Philosophy
Women's College and College of Adult Undergraduate Studies
Overview
Major
Minor
Four-Year plan
Course Descriptions
Kathleen Dougherty, Ph.D., Chair
Desiree Melton, Ph.D.
Maeve O'Donovan, Ph.D.
Stephen Vicchio, Ph.D.
The philosophy department of the School of Arts and Sciences offers a major and minor in philosophy to students in the Women's College, and a minor to students in the College of Adult Undergraduate Studies. Philosophy, the oldest of the liberal arts, rests on Socrates' views that "all philosophy begins in wonder" and "the unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates promoted the practical uses of philosophy in everyday life and encouraged dialogue and vigorous debate as the most effective ways of discerning truth. In this Socratic spirit, the philosophy department seeks to assist the student in acquiring a fundamental and realistic understanding of herself and her world, to acquaint the student with the thinking of philosophers whose ideas have most influenced the development of our culture, and to engender in the student those habits of critical and systematic thinking that are necessary for a coherent view of the world.
Students with strong backgrounds in philosophy have chosen to attend graduate schools, including the Yale School of Divinity, American University, University of Chicago, University of Maryland Medical School and State University of New York at Binghamton. Others have accepted positions in the fields of education, business, law, politics and medicine.
Notre Dame's general education requirements include two courses in philosophy, one at the introductory 200-level and one at the 300-or 400-level.
To fulfill the general education requirement in values, a student may take PHL-322, 330, 334, 336, 339 or 471. PHL-323 fulfills the general education requirement in gender studies.
Students must earn of minimum cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 in all courses taken to complete the requirements of the philosophy major.
Program of Study
Required Courses for the Major in Philosophy (Credits)
The major consists of a total of 33 credits to include:
One introductory course (3)
IDS-172 Honors: The Axial Age: Philosophy of East and West
PHL-201 Introduction to Philosophy
One course in religion and human nature (3)
PHL-302 Philosophy of Human Nature
PHL-305 Philosophy of Religion
PHL-306 Problem of Evil
IDS-479 Honors: Philosophy Through Literature
One course in metaphysics and epistemology (3)
PHL-321 Epistemology
PHL-374 Metaphysics
PHL-310 Logic
PHL-301 Honors: The Mind-Body Problem
One course in ethics (3)
PHL-330 Ethics
PHL-334 Business Ethics
PHL-336 Environmental Ethics
PHL-339 Medical Ethics
PHL-471 Honors: Morals and Mortality: Ethics of Exiting
One course in value theory (3)
PHL-322 Social & Political Philosophy
PHL-324 Critical Theories of Race
PHL-323 Feminist Philosophy
PHL-320 Aesthetics
Two courses from the historical sequence (6)
PHL-303 Ancient Philosophy
PHL-304 Medieval Philosophy
PHL-307 History of Modern Philosophy
PHL-309 History of Contemporary Philosophy
One seminar (3)
PHL-422 Major Themes in Philosophy
PHL-424 Major Figures in Philosophy
Two electives at the 300- or 400-level (6)
PHL-411 Senior Thesis (3)
Minor in Philosophy
The philosophy department also offers a minor in philosophy that consists of 18 credit hours of course work in philosophy. Students who wish to minor in philosophy should consult the department chair. Courses for the minor should be selected in consultation with a faculty member in the philosophy department.
Philosophy Four-Year Plan
Sample program of study for the philosophy major. Students should select courses with the assistance of a faculty advisor.
| Fall | Spring | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| First year | |||
| ENG-101 College Writing | 3 | Foreign Language | 3 |
| IDS-100 Perspectives in Education | 3 | History | 3 |
| Natural Science | 4 | Mathematics | 3 |
| General Education | 6 | Social Science | 3 |
| [16 credits | PHL-201 Introduction to Philosophy | 3 | |
| [15 credits] | |||
| Second year | |||
| PHL Historical sequence course | 3 | PHL Ethics course | 3 |
| Fine Arts | 3 | PHL 300/400-level elective | 3 |
| RST-201 Introduction to Biblical Studies | 3 | Religious Studies (300/400 level) | 3 |
| COM-106 Fundamentals of Oral Communication | 3 | English Literature | 3 |
| General Education/Electives | 3 | General Education/Electives | 3 |
| Physical Education | 1 | [15 credits] | |
| [16 credits] | |||
| Third year | |||
| PHL Religion and Human nature course | 3 | PHL Metaphysics and Epistemology course | 3 |
| PHL Historical sequence course | 3 | PHL Seminar course | 3 |
| General Education/Electives | 9 | General Education/Electives | 9 |
| [15 credits] | [15 credits] | ||
| Fourth year | |||
| PHL Value theory course | 3 | PHL-411 Senior Thesis | 3 |
| PHL 300/400-level elective | 3 | General Education/Electives | 12 |
| General Education/Electives | 9 | [15 credits] | |
| [15 credits] |
Course Descriptions
PHL-201 Introduction to Philosophy
Studies some of the major issues that have intrigued reflective
people from time immemorial: How do we know? What is human nature?
