The department offers courses and programs in philosophy designed to satisfy the needs of both those who wish to major in philosophy and those whose main interests lie in other areas upon which philosophy has some bearing. Additionally, the department offers a variety of courses which may be used to satisfy the Philosophy and Religion (Humanities) distribution requirement, the College Oral Communication‑Logic requirement, the College Non‑Western Culture requirement, and various requirements of other degree programs in the College and some of the professional schools. Students interested in majoring in philosophy or who desire information on the program should contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Oral Communication-Logic Requirement:
The department offers two basic logic courses that meet the College oral communication/logic requirement for the B.A. and B.G.S. degrees: Phil 148, Reason and Argument, and Phil 310, Introduction to Symbolic Logic.
Philosophy Principal Courses
The department offers the following principal courses, any one of which satisfies the College Humanities distribution requirement under the subsection Philosophy and Religion for the B.A. and B.G.S. degrees: Phil 140 (141), Phil 160 (161), Phil 180 (181), Phil 320, Phil 384 and Phil 386.
Interdisciplinary Coursework
The department offers a wide variety of courses in such areas as epistemology, ethics, logic, and the history of philosophy designed to fit the needs and interests of non-majors. Many of these may be taken without prerequisites. The non-major may wish to supplement work in other fields or schools by taking a series of related courses in philosophy. Some suggestions of courses for such a program are listed below.
RELATED COURSES FOR BUSINESS/PRE-LAW STUDENTS:
Phil 180 Introduction to Social and Political Philosophy
Phil 310 Introduction to Symbolic Logic
Phil 360 Moral Issues in Business
Phil 365 Moral Issues in the Professions
Phil 370 Moral Issues in Medicine
Phil 380 Environmental Ethics
Phil 381 Feminism and Philosophy
Phil 504 Philosophy of Sex and Love
Phil 555 Justice and Economic Systems
Phil 580 Marxism
Phil 622 Philosophy of Social Science
Phil 666 Rational Choice Theory
Phil 668 Political Philosophy
Phil 670 Contemporary Ethical Theory
Phil 671 Feminist Theories in Ethics
Phil 672 History of Ethics
Phil 674 Philosophy of Law
Phil 676 Medical Ethics: Life and Death Issues
Phil 677 Medical Ethics: Professional Responsibilities
Phil 880 Topics in Ethics
Phil 884 Topics in Social and Political Philosophy
Phil 886 Topics in Applied Ethics
Phil 888 Topics in the Philosophy of the Social Sciences
RELATED COURSES FOR PRE-MEDICINE/ENGINEERING/COMPUTER SCIENCE STUDENTS:
Phil 310 Introduction to Symbolic Logic
Phil 360 Moral Issues in Business
Phil 365 Moral Issues in the Professions
Phil 370 Moral Issues in Medicine
Phil 375 Moral Issues in Computer Technology
Phil 380 Environmental Ethics
Phil 381 Feminism and Philosophy
Phil 418 Introduction to Cognitive Science
Phil 620 Philosophy of Natural Science
Phil 654 Philosophy of Mind
Phil 671 Feminist Theories in Ethics
Phil 676 Medical Ethics: Life and Death Issues
Phil 677 Medical Ethics: Professional Responsibilities
Phil 860 Topics in Philosophy of Science
RELATED COURSES FOR FINE ARTS/ART HISTORY/LITERATURE STUDENTS:
Phil 560 Nineteenth-century Philosophy
Phil 570 Nietzsche
Phil 582 Existentialism
Phil 590 Phenomenology
Phil 592 Contemporary Continental Philosophy
Phil 662 Aesthetics
Phil 881 Topics in the Philosophy of Art
RELATED COURSES FOR CLASSICS/ANCIENT HISTORY STUDENTS:
Phil 384 Ancient Philosophy
Phil 508 Early Greek Philosophy
Phil 605 The Philosophy of Plato
Phil 607 The Philosophy of Aristotle
Phil 608 Hellenistic Philosophy
Phil 805 Advanced Studies in Plato
Phil 807 Aristotle
RELATED COURSES FOR NATURAL SCIENCE/MATHEMATICS STUDENTS:
Phil 310 Introduction to Symbolic Logic
Phil 320 Philosophical Issues in the Life Sciences
Phil 375 Moral Issues in Computer Technology
Phil 380 Environmental Ethics
Phil 388 Analytic Philosophy: Frege to Quine
