The program in philosophy introduces students to basic issues concerning knowledge, reality, and values in both classical Western thought and in contemporary critiques of the classical tradition. It attempts to help each student develop her philosophical thought in reflective, independent, and responsible ways.
Saint Mary’s has a long history of providing quality international programs as an essential part of our educational mission—forming women leaders who will make a difference in the world. As this world becomes increasingly interdependent, the College offers an expanding range of semester, year, semester break, and summer study and service programs in a wide variety of countries, and encourages students to take advantage of them. Learn more about the various Study Abroad opportunities.
Megan Zwart
158 Spes Unica Hall
574-284-4503
D. Horan, A. Pierce, P. Sayre, G. Trey, M. Waddell, M. Zwart
The curriculum and requirements are designed to achieve the following goals:
In addition to the above learning outcomes:
The following survey courses are offered regularly for students who are fulfilling Sophia requirements or initiating the study of philosophy.
Readings and discussions designed to introduce the student to the major areas and problems of philosophy through a study of the writings of classical and contemporary thinkers. (4 semester hours when taught as writing proficiency). There are no prerequisites for this course.
An investigation of how gender construction has influenced how philosophy has been done and received historically, exploring how past and present thinkers view reality, knowledge and the good through the lens of gender identity (and the intersections of gender and other identities, including race, class and sexuality). There are no prerequisites for this course.
A study of important European philosophers from the 19th and 20th centuries who are associated with the existentialist movement. There are no prerequisites to this course.
A study of representative selected texts from Asian, African, Native American, and other philosophical traditions. There are no prerequisites for this course.
An investigation of the major philosophical issues in religious thought as posed by both critics and advocates. Special attention is paid to the relation between religious faith and knowledge. There are no prerequisites to this course.
A study of both traditional and contemporary philosophical theories concerning beauty, the nature of aesthetic experience, principles of criticism, and the function and character of creativity in the arts. There are no prerequisites to this course.
A study of theories of society and the state which may include classical, contemporary, feminist, and other visions of real and ideal community. There are no pre-requisites to this course.
Participants in a democracy should have the skills to identify and evaluate arguments from various perspectives on contemporary social and political issues. They must also be able to articulate their own views clearly and engage with the views of others who disagree. In this course, we will develop skills to engage in constructive dialogue with others who have different views on social and political issues. We will engage a controversial contemporary issue each week (for example: abortion, free speech and safe spaces on campus, immigration, religion in the public space). Background readings will consist |of contemporary media articles drawn from a range of sources and viewpoints. Students will investigate their own core assumptions and beliefs about key issues and will listen to the views and experiences of others in the class. Occasional guest speakers will model civil discourse by discussing issues from differing perspectives. Assignments will consist of keeping a journal of the course experience and developing a class-led event to share the skills of dialogue and civil discourse with the broader campus community.
This one-credit course in the philosophy of walking provides an opportunity not only to philosophize about walking, but to philosophize while walking. The course meets once a week to discuss and write briefly about the readings for the week, to go for a walk, and to discuss and record insights that come to one along the way. These recorded insights will provide the raw material for completing a project due at the end of the semester.
This course will explore issues of global justice, poverty, inequality, and human rights, synthesizing reflections on the philosophical foundations of such issues with more concrete reflections on specific challenges facing various regions throughout the world (also listed as JUST 302).
Note: Unless noted otherwise, completion of the Philosophical Worldviews Sophia Program requirement is prerequisite to the courses below.
A study of the theories and techniques of formal logic in its traditional and contemporary forms. Prerequisite: completion of the Philosophical Worldviews Sophia Program.
A study of the Greek origins of Western philosophy, with special attention to Plato and Aristotle and their impact on medieval thought. Class discussions throughout the term are grounded in a close reading of primary source texts. Prerequisite: completion of the Philosophical Worldviews Sophia Program.
