In acquiring such education within the philosophy curriculum, students develop their ability to solve problems and to think, read, and write critically — skills that are in high demand in a number of different professions. Philosophy majors go on to successful careers in law, consulting, finance, and medicine.
Many have also embarked on academic careers. But philosophy is about more than reflection and finding answers. As the love of wisdom, it is also a practice and a way of life, one characterized by openness to viewpoints other than one's own, a willingness to question both received opinions and one's own opinions, and a passionate concern to integrate thought and practice into a meaningful life.
The department offers a number of courses that serve as gateways to the practice of philosophy. Prospective philosophy majors are especially encouraged to take PHIL early in their course of study. Other courses at the and level are either courses in the history of philosophy or courses that focus on problems in specific areas of philosophy.
Many of these courses do not have specific prerequisites and are open to all interested students. There are two distinct major programs: philosophy and the joint major in philosophy and religion. The department does not offer a minor in philosophy and religion. The Balmuth Award for Philosophical Engagement — established as an award in honor of Jerome Balmuth for the student who, in the judgment of the department, best exemplifies Jerry's love of philosophy and cultivation of philosophical community at Colgate.
The M. Holmes Hartshorne Memorial Awards for Excellence — established as an award for students who, in the judgment of the department, have performed exceptional work in philosophy.
Holmes Hartshorne Memorial Award for Postgraduate Study in Philosophy or Religion — established as an award for a graduating senior, for achievement in the study of philosophy and to assist the recipient with postgraduate study in philosophy or religion at a recognized graduate or divinity school.
Awarded to the best philosophy paper in a language other than English, usually written as part of a recognized study abroad program. Members of the Philosophy Department emphasize the engagement of philosophy with other disciplines and recognize that philosophical inquiry is naturally related to concerns in other areas of study. They attempt to make these relations explicit, and so course and seminars are designed to be accessible to a broad range of students, not just those who intend to major in Philosophy.
With prior approval from the Chair, a student may take philosophy courses abroad for a semester or year and have them count both toward a major and as part of an Honors Program. Courses abroad do not, however, always fit neatly into a philosophy major and are not always suitable for full course credit. PDF Archives Catalog [2. These courses explicate the fundamental conceptual tools we need to systematically address particular types of contemporary issues: How do we know?
Metaphysics and Mind In these courses, students are asked to identify, reflect upon, and exercise the key concepts, theories, and viewpoints that allow us to competently address ethical, epistemological, logical, metaphysical, and aesthetic issues. Outcomes The philosophy program is committed to five overarching outcomes for students in our classes and in our major: Knowledge: Gain appropriate breadth and depth of knowledge of the major traditions, figures, issues, and theories studied.
Skills: Write in a style appropriate to scholarly philosophy; Think clearly, rigorously, and logically about conflicting philosophical points of view; Engage in open, critical, cooperative discussion and interrogation; Cultivate philosophical impulses and insights and reflectively employ philosophical techniques; Comprehend, accurately represent, and originally construct arguments in the philosophical style; Conduct independent philosophical research; Present independent research in a professional setting.
Integration: Connect philosophical learning to other learning abilities, career goals, daily life, and roles in the world; Deepen a shared commitment to critical self-reflection as a fundamental dimension of living well. Preparation: Thrive in selected post-graduate studies; Address vocational challenges by mobilizing critical thinking, writing, and verbal skills; Confront personal challenges with an awareness of philosophical resources.
Attitude: Gain a "philosophical sense" of curiosity, a willingness to engage in "meta-level" thinking, a determination to understand complex issues, and a cooperative and constructive spirit in critical deliberation with others. Preparation Philosophy is a sound choice for those seeking a broad liberal arts undergraduate education and for those who value the skills and outlook imparted by studying the discipline.
We also recommend either supervisory or advisory involvement with the SIP. A SIP in Philosophy does not count toward minor requirements. Among its objects of study, it investigates what is valuable, what people have practical reason to do, and what is right and wrong. This course is only an introduction to part of this rich subfield: normative ethics. At the end we may have time for a small taste of applied ethics. We start by engaging with standard attempts to question ethics amoral-ism, relativism, egoism, etc.
We then survey the main ethical frameworks: virtue ethics, utilitarianism and deontology. We will read a variety of classical texts in these traditions as well as some more contemporary authors. The course is designed to demonstrate why ethics matters, to expose students to a variety of ethical frameworks and to equip them with the conceptual resources to think critically about each framework. The course will investigate 1 the theory and practice of constructing and analyzing arguments as they occur in ordinary, informal contexts reasoning , and 2 the concepts and techniques of elementary formal logic: the art of symbolizing English-language statements and arguments in terms of formalized languages and applying logical principles to them.
