UCCS | Philosophy - Philosophy Major

UCCS: Home • Calendar • Map

Philosophy

General Requirements

Philosophy teaches analytical and critical thinking, develops oral and written communication skills, and contributes to interdisciplinary understanding. Philosophy as a discipline attempts to answer perennial questions about values, human existence, and the nature of reality. Skills developed in this inquiry help philosophy students to excel in careers in law, medicine, management, education, government, writing, computer science, psychology, sociology, and ministry among many others. Philosophy majors consistently score in the top percentiles for all majors on the GRE, LSAT, GMAT, MCAT and other graduate and professional admissions tests.

Philosophy Bachelor of Arts, BA Learning Outcomes, Philosophy

Be able to display capacities for and skills in critical thinking
Be able to write clear, logical, and grammatically correct philosophical arguments
Be able orally to express clear, logical, and grammatically correct philosophical arguments
Be able to display detailed knowledge of the current literature or historical background of a philosophical problem
Be able to demonstrate research skills in locating and using resources and extending inquiry on philosophical questions

General Requirements
The bachelor of arts degree in philosophy requires 30 semester hours with grades of C or above; a maximum of 54 hours can be applied to the degree. At least 21 out of the 30 hours must be upper division courses. The philosophy minor requires 18 hours of course work. The philosophy major may choose either the general requirements or the student may specialize in one of four optional programs.

Required Courses for the Philosophy Major

1. One course in Logic selected from:	Phil. 1120 – Critical Thinking Phil. 3420 – Symbolic Logic I Phil. 4420 – Symbolic Logic II

2. One course in Social and Political Philosophy/Ethics selected from:	Phil. 3160 – Death and Dying Phil. 3180 – Practical Ethics Phil. 3200 – Politics and the Law Phil. 3230 – Gender, Race and Sexuality Phil. 3240 – Philosophy of War, Conflict Resolution, and Peace Phil. 3400 – Holocaust Phil. 3600 – Philosophy of Religion Phil. 3730 – Philosophy and Literature Phil. 4140 – Philosophy, Globalization, and Sustainability Phil. 4150 – Ethics Phil. 4160 – Business and Management Ethics Phil. 4170 – Health Care Ethics Phil. 4250 – Selected Topics in Social Theory Phil. 4260 – Philosophy of Law Phil. 4550 – Feminism, Sexuality, and Culture

3. One course in Metaphysics, Ontology, Epistemology, or Philosophy of Science:	Phil. 3170 – Theories of Knowledge Phil. 3300 – Philosophy of Mind Phil. 3330 – Emotion and Cognition Phil. 3340 – Love and Hatred Phil. 3350 – Metaphysics Phil. 3390 – Philosophy of Psychology Phil. 3700 – The Arts Phil. 4040 – Phenomenology Phil. 4060 – Mid 20th Century European Philosophy Phil. 4070 – Existentialism Phil. 4080 – Postmodernism Phil. 4100 – American Pragmatism Phil. 4200 – Consciousness Phil. 4350 – Analytic Philosophy Phil. 4400 – Philosophy of Science Phil. 4410 – Philosophy of Biology Phil. 4460 – Theories of Human Nature

4. Three courses in the History of Philosophy, from three different eras:	Area 1: Asian Philosophy Phil. 3090 – Philosophies of Asia Phil. 3480 – Philosophies of India Phil. 3490 – Philosophies of China Phil. 3500 – Buddhist Philosophy Area 2: Ancient to Renaissance Philosophy Phil. 3510 – Presocratic Philosophy Phil. 3520 – Plato Phil. 3530 – Hellenistic Philosophy Phil. 3540 – Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy Phil. 3550 – Aristotle Area 3: Modern and 19th Century Philosophy Phil. 3560 – Modern Classical Phil. 3570 – Kant and the Enlightenment Phil. 3580 – From Hegel to Nietzsche Area 4: Contemporary Philosophy Phil. 3400 – Holocaust Phil. 4040 – Phenomenology Phil. 4060 – Mid 20th Century European Philosophy Phil. 4080 – Postmodernism Phil. 4100 – American Pragmatism Phil. 4350 – Analytic Philosophy

5. Senior Seminar and Thesis	Phil. 4950 – Senior Seminar and Thesis

Philosophy Major Options

The department offers options in areas of philosophy that focus on particular fields of study. Students completing the requirements in any of the options will receive a certificate from the department indicating that they have a major in philosophy with competence in a particular area. To quality for an option, the student must fulfill the requirements for the major including at least 30 hours of course work, 9 hours of which must be in the option area.