Phil 418 Introduction to Cognitive Science
Phil 610 Symbolic Logic
Phil 620 Introduction to the Philosophy of Science
Phil 628 Philosophy of Logic
Phil 630 Philosophy of Mathematics
Phil 638 Philosophy of Language
Phil 666 Rational Choice Theory
Phil 654 Philosophy of Mind
Phil 860 Topics in Philosophy of Science
Phil 862 Topics in Logic
RELATED COURSES FOR HISTORY AND SOCIAL SCIENCES STUDENTS:
Phil 180 Introduction to Social and Political Philosophy
Phil 365 Moral Issues in the Professions
Phil 380 Environmental Ethics
Phil 381 Feminism and Philosophy
Phil 504 Philosophy of Sex and Love
Phil 555 Justice and Economic Systems
Phil 622 Philosophy of Social Science
Phil 638 Philosophy of Language
Phil 654 Philosophy of Mind
Phil 666 Rational Choice Theory
Phil 668 Political Philosophy
Phil 670 Contemporary Ethical Theory
Phil 671 Feminist Theories in Ethics
Phil 674 Philosophy of Law
Phil 884 Topics in Social and Political Philosophy
Phil 888 Topics in the Philosophy of the Social Sciences
In addition to these suggestions the individual student may wish to speak to the Director of Undergraduate Studies for further information.
Freshman-Sophomore Preparation for Philosophy Majors
Although majors are not required to take courses in philosophy in their first two years, the department recommends that they do so. Phil 384 and Phil 386 are required of majors and serve as prerequisites for much upper-division work. Prospective majors should consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies for proper advice and direction.
Degree Requirements for the B.A. or B.G.S. Major
Students completing philosophy majors are required to take at least 27 hours of coursework in philosophy. At least 12 of these hours must be in courses numbered 500 or above. The following courses must be included within the 27 hour major.
| (1) | History of Philosophy: Phil 384 (Ancient Philosophy) and Phil 386 (Modern Philosophy from Descartes to Kant) | 6 hours |
| (2) | A course in Symbolic Logic: Phil 310 (Intro to Symbolic Logic) or Phil 610 (Symbolic Logic). | 3 hours |
| (3) | A course in Value Theory: Phil 555 (Justice and Economic Systems) or Phil 662 (Aesthetics) or Phil 668 (Political Philosophy) or Phil 670 (Contemporary Ethical Theory) or Phil 672 (History of Ethics). | 3 hours |
| (4) | Metaphysics or Theory of Knowledge or Philosophy of Language or Philosophy of Mind: Phil 648 (Theory of Knowledge) or Phil 650 (Metaphysics) or Phil 638 (Philosophy of Language) or Phil 654 (Philosophy of Mind). | 3 hours |
| (5) | l9th/20th Century Philosophy: Phil 388 (Analytic Philosophy: Frege to Quine) and one course from those numbered Phil 560‑592 |
6 hours |
Total: |
21 hours |
Students who intend to major in Philosophy should definitely meet with the Director of Undergraduate Studies and declare their intent.
Requirements for the Minor
Students must complete 18 hours of philosophy courses, of which 12 must be in courses numbered 300 or above, with a 2.0 grade-point average. PHIL 384 and especially PHIL 386 are strongly recommended. At least nine of these hours must be taken at KU.
Honors in Philosophy
Students who desire to graduate with departmental honors must complete 33 hours of coursework in philosophy including (1) through (5) above, and also including Phil 499 (Senior Essay) in their senior year. At least 15 of these hours must be in courses numbered 500 or above. A committee of three faculty members will examine the completed senior essay, give the candidate an oral examination over the essay, and determine whether it warrants departmental honors. This committee will consist of the instructor in Phil 499, the departmental honors coordinator, and a third member of the philosophy faculty. Honors will not be awarded to anyone who receives a grade lower than B in Phil 499, whose final GPA in philosophy is less than 3.5 or whose final KU and cumulative GPA is less than 3.25. Students wishing to enter the departmental honors program must file a declaration of intent with the departmental honors coordinator no later than the time of their final undergraduate enrollment.