A study of representative American philosophies, including those emerging from classical European traditions, American women philosophers, and African American and Native American thinkers. Prerequisite: completion of the Philosophical Worldviews Sophia Program.
An inquiry into the meaning of gender and its philosophical implications. Questions of identity, knowledge, ethics, race, and global responsibility will be considered both from historical and contemporary perspectives. Prerequisite: completion of the Philosophical Worldviews Sophia Program.
This course explores questions raised by the existence of various kinds of disability. What is it like to experience disabilities? How do we understand disabilities? What ethical problems are raised by disabilities, and how do we respond to these problems? Prerequisite: completion of the Philosophical Worldviews Sophia Program.
A study of the moral issues raised by contemporary business practices. Prerequisite: completion of the Philosophical Worldviews Sophia Program.
A philosophical study of problems of justice in the contemporary world. Prerequisite: completion of the Philosophical Worldviews Sophia Program.
A philosophical inquiry into moral issues that arise in modern medicine. Some of the issues to be considered include euthanasia, abortion, care for the dying, patients' rights, limits on medical rights, limits on medical experimentation with human beings, defining death, and the patient-therapist relationship. Prerequisite: completion of the Philosophical Worldviews Sophia Program.
A focused introduction to ethical thinking organized around themes that pertain to contemporary environmental issues. Prerequisite: completion of the Philosophical Worldviews Sophia Program.
Topics in Philosophy not covered in regular departmental offerings. May be repeated with a different topic. Prerequisite: completion of the Philosophical Worldviews Sophia Program.
A study of major themes in 17th and 18th century Western philosophy beginning with Descartes and tracing the development of modern thought through Hume. Class discussions throughout the term are grounded in a close reading of primary source texts. Prerequisite: completion of the Philosophical Worldviews Sophia Program.
A careful reading of Kant accompanied by a study of critical responses to his philosophy. The aim is an understanding of Kant’s philosophy as a whole and its relevance to contemporary thought. Prerequisite: completion of the Philosophical Worldviews Sophia requirement.
A study of philosophical questions emerging in the wake of the enlightenment, examining the implications for religion, politics, history, and reason. Prerequisite: completion of the Philosophical Worldviews Sophia Program.
This course develops the philosophy of Tomas Aquinas both as a dialectical method and with respect to a philosophical issue. The issues, which vary from time to time depending on timeliness and student interest, include Aquinas's theory of natural law, natural theology, and the theory of human nature and knowledge. Prerequisite: completion of the Philosophical Worldviews Sophia Program.
A critical investigation of traditional and contemporary theories of mind along with questions concerning the origin, nature, and validity of human knowledge. Prerequisite: completion of the Philosophical Worldviews Sophia Program.
A study of significant contemporary intellectual movements on the continent of Europe, in Great Britain and America since World War II, e.g., phenomenology, post-structuralism, analytic philosophy, and neo-pragmatism. Prerequisite: completion of the Philosophical Worldviews Sophia Program.
A critical investigation of both analytic and continental theories of language with an emphasis on questions of meaning, reference, and interpretation. Prerequisite: completion of the Philosophical Worldviews Sophia Program.
An investigation of the meaning and use of scientific concepts and methods. Prerequisite: completion of the Philosophical Worldviews Sophia Program.
A study and critique of selected ethical theories with some application to current moral issues. Prerequisite: completion of the Philosophical Worldviews Sophia Program.
The philosophy of law considers the relation of law to justice. This course examines legal positivism, social contract, and natural law as accounts of the links between law and justice, including their role in contemporary understanding of the U.S. Constitution. Prerequisite: completion of the Philosophical Worldviews Sophia Program.
Topics in Philosophy not covered in regular departmental offerings. May be repeated for credit with a different topic. Prerequisite: completion of the Philosophical Worldviews Sophia Program.
