills in thinking, analysis, writing, argumentation and critical reading. Studying philosophy makes you more open-minded: you’ll encounter the ideas of people that have lived lives very different from yours, and you’ll be impressed by them. Philosophy is enormously interesting and rewarding. If anyone ever asks you “why study philosophy” you’ll answer “why haven’t you started yet?”
The undergraduate major in philosophy requires 30 hours of philosophy coursework. A minimum of 18 hours in Philosophy must be taken from the UMSL Department of Philosophy. Courses above the 3000-level taken elsewhere do not count toward the major. Philosophy majors must complete all required courses (under Course Requirements) with a grade of “C-” or higher and maintain a 2.0 GPA for all their Philosophy coursework.
General Education Requirements
Majors must meet the university and college general education requirements. Candidates for the B.A. degree may take any foreign language to meet the foreign language requirement. Students who double major with a B.A. in Philosophy and a B.S. degree in Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, or Physics may waive the foreign language requirement.
Course Requirements
| History of Philosophy | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Western Philosophy I: Antiquity to the Renaissance | ||
| Ancient Philosophy | ||
| Medieval Philosophy | ||
| And one of the following: | 3 | |
| Western Philosophy II: Descartes to the Present | ||
| Early Modern Philosophy | ||
| 19th and 20th Century Philosophy | ||
| Logic | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Critical Thinking (MOTR PHIL 101) | ||
| Formal Logic | ||
| Normative Philosophy | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Present Moral Problems | ||
| Approaches to Ethics (MOTR PHIL 102) | ||
| Social and Political Philosophy | ||
| Classical Ethical Theory | ||
| Recent Ethical Theory | ||
| Junior Level Requirement | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
Any 3000 level Philosophy course not used to satisfy a requirement above, excluding PHIL 3320 | ||
| Metaphysics and Epistemology Requirement | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Knowledge and Reality | ||
| Theories of Knowledge | ||
| Metaphysics | ||
| Senior Capstone Requirement | 3 | |
| Select any 4000 level Philosophy course, excluding PHIL 4458 and PHIL 4465, that has not been used to satisfy a requirement above | ||
| Elective Hours | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 30 | |
Departmental Honors
Majors with a 3.2 or higher grade point average in all courses may, with the department’s consent, earn departmental honors by:
- Taking , Introduction to Formal Logic;
- Completing at least 3 hours of PHIL 4450, Special Readings in Philosophy;
-
Submitting an acceptable thesis before the end of the senior year.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the program, graduates will be able to:
- Recall a broad range of philosophers and philosophies in both western and non-western traditions and understand their interrelations and historical significance
- Demonstrate an ability to read and engage critically with historical and contemporary philosophical texts
- Demonstrate an ability to apply the distinctive methods of philosophy by reconstructing philosophical arguments and deliberating rationally over their merits
- Understand fundamental moral theories and demonstrate an ability to apply them to ethical problems and practical pursuits
- Demonstrate competence with formal reasoning tools such as syllogistic logic, propositional logic, quantificational logic, or probability theory and show an ability to apply those to tools in philosophical and everyday contexts
- Apply philosophical concepts, analytical skills, and critical thinking to disciplines and issues outside of philosophy
- Create and defend their own philosophical views, both by writing in a clear and persuasive style and in oral discussion with other students, faculty and members of the community
- Apply research skills, including an ability to work with primary and secondary literature, in writing argumentative philosophical papers in a chosen area of advanced study
Sample Four Year Plan
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| INTDSC 1003 | 1 | PHIL 1111 | 3 |
| PHIL 1110 | 3 | Foreign Language 1002 | 5 |
| ENGL 1100 | 3 | CORE – Communication Proficiency | 3 |
| CORE - Mathematics Proficiency | 3 | EXPLORE – Social Sciences | 3 |
| Foreign Language 1001 | 5 | EXPLORE – Mathematics and Life/Natural Sciences | 3 |
| 15 | 17 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| PHIL 1030 | 3 | PHIL 1160 | 3 |
| Foreign Language 2101 | 3 | EXPLORE – Social Sciences | 3 |
| CORE – Information Literacy | 3 | EXPLORE – Math and Like/Natural Sciences | 3 |
| CORE – US History and Government | 3 | Cultural Diversity Requirement | 3 |
| EXPLORE – Mathematics & Natural/Like Sciences | 3 | Elective or minor | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| PHIL 3378 or 3380 | 3 | PHIL 4440 or 4445 | 3 |
| PHIL XXXX Philosophy Elective | 3 | PHIL XXXX Philosophy Elective | 3 |
| ENGL 3100 | 3 | Elective or minor | 3 |
| EXPLORE – Social Sciences | 3 | Elective or minor | 3 |
| Elective or minor | 3 | Elective or minor | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| PHIL XXXX Philosophy Elective | 3 | PHIL XXXX: Philosophy Capstone | 3 |
| Elective or minor | 3 | Elective or minor | 3 |
| Elective or minor | 3 | Elective or minor | 3 |
| Elective or minor | 3 | Elective or minor | 3 |
| Elective or minor | 3 | Elective or minor | 1 |
| 15 | 13 | ||
| Total Hours: 120 | |||