Philosophy Undergraduate Programs

For further information contact Alex Levine

 

Notes for those considering pursing majors, minors, and honors in philosophy:

 

In addition to the requirements listed on p. 107 of the current Undergraduate Catalog, and appended below, several additional points are worth keeping in mind.  Here they are, in no particular order:

 

• The B.A. in philosophy has a language requirement.  You must complete coursework in an approved language at Level II or above.
• The exit course requirement, which all USF undergraduates must satisfy, is a bit confusing.  Here is a breakdown specific to the philosophy major:  You must take a minimum of three exit courses (nine hours), of which two (six hours) fall into the “Major Works and Major Issues” category, and one (three hours) into the “Literature and Writing” category.  There is a further stipulation that one of your three exit courses must be taken outside your “disciplinary cluster.”  Philosophy is in the “Arts and Letters” disciplinary cluster.  That means that one of your three exit courses must be taken from outside the fields of philosophy, religion, literature, language, and humanities.  Many students overlook this fact; after all, without that last stipulation, it would be possible to satisfy the exit course requirement simply by satisfying the requirements for the philosophy major.  Unless you plan for it in advance, you may have to hunt for a fourth exit course during your senior year.
• Taking PHI 5135 in lieu of PHI 2101 is discouraged, unless you have extensive background in mathematics or computation.  In the next revision to our major program, likely to take effect during the 2008-2009 catalog year, this option will be dropped.  Come see me if you think it might be appropriate for you.
• Students coming to USF with an A.A., or with many transfer credits, like to complete all the major requirements in a very short time.  This is eminently doable, but requires planning.  You need to keep in mind, first, that you can’t count on a given major requirement’s being offered during the Summer Sessions.  One may typically satisfy two or three major requirements over a given Summer, but our Summer offerings are very unpredictable, and shouldn’t be counted on too far in advance.  Second, you should realize that not every major requirement is offered every semester—though we are committed to offering at least one course in satisfaction of every major requirement every academic year.

 

The following text is from the 2006-2007 Undergraduate Catalog, p. 107, and will remain unchanged in the 2007-2008 catalog.  You have the right to complete your degree under the requirements in effect the year you enroll at USF.  If you withdraw and are subsequently readmitted, you are subject to a new set of catalog rules.  We anticipate that our major requirements will be changing for the 2008-2009 catalog year.

 

 

Requirements for the Major in Philosophy

 

Majors in philosophy must complete at least 30 credit hours comprised of the following:

 

                  a.  PHH 3062 History of Philosophy: Ancient and Medieval

                   

                  b.  PHH 3400 History of Philosophy: Modern

                   

                  c.  PHI 2101 Introduction to Formal Logic

                                    or

                        PHI 5135 Symbolic Logic

 

                  d.  PHI 4670 Contemporary Ethical Theory

                   

                  e.  PHI 4300 Theory of Knowledge

                                          or

                        PHI 3404 Philosophy of Science

 

            f.  PHI 4320 Philosophy of Mind

                                    or

                        PHI 5225 Philosophy of Language

 

                  g.  6 credit hours of 4000 or 5000 level Philosophy courses

                   

                  h.  6 credit hours of Philosophy electives

 

Requirements for the Minor in Philosophy

 

A minor in philosophy consists of the completion of at least 18 credit hours, which includes the following courses or an approved substitute for one only:

 

                  a.  PHH 3062 History of Philosophy: Ancient and Medieval

                   

                  b.  PHH 3400 History of Philosophy: Modern

                   

                  c.  PHI 4670 Contemporary Ethical Theory

                                    or

                        PHP 3786 Existentialism

                                    or

                        PHI 4320 Philosophy of Mind

 

            d.  PHI 2101 Introduction to Formal Logic

                                    or

                        PHI 3404 Philosophy of Science

 

            e.  6 credit hours of Philosophy electives No credit taken on an “S/U” basis may be applied toward the minor.

 

 

Honors Program

 

The Honors Program in Philosophy allows superior students to pursue philosophical studies at a more advanced level than is customary in undergraduate philosophy programs. Students in the Honors Program will be required to do independent research and to write and defend an undergraduate thesis.

 

 

Admission Criteria:

 

1. Students must already have declared a major in Philosophy.

 

2. Students must complete 9 hours in Philosophy at the 3000 level or higher (PHI 2101 may count toward the 9 hours).

 

3. Students must have an overall grade point average of 3.0, and their grade point average in Philosophy must be at least 3.5.

 

4. Students who wish to be considered for the Honors Program must request to be nominated by a member of the faculty. Once nominated by a faculty member, a majority of the faculty who have taught the student must approve the student's admission to the Honors Program.

 

 

Program Requirements: In addtion to completing the requirements for the Major in Philosophy, students must meet the following requirements.

 

1. Students cannot receive a grade lower than a "B" in any Philosophy course, and their grade point average in Philosophy must be at least 3.5 to remain in, or be graduated from, the Honors Program.

 

2.         PHH 4440 Continental Philosophy

                        or

            PHP 4784 Analytic Philosophy

                        or

            PHP 3786 Existentialism

                        or

            PHH 4700 American Philosophy

 

3. Students must write a senior thesis and undergo an oral examination on the thesis before a committee of two Philosophy faculty members. Students will register for 3 hours in directed study in Philosophy (PHI 4905) for work on their thesis. Students who are in the Honors College may use the same project to count for both Philosophy Honors and an Honors College thesis. In such cases, the student shall not register for directed study in Philosophy (PHI 4905) as part of completing the thesis.

 

4. Students must complete 36 credit hours in Philosophy.