Jan 06, 2025

2016-2017 General Catalog

2016-2017 General Catalog ARCHIVED CATALOG: To search archives, MUST use search box to left. Current catalog: catalog.usu.edu.

Philosophy - BA

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department of Languages, Philosophy and Communication Studies

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For more information about Philosophy, please see the Languages, Philosophy and Communication Studies website.
Following is a sample four-year plan. Please note that this plan is only a general guideline and that student-specific plans may differ. * Please make sure to consult regularly with your departmental advisor to confirm what courses will be available and to work out your plan of study.
Admitted students must meet with an academic advisor. Current students should also meet with an academic advisor and logon to DegreeWorks to check student-specific program progress.

Minimum University Requirements
Total Credits	120	Grade Point Average (most majors require higher GPA)	2.00 GPA
Credits of C- or better	100	Credits of upper-division courses (#3000 or above)	40
Total USU Credits	30	Upper-division USU Credits	20
USU Credits within the Major	10	Credits in Minor (if required)	12
Credits in Major	see below	Credits in American Institutions	3
General Education Requirements	see link	University Studies Depth Requirements	see link
NOTES: highest Math Requirement for this degree is Quantitative Literacy (QL) Course of the student’s choice

Admissions Requirements for this Program
New freshmen	Admitted to USU in Good Standing			Transfer students from other institutions or other programs at USU	2.50 GPA

First Year
_{Fall Semester}	_Credits	_{General Education Info and Notes:}	_{Spring Semester}	_Credits	_{General Education Info and Notes:}
ENGL 1010: Introduction to Writing: Academic Prose (CL1)	3		ENGL 2010: Intermediate Writing: Research Writing in a Persuasive Mode (CL2)	3
PHIL 1000: Introduction to Philosophy (BHU)	3		Breadth Requirement	3
Breadth Requirement	3		Breadth Requirement	3
Breadth Requirement	3		Breadth Requirement	3
Foreign Language Course	4		Foreign Language Course	4
TOTAL CREDITS:	16		TOTAL CREDITS:	16
Comments			Comments

Second Year
_{Fall Semester}	_Credits	_{General Education Info and Notes:}	_{Spring Semester}	_Credits	_{General Education Info and Notes:}
PHIL 1120: Social Ethics (BHU) OR PHIL 2400: Ethics (BHU)	3 OR 3		PHIL 1250: Practical Logic (BHU) OR PHIL 2200: Deductive Logic (QI)	3 OR 3
PHIL 3100: Ancient Philosophy (CI) OR PHIL 3110: Medieval Philosophy	3 OR 3		PHIL 3120: Early Modern Philosophy (CI) OR PHIL 3150: Kant and the Nineteenth Century (CI)	3 OR 3
Quantitative Literacy (QL) Course	3		Depth LIfe and PHysical Sciences (DSC) OR ADVS 3200: Ethical Issues in Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (DSC)	3 OR 3	(will also fill upper division Philosophy Elective requirement)
Depth Social Sciences (DSS) Course	3		Elective Course	3
Foreign Language Course	4		Foreign Language Course	4
TOTAL CREDITS:	16		TOTAL CREDITS:	16
Comments			Comments

Third Year
_{Fall Semester}	_Credits	_{General Education Info and Notes:}	_{Spring Semester}	_Credits	_{General Education Info and Notes:}
PHIL 2200: Deductive Logic (QI) OR Quantitative Intensive (QI)	3 OR 3		PHIL 4300: Epistemology (DHA) OR PHIL 4400: Metaphysics OR PHIL 4310: Philosophy of Science (DHA) OR PHIL 4410: Philosophy of Mind	3 OR 3 OR 3 OR 3
PHIL Upper Division Elective Course	3		Upper Division Elective Course	3
Elective Course	3		Upper Division Elective Course	3
Elective Course	3		Elective Course	3
Elective Course	3		Elective Course	3
TOTAL CREDITS:	15		TOTAL CREDITS:	15
Comments			Comments

Fourth Year
_{Fall Semester}	_Credits	_{General Education Info and Notes:}	_{Spring Semester}	_Credits	_{General Education Info and Notes:}
PHIL 4910: Readings and Research (This course cannot count more than twice toward major or minor)	1-4		PHIL Upper Division Course OR PHIL 4910: Readings and Research	3 OR 1-4	for Philosophy Senior Project Options requirement
Upper Division Elective Course	3		Upper Division Elective Course	3
Upper Division Elective Course	3		Upper Division Elective Course	3
Elective Course	3		Elective Course	3
Elective Course	3		Elective Course	3
TOTAL CREDITS:	13-16		TOTAL CREDITS:	15
Comments			Comments

Students must complete the General Education Requirements .

Meeting University Studies requirements:

Several philosophy courses meet USU’s University Studies requirements:

• PHIL 1000, 1120, 1320, or PHIL 2400 will fulfill the Breadth Humanities (BHU) requirement.

• PHIL 3100, 3120, 3150, and 3180 will fulfill the Communications Intensive (CI) requirement (two CIs must be taken).

• PHIL 2200 will fulfill the Quantitative Intensive (QI) requirement.

• PHIL 4530 will fulfill the Depth Life and Physical Science (DSC) requirement for most students with majors other than Philosophy (check with an advisor to be sure). Philosophy majors who wish to meet the DSC requirement should register instead for ADVS 3200 (same course, different prefix!).

••• So - for example - a student who takes PHIL 1000, 2200, 3100, 3120, 3820, and 4530 (or ADVS 3200) has met the BHU, QI, CI, DHA, and DSC requirements – and also has a Philosophy minor as well! •••

Students must also be sure to meet the requirements for Communication Literacy (CL), Quantitative Literacy (QL), and for Breadth (BAI, BCA, BLS, BPS, and BSS), as well as the Depth Social Sciences (DSS) requirement. Students should meet with an advisor for further details.

All philosophy majors must complete 30 credits of philosophy. Up to 6 pass/fail credits in philosophy courses may be applied toward the philosophy major.

Philosophy Major and Minor Requirements

Minimum Departmental Requirements

Total Credits:

	Philosophy Major BA	30
	Philosophy Major Ethics Concentration BA	30
	Philosophy Major BS	30
	Philosophy Major Ethics Concentration BS	30
	Philosophy Minor	18

Minimum Course Grade for Philosophy Major or Minor	C-
Grade Point Average to Declare a Major or Minor	2.5 Career GPA
Grade Point Average to Graduate with Major or Minor	2.5 GPA within Major/Minor Classes
A minimum of 50 percent of minor credits must be earned at USU

At least half (50 percent) of the credits earned for these degrees must be completed in upper-division USU courses offered by the Department of Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies. All other credits (including transfer and study abroad credits) must be approved by the Philosophy faculty in order to be counted towards these degrees.

Course Requirements

Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy Major (30 credits) (2.5 GPA)

All philosophy majors must complete 30 credits of philosophy. Up to 6 pass/fail credits in philosophy courses may be applied toward the philosophy major. The requirements are distributed as follows:

A. Required Courses (15 credits)

B. Elective Courses (15 credits)

Choose five other philosophy courses not already taken above (including PHIL 1000), four of which must be at the upper-division level (3000 or higher).

C. Philosophy Senior Thesis Option (3 credits)

Philosophy majors are strongly encouraged, but not required, to write a thesis in their senior year. Writing a thesis develops skills of great value for graduate school or professional work. It also provides an excellent ‘capstone experience’ for pulling together all the skills you have learned. For further details, please meet with your faculty advisor. This option will be included in the ‘Elective Courses’ area of the major.

D. Bachelor of Arts Requirement

To receive a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree, students must complete the foreign language requirement. See Bachelor of Arts requirements shown below.

Bachelor of Arts Degree Language Requirement

Bachelor of Arts Degree

A Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree signifies proficiency in one or more foreign languages. Specifically, the BA requirement may be completed in one of the following ways:

Demonstration of proficiency in one foreign language by successful completion of one course at the 2020-level or higher (or its equivalent).
Or
Demonstration of proficiency in American Sign Language by successful completion of COMD 4920 and COMD 4780 , and by passing an exit interview.
Or
Demonstration of proficiency in two foreign languages by successful completion of the 1020 course level in one language and the 2010 course level in the second language (or its equivalent).
Or
Completion of an upper-division (3000-level or higher) foreign language grammar or literature course requiring the 2020 course level (or its equivalent) as a prerequisite. Conversation courses cannot be considered for satisfying this requirement.

For nonnative English-speaking students only, the following options are available:

Successful completion of the Intensive English Language Institute (IELI) program for international students.
Or

TOEFL, Michigan, or IELI placement scores high enough to meet the University admission criteria.