Is there life after death? Where did the universe originate? We will
evaluate replies suggested from the time of Plato to the 20th
century. Fulfills general education requirement for 200-level
course. [3 credits]
PHL-302 Philosophy of Human Nature
Explores the meaning and nature of human existence. Investigates
both classic and contemporary answers to the following questions: Is
the person a body or a mind? Are we free or determined? What grounds
do we have for belief in God? On what principles do we judge things
right or wrong? Why should citizens obey the law? What things do we
call art? When can I say "I know"? What is the meaning of
life? Fulfills general education requirement for
300/400-level course. Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy course. [3 credits]
PHL-303 Ancient Philosophy
Explores the major philosophical thinkers and movements in Western
philosophy from the pre-Socratics to the works of Socrates, Plato
and Aristotle. Fulfills general education requirement for
300/400-level course. Prerequisites: 200-level philosophy course.
[3 credits]
PHL-304 Medieval Philosophy
Examines the major philosophical thinkers and movements in Western
philosophy from St. Augustine in the fifth century to responses to
Thomas Aquinas in the 14th and 15th centuries. Fulfills
general education requirement for 300/400-level course. Prerequisites: 200-level philosophy course. [3 credits]
PHL-305 Philosophy of Religion
Investigates major thinkers and issues in the history of philosophy
of religion, including: the attributes and existence of God, the
problem of evil, the nature of miracles, survival after death, and
other issues. Fulfills general education requirement
for 300/400-level course. Prerequisites: 200-level philosophy
course. [3 credits]
PHL-306 The Problem of Evil
Analyzes the Judeo-Christian tradition's responses to the problem of
evil: If God is all good, all knowing and all powerful, then why is
there so much evil and suffering in the world? Fulfills general
education requirement for 300/400-level course. Prerequisite:
200-level philosophy course. [3 credits]
PHL-307 History of Modern Philosophy
Explores Western philosophic thought from the 17th and 19th
centuries through the works of select Continental Rationalists and
British Empiricists. Special emphasis is placed on their
metaphysical and epistemological views. Fulfills general education
requirement for 300/400-level course. Prerequisite: 200- level
philosophy course. [3 credits]
PHL-309 History of Contemporary Philosophy
Considers the questions (and answers) that dominate 19th and 20th
century Western philosophy. Investigates the origins and themes of
American pragmatism, Anglo-American philosophy of language,
existential-phenomenology, critical theory and postmodernism. Offers
an opportunity to make sense of emerging issues and debates in 21st
century philosophy. Fulfills general education requirement for
300/400-level course. Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy course.