1. Religion, Classics and Culture	Phil. 1050 – Philosophy and Religion Phil. 3100 – World Religions Phil. 3110 – Women and Religion Phil. 3120 – Greek and Roman Mythology Phil. 3140 – Women in Classical Antiquity Phil. 3160 – Philosophical Issues in Death and Dying Phil. 3400 – Holocaust Phil. 3480 – Philosophies of India Phil. 3490 – Philosophies of China Phil. 3500 – Buddhist Philosophy Phil. 3510 – Presocratic Philosophy Phil. 3520 – Plato Phil. 3530 – Hellenistic Philosophy Phil. 3540 – Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy Phil. 3550 – Aristotle Phil. 3600 – Philosophy of Religion Phil. 3610 – Hebrew Bible and Its Social Context Phil. 3620 – New Testament and Its Social Contexts Phil. 3630 – Race and Gender in Biblical Literature

2. Justice and Global Society (International Studies)	Phil. 1020 – Introduction to Ethics Phil. 1040 – The Individual and Society Phil. 1150 – What is Justice? Phil. 1200 – Sports Ethics Phil. 1310 – Women and Science Phil. 1400 – Introduction to Environmental Ethics Phil. 3090 – Philosophies of Asia Phil. 3180 – Practical Ethics Phil. 3200 – Politics and the Law Phil. 3230 – Gender, Race, and Sexuality Phil. 3240 – Philosophy of War and Terrorism Phil. 3400 – Holocaust Phil. 3480 – Philosophies of India Phil. 3490 – Philosophies of China Phil. 3500 – Buddhist Philosophy Phil. 3560 – Modern Classical Philosophy Phil. 3570 – Kant and the Enlightenment Phil. 4140 – Philosophy, Globalization, and Sustainability Phil. 4150 – Ethics Phil. 4170 – Health Care Ethics Phil. 4250 – Topics in Social Theory Phil. 4260 – Philosophy of Law Phil. 4550 – Feminism, Sexuality and Culture

3. Cognition, Science, Phenomenology, and Linguistics	Phil. 1120 – Critical Thinking Phil. 1310 – Women and Science Phil. 3170 – Theories of Knowledge Phil. 3300 – Philosophy of Mind Phil. 3330 – Emotion and Cognition Phil. 3340 – Love and Hatred Phil. 3390 – Philosophy of Psychology Phil. 3440 – Symbolic Logic I Phil. 3350 – Mathematical Logic Phil. 4040 – Phenomenology Phil. 4200 – Consciousness Phil. 4350 – Analytic Philosophy Phil. 4400 – Philosophy of Science Phil. 4410 – Philosophy of Biology Phil. 4420 – Symbolic Logic II Phil. 4430 – Logical Theory Phil. 4440 – Decision and Game Theory Phil. 4490 – Philosophy of Language

4. Culture, Media, and the Arts	Phil. 1040 – The Individual and Society Phil. 3100 – World Religions Phil. 3230 – Gender, Race, and Sexuality Phil. 3240 – Philosophy of War and Terrorism Phil. 3340 – Love and Hatred Phil. 3400 – Holocaust Phil. 3580 – From Hegel to Nietzsche Phil. 3700 – The Arts Phil. 4040 – Phenomenology Phil. 4060 – Mid 20th Century European Philosophy Phil. 4070 – Existentialism Phil. 4080 – Postmodernism Phil. 4250 – Topics in Social Theory Phil. 4550 – Feminism, Sexuality, and Culture Phil. 4600 – Theory of Film

Philosophy Minors

The department offers minors in areas of philosophy that complement various major fields. Minors require 18 hours of course work, including PHIL 112 and one course in the History of Philosophy. A minimum of 9 hours of upper-division courses as part of the major is required.

Philosophy Double Majors

Adding a philosophy major to one's major in another discipline, thereby creating a double major, is an option for students who wish to obtain a broader perspective in their discipline for post-graduate work. All requirements for the philosophy major apply to double majors. Students may have two different majors in two different colleges or in the same college.

UCCS - University of Colorado Colorado Springs

© University of Colorado Colorado Springs
1420 Austin Bluffs Pkwy, Colorado Springs, CO USA 80918
719-255-8227 (UCCS), 800-990-8227

CU - University of Colorado: Boulder | Colorado Springs | Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus