Major Requirements
Ten courses in Philosophy, including:
History of Philosophy: two of 105, 106, 107
Reasoning: 102 or 200
Ethics: 215
Seminar: one of 350-353
Senior Colloquium: 451
Four additional courses
Minor Requirements
Five courses in Philosophy, including two of 105, 106, 107, and three additional courses, at least one of which is numbered 200 or above.
Honors
Honors Requirements: A minimum GPA of 3.2 overall and 3.5 in Philosophy, at least an A- in PHI 495, and the recommendation of the Department.
High Honors Requirements: A minimum GPA of 3.5 overall and 3.75 in Philosophy, an A in PHI 495, and the recommendation of the Department.
Rationale for Course Numbering
100-level courses serve as entries into the discipline. They tend to cover a broad range of topics and are less technical than the upper-level courses. 110 is a survey of philosophical problems, but any 100-level course can serve as an introduction to philosophy. 105, 106, and 107 focus on a major period of philosophy’s history. 102, 120, 130, and 140 analyze applied topics. 160 introduces philosophy through the work of a single philosopher.
200-level courses are also appropriate as entries into philosophy, but they tend to be more narrowly focused than 100-level courses. And with a few exceptions, 200-level courses are primarily concerned with contemporary philosophy rather than philosophy’s history.
Some 300-level courses (350-353) are discussion seminars, usually on a single topic, text, or figure. Other 300-level courses are not seminars, but they are numbered in this range because their topics and readings are more specialized than those in the typical 200-level course. Students and advisers should check with the instructor to see if a given 300-level course is appropriate for those without prior experience in philosophy.
400-level courses are usually limited to senior philosophy majors. 451 is the capstone of the major. 495 is for seniors writing a thesis.
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