Philosophy, BA

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The study of philosophy begins with questions that are as personal as they are universal: What truths can I know? How should I live? Who, or what, am I? Where is my place in the grand scheme of things? To respond fruitfully to such questions requires training in critical habits of mind, learning from the rich traditions and the great minds that have reflected on such questions and engaging in lively discussion with a community of inquirers. Seattle University undergraduate philosophy courses communicate the value of philosophy and impart knowledge of its most influential figures. Courses in the curriculum help students to bring their own intellectual concerns into dialogue with great minds of the past and present, and to hone skills of reasoning and argumentation that make that questioning illuminating, reliable, and useful.

Requirements

In order to earn the bachelor of arts degree with a major in philosophy, students must complete a minimum of 180 credits with a cumulative and major/program grade point average of 2.00, including the following:

I. Core Curriculum Requirements

Module I: Engaging Academic Inquiry

UCOR 1100 - Academic Writing Seminar
UCOR 1200 - Quantitative Reasoning (or MATH 1010 or above)
UCOR 1300 - Creative Expression and Interpretation
UCOR 1400 - Inquiry Seminar in the Humanities
UCOR 1600 - Inquiry Seminar in the Social Sciences
UCOR 1800 - Inquiry Seminar in the Natural Sciences (or BIOL 1610/1611, 2200, CHEM 1500/1501, PHYS 1050, 1210)

Module II: Engaging Jesuit Traditions

Module III: Engaging the World

II. College of Arts and Sciences Requirements

Modern Languages 1150, 1250, 1350, or equivalent (15)

NOTE:

All students with a major in the College of Arts and Sciences must demonstrate competency through the level of 1350 in a language other than English. This competency is ordinarily achieved by successful completion of the three-course sequence: 1150, 1250, and 1350. Because these courses are a college requirement, no course in the sequence may be taken on a pass/fail, correspondence, or audit basis. Placement into other than the beginning course of the sequence is achieved by acceptable performance on the Modern Language Competency Examination. See the Modern Languages and Cultures Department for details on the examinations. Courses used to satisfy the College of Arts and Sciences modern language requirement may not be used to fulfill major requirements.

Choose one of the following three courses:

III. Major Requirements

50 credits in philosophy, including:

A. Foundations

PHIL 2600 - Introduction to Logic

B. History and Traditions

PHIL 3010 - Ancient Philosophy
PHIL 3020 - Medieval Philosophy
PHIL 3030 - Modern Philosophy
PHIL 4850 - Major Figures in the Traditions (satisfies capstone requirement for degree)

C. Electives

Choose 10 credits from the following:

PHIL 2500 - Problems and Methods of Philosophy
Upper-Division (3000-4000 level) Electives (see Course Descriptions )

D. Specialization

Choose three courses within one of the following specializations:

Specialization in Phenomenology, Hermeneutics, and Postmodernism: (15)

Specialization in Logic, Science, and Analysis (15)

Specialization in Critical and Global Perspectives: (15)

Specialization in Ethics, Law, and Justice: (15)

Individualized Specialization: (15)

Arranged with student’s advisor and approved by the department chair

Policy for University Honors Program Students

University Honors Program students who have successfully completed HONR 1010 and the HONR courses listed below need an additional 35 credits to complete the philosophy major: PHIL 2600 , PHIL 3010 , PHIL 4850 and 20 credits of approved electives.

They are credited with the following equivalents:

HONR 1030 = PHIL 3020
HONR 2010 = PHIL 3030
HONR 2020 = PHIL 3710
HONR 2030 = PHIL 3650

Departmental Honors

Philosophy with Departmental Honors, BA