[3 credits]
PHL-310 Logic
This course will address topics in both informal and formal logic,
with an emphasis on formal logic. Topics covered will include
argument identification and structure, the translation of English
statements into propositional form, the use of truth tables, and
natural deduction in propositional logic. Fulfills general education
requirement for 300/400-level philosophy. [3 credits]
PHL-320 Aesthetics
Explores the philosophy of beauty. What is the nature, function and
value of a work of art? What is the relationship between art and
reality? What is the relationship between the artist and the
audience? Fulfills general education requirement for 300/400-
level course. Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy course. [3
credits]
PHL-321 Epistemology
Analyzes the nature and scope of human knowledge. Focuses on the
ways in which knowing, believing and having an opinion differ, and
investigates the limitations of reason and the boundaries of human
understanding. Fulfills general education requirement
for 300/400-level course. Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy
course. [3 credits]
PHL-322 Social and Political Philosophy
Examines the origins and justifications of various social and
political systems from ancient through contemporary times. Topics
addressed may include: The moral justification of particular forms
of government, the definition of community and the relationship of
the individual to the community, and the importance of race and
gender in society. Fulfills general education requirements for
300/400-level course and values. Prerequisite: 200-level
philosophy course. [3 credits]
PHL-323 Feminist Philosophy
Investigates the meaning and significance of lived, bodily
experience in the formation of human consciousness. Evaluates the
history of Western Philosophy from the perspective of those who were
once seen as marginal to it, and in doing so elucidates the many
debates within Feminist Philosophy about the nature and limits of
the philosophical enterprise. Fulfills general
education requirements for 300/400-level course and gender. Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy course. [3 credits]
PHL-324 Critical Theories of Race
Examines the concept of race and the phenomenon of racism in the
United States. Topics addressed may include: the concept of race as
both constructed and real, the politics of racialized identity,
theorizing multiple oppressions, white privilege and epistemologies
of ignorance. Fulfills general education requirements for
300/400-level course. Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy course. [3 credits]
PHL-330 Ethics
Introduces contemporary moral issues in light of systems suggested
by major thinkers such as Aristotle, J. S. Mill and Kant. Includes
considerations of topics such as abortion, euthanasia, cloning and
capital punishment. Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy course.
Fulfills general education requirements for 300/400-level and
values. [3 credits]
PHL-334 Business Ethics
Discusses ethics as a dimension of social responsibility, the role
of corporate culture in business, and emerging issues in business
ethics, such as the ways in which differences will affect ethical
decision making. Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy course. Fulfills
general education requirements for 300/400-level course and values.
[3 credits]
PHL-336 Environmental Ethics
Addresses a variety of challenging issues in environmental ethics.
Topics considered may include, among others: the status of non-human
animals, farming and the environment, global climate change,
inter-generational justice, issues of land use, the preservation of
forests and wilderness, and the use and development of energy
resources. Through an examination of some of these issues, the
course also introduces students to a variety of moral theories, from
both philosophical and religious perspectives. The social, gender,
and environmental justice implications of ecological issues are a
major concern of the course. Fulfills upper-division philosophy
requirement and general education requirement in values.
Cross-listed with ENV 336. [3 credits]
PHL-339 Medical Ethics
Evaluates the traditional foundations of moral theory in the West,
with special emphasis on issues in medical ethics. Fulfills general
education requirements for 300/400-level course and values. Prerequisites:
200-level philosophy course. [3 credits]
PHL-374 Metaphysics
Examines major thinkers and questions in metaphysics in the Western
philosophical tradition. Studies the concept of "being," with
special attention to the principles and classes of being, and
investigates the notion of causality. Fulfills general
education requirement for 300/400-level philosophy course. Prerequisite:
200-level philosophy course. [3 credits]
PHL-411 Senior Thesis
Student designs a research project culminating in a thesis on a
philosophical issue. At the end of the semester, the student will
give an oral presentation of her thesis to department faculty and
students. Prerequisite: philosophy major with senior status, or
philosophy major with junior status and at least seven philosophy
courses completed, or permission. [3 credits]
PHL-422 Major Themes in Philosophy
Provides an in-depth exploration of a major theme, concept,
framework, or idea central to the discipline of philosophy. May be
taken twice on different themes. Fulfills general education
requirements for 300/400-level course. Prerequisite: 200-level
philosophy course. [3 credits]
PHL-424 Major Figures in Philosophy
Provides an in-depth exploration of a major figure or group of
figures, either historical or contemporary, central to the
discipline of philosophy. May be taken twice on different
figures. Fulfills general education requirements for
300/400-level course. Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy course.
[3 credits]
PHL-463 Independent Study
Provides an opportunity for independent work on an approved topic in
philosophy. Fulfills general education requirement for 300/400-level
course. Prerequisite:200-level philosophy course; one
300-level course; and permission of instructor. [3 credits]
PHL-465 Directed Readings in Philosophy
Provides an opportunity to explore an area of the student's
particular interest under the guidance of a member of the department
to permit intensive examination of the area of special
interest. Fulfills general education requirement for
300/400-level course. Prerequisite: one 200-level
philosophy course; one 300-level philosophy course; permission of
the instructor. [3 credits]
PHL-471 Honors: Morals and Mortality: Ethics of Exiting
Considers the structure and foundations of morality with special
emphasis on ethical problems related to death and dying. Fulfills general education requirement in philosophy and values. Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy course, Morrissy scholar or
permission. [3 credits]