Philosophy (B.A.)

Program: B.A.
Department of Philosophy
College of Arts and Sciences

Liberal Arts Building 23~ 260-481-6366 ~ ipfw.edu/phil

The student learning outcomes for the degree are as follows:

Possess general knowledge and critical appreciation of western and non-western philosophical thought, its principle branches and their history.
Acquisition and honing of close reading, analytic writing, and critical thinking skills.

The major in philosophy is a traditional humanities and liberal-arts program. The program favors a contextual approach to philosophy; the emphasis in its history courses is therefore on understanding the bigger context and what philosophy’s contribution to the history of Western Thought is. The program also favors a transdisciplinary approach; all inquiry in its topics courses is therefore well-informed by facts and results of cognate disciplines or the sciences. Students are encouraged either to double-major or to pursue the unique “Philosophy Plus Two” majoring option, in which coursework in up to two other disciplines informs their capstone work in philosophy. The program is a great preparation for jobs that require excellent analytic writing or critical thinking skills but also for graduate studies in the discipline or other programs, including but not limited to ministry, history, and law.

To earn the Bachelor of Arts with a major in philosophy, you must fulfill the requirements of IPFW (see Part 8 ) and the College of Arts and Sciences (see Part 4 ), and complete the following courses:

IPFW General Education Requirements Credits: 33

See Part 2 General Education Requirements for approved courses

College of Arts and Sciences Requirements

English Writing and Speaking

See Arts and Sciences Part A for Speaking requirement

ENG W233 - Intermediate Expository Writing Cr. 3.

Foreign Language

Requirements in Arts and Sciences Part B Credits: 14

Distribution (not in PHIL)

Requirements in Arts and Sciences Part C Credits: 9

Cultural Studies

Requirements in Arts and Sciences Part D

PHIL 11000 - Introduction to Philosophy Cr. 3.
(credits included in Major Courses, below)

Program Requirements

Core Courses Credits: 10

PHIL 10200 - Methods in the Humanities Cr. 1.
PHIL 11000 - Introduction to Philosophy Cr. 3.
PHIL 11100 - Ethics Cr. 3. *
PHIL 11101 - Contemporary Moral Problems Cr. 3. *
PHIL 15000 - Principles of Logic Cr. 3.
*Note: PHIL 11100 or PHIL 11101 is required. If both are taken, one will count as an elective.

History Courses Credits: 9

Any three of the following:

PHIL 30100 - History of Ancient Philosophy Cr. 3.
PHIL 30200 - History of Medieval Philosophy Cr. 3.
PHIL 30300 - History of Modern Philosophy Cr. 3.
PHIL 30400 - 19th Century Philosophy Cr. 3.
PHIL 39000 - Topics in the History of Philosophy Cr. 3.
PHIL 41200 - Topics in Analytic Philosophy Cr. 3.
PHIL 42200 - Topics in Continental Philosophy Cr. 3.
Note: The selection and sequence of history and topics courses should be chosen in close cooperation with and approved by an academic advisor in the Department of Philosophy.

Topics Courses Credits: 9

Any three of the following:

PHIL 25200 - Intermediate Logic Cr. 3.
PHIL 30500 - Philosophical Theories of Feminism Cr. 3.
PHIL 31200 - Medical Ethics Cr. 3.
PHIL 32600 - Business Ethics Cr. 3.
PHIL 32700 - Environmental Ethics Cr. 3.
PHIL 32800 - Ethics and Animals Cr. 3.
PHIL 32900 - Foundations of Professional Ethics Cr 3.
PHIL 35000 - Philosophy and Probability Cr. 3.
PHIL 35100 - Philosophy of Science Cr. 3.
PHIL 35200 - Topics in the History and Philosophy of Science Cr. 3.
PHIL 42500 - Metaphysics Cr. 3.
PHIL 43100 - Contemporary Religious Thought Cr. 3.
PHIL 43200 - Theory of Knowledge Cr. 3.
PHIL 43500 - Philosophy of Mind Cr. 3.
PHIL 45000 - Metalogic Cr. 3.
PHIL 45100 - The Gödel Theorems: Their Logic and Applications Cr. 3.
PHIL 46500 - Philosophy of Language Cr. 3.
PHIL 47100 - Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art Cr. 3.
PHIL 48000 - Practicum in Applied Ethics Cr. 3.
PHIL 49000 - Advanced Topics in Philosophy Cr. 3.
PHIL 49300 - Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Seminar Cr. 1-3.
PHIL 50400 - Human Rights Ethics Cr. 3.
PHIL 51000 - Phenomenology Cr. 3.
PHIL 51400 - 20th Century Analytical Philosophy I Cr. 3
PHIL 51500 - 20th Century Analytical Philosophy II Cr. 3.
PHIL 52000 - Existentialism Cr. 3.
PHIL 52400 - Contemporary Ethical Theory Cr. 3.
PHIL 52500 - Studies in Metaphysics Cr. 3.
PHIL 53000 - Deconstructionist and Postmodernist Philosophy Cr. 3
PHIL 54500 - Recent Analytical Philosophy Cr. 3.
PHIL 55500 - Critical Theory Cr. 3.
PHIL 57500 - Problems in Esthetics Cr. 3.
PHIL 58000 - Proseminar in Philosophy Cr. 3.
PHIL 59000 - Directed Readings in Philosophy Cr. 1-3.
or any PHIL course numbered 300xx or higher

Note: The selection and sequence of history and topics courses should be chosen in close cooperation with and approved by an academic advisor in the Department of Philosophy.

Capstone Work Credits: 3

Choose one of the following:

PHIL 49300 - Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Seminar Cr. 1-3.
PHIL 59000 - Directed Readings in Philosophy Cr. 1-3.

General Elective Courses

Sufficient additional credits to bring the total to 120.

Total Credits: 120

Honors in Philosophy

A student may earn an honors B.A. degree in philosophy by achieving an overall GPA of 3.5 and a philosophy GPA of 3.5 or higher; conducting a two-semester (6 credit) research project; preparing a senior thesis based on the research project; and giving an oral presentation of the thesis research. The senior thesis committee must be established one semester before graduation.