The most important element in the honors program in philosophy is the honors essay itself. Once a student has determined the area in which he wishes to work, he should arrange to write his essay under the guidance of a faculty member with appropriate expertise. Ideally, this work should be completed within the course of a single semester. Our experience has been, however, that students often find it difficult to complete the essay within a single semester; and hence we recommend that the essay be begun in the semester before the one in which the student intends to graduate (typically, in the fall semester of the senior year).
The scope of an honors essay should normally be intermediate between that of a Master's thesis and that of the term paper submitted in other courses; it should ordinarily run to approximately twenty to thirty pages, though shorter essays of exceptional merit may be acceptable. In general the essay should go beyond mere exposition, whether by way of criticism or by way of comparison of different works; but interpretations of unusually difficult texts may be accepted. Each member of the examining committee should receive a copy well in advance of the oral examination. One copy of the final version will be retained by the Department for its files.
Undergraduate Philosophy Club
There is an undergraduate philosophy club, and all philosophy majors and others interested in philosophy are encouraged to participate in it. The club arranges several meetings of general philosophical interest during the course of the year. It also normally sponsors one or two social events for undergraduate students and faculty members.
In addition to its philosophical and social functions, the undergraduate club also serves as the vehicle through which philosophy majors elect their representatives to the College Assembly, and to the philosophy department. Elections for these positions are normally held late in the spring semester.
Departmental Awards for Undergraduate Students
The department annually awards up to five substantial scholarships to junior philosophy majors: one Harley S. Nelson Scholarships, two J. Michael Young Scholarships and two Arthur Skidmore Scholarships. We also award a substantial scholarship to a senior philosophy major: the Warner A. Morse Memorial Scholarship. In addition, we sponsor an annual Edward S. Robinson Memorial Essay Contest in which submitted student essays (undergraduate or graduate) are evaluated by a departmental committee and cash prizes are awarded for winning essays. Finally, each year, three students are awarded the Warner A. Morse Prize for research work in moral philosophy, metaphysics and epistemology, and the history of philosophy. Each spring, the department hosts a banquet for all graduating majors and other philosophy students who have received academic honors or awards during the academic year.
Philosophy Graduate Program
The department also offers several graduate degree programs leading to the M.A., J.D./M.A. (joint program in law and philosophy), and Ph.D. degrees. The graduate program requirements and the detailed listing of graduate courses is available in the Graduate School Catalog. Undergraduate students who have questions about the graduate program should consult the Director of Graduate Studies. Well‑qualified undergraduate students may be permitted to enroll in certain graduate level courses (for undergraduate credit) with the approval of the instructor, department and the Graduate Division. Also, seniors who have very strong academic records and will complete the B.A. degree in a given semester may apply for contingent admission to the Graduate School and permission to co‑enroll in the Graduate School in their final semester and take courses for graduate credit. Although all courses numbered 500 or above can be taken for graduate credit, the following courses are primarily courses for graduate students. Undergraduate students can take 800‑level courses if they are qualified and have satisfied the designated prerequisites.
Phil 805 Advanced Studies in Plato
Phil 807 Aristotle
Phil 820 Topics in the History of Philosophy
Phil 824 Hume
Phil 828 Kant
Phil 831 Hegel
Phil 835 Frege
Phil 843 Heidegger
Phil 848 Wittgenstein
Phil 852 Quine
Phil 855 Davidson
Phil 810 Philosophical Inquiry
Phil 850 Topics in Recent Philosophy
Phil 860 Topics in Philosophy of Science
Phil 862 Topics in Logic
Phil 868 Topics in Philosophy of Language
Phil 870 Topics in Metaphysics
Phil 872 Topics in Theory of Knowledge
Phil 877 Topics in the Philosophy of Mind
Phil 880 Topics in Ethics
Phil 881 Topics in the Philosophy of Art
Phil 884 Topics in Social and Political Philosophy
Phil 886 Topics in Applied Ethics
Phil 888 Topics in the Philosophy of the Social Sciences
Philosophy Visiting Lecturer Program
The Department sponsors an active, annual visiting lecturer series which brings distinguished philosophers from other universities to the KU campus to lecture on scholarly subjects and important topics in contemporary philosophy. Often, these events are integrated with current course offerings, may involve classroom visits by the lecturers, and may provide informal opportunities for students to meet and converse with the visitors. Students at all levels are urged to attend these lectures as an essential component of their philosophical education.
