Undergraduate Advisor: Prof. Philip Nickel
The undergraduate program
in Philosophy provides students a rigorous grounding in
the history of Western philosophy, improves their skills
in critical reasoning, and teaches them to pursue fundamental
questions in the main areas of the discipline. These questions
include:
Ethics. What is
the highest human good? What is right and wrong? What is
the source of values by which we guide our lives? How can
we choose among values when they conflict?
Epistemology. Is
all human knowledge founded on experience, or do we know
some things through pure reason, independently of experience?
Given the risks of error and illusion, can we be certain
that we know anything at all?
Metaphysics. What
are the basic categories of being? Is everything material,
or are there also spiritual and mental beings? What is the
“mind” and its relation to the natural world?
Do human beings have a will or freedom of choice that animals
lack? What makes a person the same person over the course
of a lifetime?
Although the Philosophy
major demands unusual clarity in thought, discussion, and
writing, the number of courses required for the major is
not very high. A wide range of upper-division courses gives
students the opportunity to explore in greater depth the
areas they find most interesting. The size of these courses
is restricted in order to encourage the kind of questioning
and discussion that form an indispensable part of education
in philosophy.
Because we believe that
the study of philosophy improves one’s analytical
skills in other areas, we try to make it easy for Philosophy
majors to pursue a double major or a minor. The minor in
Philosophy and Law has proved especially popular. We also
encourage students to expand their perspective by studying
outside of the United States. The Center for International
Education, which includes the Education Abroad Program (EAP)
and the International Opportunities Program (IOP), assists
students in taking advantage of many worldwide opportunities
for study and research. Those interested in analytic philosophy
might benefit from EAP programs in the United Kingdom, Canada,
Sweden, Australia, and New Zealand. Students interested
in Continental philosophy might benefit from EAP programs
in France, Germany, and Italy. Those interested in the history
of philosophy, who can equally benefit from study abroad,
may find EAP programs in the United Kingdom, Germany, France,
and Italy especially rewarding. Consult your academic counselor
for additional information.
The Philosophy minor requires
one three-course Philosophy sequence that satisfies the
Humanistic Inquiry breadth requirement, plus four upper-division
Philosophy courses.
Of course, the most important
reason to study philosophy is that philosophical questions
interest you. Many students, however, assume that undergraduate
study in philosophy will not contribute to their success
after graduation. This assumption is badly mistaken. While
you will not learn how to do legal research, start a company,
or diagnose an illness, you will acquire analytical skills
crucial for success in many different areas, including law,
business, and medicine. The latest available statistics
support this.
--Law school.
Philosophy majors performed better on the Law School Admission
Test than majors in political science, history, English,
psychology, or criminal justice.
--Business school.
Same story. Philosophy majors scored better on the Graduate
Management Admission Test than majors in all other areas
except physics, mathematics, and engineering.
--Medical school.
Statistics for the Medical College Admission Test are not
available for philosophy majors in specific, but humanities
majors as a group equaled majors in biological sciences
on the biological science section of the exam and scored
better on all other sections.. The fact that you need to
take pre-med courses as preparation for medical school does
not mean that you need to major in the sciences. The Association
of American Medical Colleges recommends a broad education
in the humanities and the sciences as the best preparation.
--Graduate school.
On the Graduate Record Exam, philosophy majors outperformed
majors in every other field of the humanities, all majors
in the social sciences, and almost all majors in other areas.
Only majors in physics/astronomy and mathematics did better.
Conclusion? If you enjoy
philosophy, feel free to indulge yourself. The skills you
acquire in studying the discipline will serve you well in
your life after college.