An in-depth study of the work of one or two important philosophers who will be selected on the basis of instructor preference and student interest. Secondary literature may be consulted but the bulk of the reading will be primary sources. Prerequisite: completion of the Philosophical Worldviews Sophia Program.
In this course, students engage in a careful study of the work of Hannah Arendt. Arendt makes this famous claim in her magnum opus The Human Condition: “What I propose, therefore, is very simple: it is nothing more than to think what we are doing.” The course engages with works in which Arendt investigates the relationship between thinking and acting, culminating with the question: How can philosophy help us to “think what we are doing”? Prerequisite: Completion of Philosophical Worldviews Sophia requirement.
An independent study under the supervision of a faculty advisor who guides the writing of a major paper.
An opportunity for students to do independent study. Content dependent on student interests and background. May be repeated.
The philosophy program is extremely flexible. This is just a suggested pathway. Courses do not have to be taken sequentially, however it is recommended to take PHIL 230: Socrates to Scholasticism before PHIL 331: Descartes to Skepticism. Students may begin the major as late as the fall semester of their junior year and graduate on time if they plan carefully.
Students who complete the Philosophy Major with a concentration in Law, Ethics and Politics will follow a similar plan, making sure to choose PHIL 355: Philosophy of Law as one of their 300 level electives, and ensuring that two of their additional PHIL electives include a course on politics and a course on ethics.
The philosophy department accepts credit towards the major (for 200 and 300 level elective requirements) from a number of study abroad locations. The study abroad program in Oxford, England, in particular, enables students to complete several courses towards the major.
Students who are planning to study abroad or who have specific questions about the major are encouraged to contact Megan Zwart, chair of the department.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Credits | |
| Sophia Language I (4cr) | ||
| CTS or W (3cr/4cr) | ||
| SPLL 101 (1cr) | ||
| Sophia (3cr) | ||
| PHIL 110 | Introductory Philosophy (or 200 level course that meets LO1 in Philosophical Worldviews ) 1 | 3 |
| Elective (1-3cr) | ||
| Credits | 3 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| Sophia Language II (4cr) | ||
| CTS or W (3cr/4cr) | ||
| Sophia (3cr) | ||
| Sophia (3cr) | ||
| PHIL 230 | Socrates to Scholasticism (or PHIL elective (200 level) ) 2 | 3 |
| Credits | 3 | |
| Second Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| Sophia (3cr) | ||
| Sophia (3cr) | ||
| Sophia (3cr) | ||
| PHIL 331 | Descartes to Skepticism (or PHIL elective (200 level)) 3 | 3 |
| Credits | 3 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| Sophia (3cr) | ||
| Sophia (3cr) | ||
| Sophia (3cr) | ||
| PHIL 220 | Introduction to Logic (or PHIL 230: Socrates to Scholasticism or PHIL elective (200 level)) 4 | 3 |
| Credits | 3 | |
| Third Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| Sophia (4cr) | ||
| PHIL 331 | Descartes to Skepticism (or PHIL elective (300 level)) | 3 |
| Credits | 3 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| Advanced Historical Seminar or PHIL elective (300 level) | 3 | |
| PHIL 220 | Introduction to Logic (or PHIL elective (200 or 300 level)) | 3 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| PHIL elective (200 or 300 level) or Advanced Historical Seminar | 3 | |
| Credits | 3 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| PHIL 496 | Senior Thesis | 3 |
| Credits | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 27 | |
Fulfills the Sophia LO1 in Philosophical Worldviews; particular sections of PHIL 110 fulfill LO2s in CTS and W.
Fulfills the Sophia LO1 in Historical Perspectives
Fulfills the Sophia LO1 in Historical Perspectives
A number of 200 and 300 level PHIL electives fulfill Sophia LO3 requirements. PHIL 255: Medical Ethics fulfills the Sophia AEL requirement
Students who choose to write a thesis for their philosophy comp will take PHIL 496 during the spring of senior year. This independent study counts as a 300+ elective for the major.
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