Topics explored include informal fallacies, critical thinking, evaluating evidence, deciding between hypotheses, propositional logic, natural deduction, and predicate logic. Recommended for computer science, psychology, and pre-law students. PHIL Ecological Philosophy This course investigates the question of our understanding of, and ethical responsibility to, animals, plants, microorganisms, non-living beings, ecosystems, and "nature" as a whole.
The first part of the course critically assesses whether traditional ethical theories adequately capture our ethical responsibilities to the environment. The second part surveys traditional Western conceptualizations of nature, reason, body, and space, which ecologists severely criticize as detrimental to developing an ecological ethic.
Special emphasis will be placed upon developing a philosophical conception of life bios that is appropriate for both evolutionary biology and the development of a normative theory of environmental care. Contemporary positions such as anthropocentrism, deep ecology, radical ecology, ecofeminism, and social environmentalism will be studied. Recommended for environmental studies and biology students. These philosophers critique traditional teleological conceptions of human subjectivity as defined by a constitutive goal, end, or purpose: e.
Against this teleological view of human life rooted in our Greco-Hellenic tradition, existentialists emphasize another strand of Western civilization: namely, our "Judeo-Christian" inheritance. Accordingly, they emphasize the role of choice, decision, or "volition" in human life as playing a crucial role in self-actualization.
For the existentialists, the drama of human life is less a matter of conforming to rational truths than creatively attuning oneself in the passionate exercise of volition. Accordingly, they view desire, emotion, choice, chance, and creativity in a decidedly more favourable light than traditional teleological philosophers.
We will examine their associated critiques of modernity and its various practices, mentalities, and institutions - all of which arose in the wake of the various revolutions of the western Enlightenment.
Special emphasis will be placed upon how existentialist doctrines contributed to contemporary gender theories, in particular on issues of embodiment, identity, and desire.
Do you know that you are not dreaming right now? Do you know that an intelligent evil spirit is not deceiving you right now? Do you know that your senses are not deceiving you right now as they have so many times in the past? Do you know that a world separate from you even exists? How about God; do you know that God exists? Come to think of it, do you even know that you exist? And even if you do exist, can you make free choices? Can you freely decide to take this class, or it already predetermined?
This is a history of philosophy course rather than a history course; we will be studying the ideas, arguments, and theories put forth by ancient philosophers, rather than biographical, cultural, anthropological, or historical issues about them or their time period. We will largely be trying to understand what these thinkers were trying to say, and why they thought what they did. In addition, we will be discussing the merits of the various positions and reasons offered.
Readings will focus on selections from Plato and Aristotle, but will also include readings from the pre-Socratic and Hellenistic philosophers, all major sources of the Western philosophical tradition. Among the and level courses: one must be in value theory broadly conceived to include ethics, social and political philosophy, aesthetics, and legal philosophy , one must be in metaphysics and epistemology including ontology, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of action , and one must be concerned with philosophical texts written before the twentieth century.
This third requirement can be satisfied concurrently with either of the other two e. Students presenting papers at undergraduate conferences will be given priority, and no student will be eligible for more than one grant in a given academic year. Because the study of philosophy strengthens both the skill of analytical thinking characteristic of scientific investigation and the interpretive reasoning skills of the humanist, in addition to producing strong verbal and writing skills, advanced undergraduate training in philosophy is excellent preparation for a wide range of career paths.
Some Haverford philosophy majors go on to graduate school in philosophy. Most pursue careers in other areas such as medicine, law, education, writing, public service, architecture, and business. Hit enter to Search all of Haverford for search. Skip to main content. Philosophy Navigation Department of Philosophy. Academic Programs.
Learning Goals In studying the discipline of philosophy, students: learn to recognize and articulate philosophical problems, whether those that arise within philosophy or those to be found in other academic disciplines and outside the academy. Curriculum Unless otherwise indicated, one philosophy course at the level is a prerequisite for all other courses in philosophy.
Five philosophy courses at the level, at least four of which must be completed by the end of the junior year, and three philosophy courses at the level. The eight courses at the and level must furthermore satisfy the following requirements: Historical : One course must be from among those that deal with the history of European philosophy prior to Kant.
Topical breadth : One course must be from among those that deal with value theory, including ethics, aesthetics, social and political philosophy, and legal philosophy. One course must be from among those that deal with metaphysics and epistemology, including ontology, philosophy of mind, philosophy of psychology, and philosophy of action. Systematic coherence : Four of these courses, two at the level and two at the level, must exhibit some systematic coherence in theme or subject satisfactory to the major advisor and department.
0コメント