Ethics and Social & Political Philosophy Major

Students interested in any philosophy major must obtain approval from the Philosophy Department and register as a philosophy major with the Registrar's Office (Quinn, 1st Floor)

Requirements for the Ethics and Social & Political Philosophy major are:

• Phil 100 (Introduction to Philosophy)
• Nine additional courses meeting the following requirements:
  • Five courses must come from the distribution areas (listed below)
  • Students must include at least one course from each distribution area
  • Three of the nine courses must be at the 300 level or higher
  • No more than two 100-level courses may count toward the major

Distribution Areas

1. History of Ethics and Social and Political Philosophy.

This area includes:

• Phil 213 (19th Century Philosophy),
• Phil 216 (The History of Ethics),
• Phil 218 (Major Social and Political Thinkers),
• Phil 303 (Simone Weil) and
• Phil 465 (Kant's Moral Philosophy and its Major Critics).

2. Theory of Ethics and Social and Political Philosophy

This area includes:

• Phil C209 (Individual and Community),
• Phil 280 (Social and Political Philosophy),
• Phil 290 (The Philosophy of Law),
• Phil C295 (Egoism and Altruism),
• Phil 318 (Race & Racism),
• Phil 333 (Ethical Theory),
• Phil 410 (Feminist Legal Theory),
• Phil 450 (Rights).

3. Problems in Ethics and Social and Political Philosophy

This area includes:

• Phil C108 (Moral and Social Problems),
• Phil C265 (Sanity and Madness),
• Phil G 105 (Contemporary Moral and Social Problems)
• Phil G 106 (Justice and Money)
• Phil G 107 (Self and Society)
• Phil G 109 (Moral Debate in Society)
• Phil G 110 (Equality and Justice)
• Phil 210 (The Philosophy of Education),
• Phil 215 (Philosophical Foundations of Public Policy);
• Phil 220 (Environmental Ethics),
• Phil 222 (Moral Issues in Medicine),
• Phil 230 (Philosophy and Feminism)
• Phil 232 (Philosophy and Multiculturalism),
• Phil 287 (Equality),
• Phil 307 (Technology and Values), and
• Phil 388 (Moral Issues).

Other Courses

The following courses often or usually count toward the ethics and social & political philosophy major:

In distribution area 1:

• Phil 211 (Ancient Philosophy),
• Phil 227 (Existentialism),
• Phil 351 (Plato),
• Phil 357 (Kierkegaard),
• Phil 452 (Aristotle),
• Phil 455 (Hegel);

In distribution area 3:

• Phil 305 (Philosophy and Literature).

A student may petition to count one (but only one) course in another department or interdisciplinary program toward fulfillment of the ethics and social & political philosophy major requirements. The course must bear a close relation to the concerns and methods of the major.