Philosophy Minor

Undergraduate Program

The Philosophy Department offers an undergraduate major in philosophy, a concentration in ethics and public policy, two minors in philosophy and a variety of elective courses, which nonmajors may take to broaden their education and fulfill Program of Liberal Studies requirements. The department also offers core or elective courses for concentrations in law and society, peace studies, ethics and public policy, and environmental science and policy.

Program Faculty

Judith DeCew, Ph.D. -
Patrick Derr, Ph.D.
Scott Hendricks, Ph.D.
Gary Overvold, Ph.D.
Ravi Sharma, Ph.D.
Walter Wright, Ph.D.

Part-Time Faculty

Barbara Carlson, M.A.
Peter Marton, Ph.D.

Visiting Faculty

C. Wesley DeMarco, Ph.D.

Courses

• PHIL 050 - Relativism & Absolutism Across the Disciplines
• PHIL 080 - Virtue and Education in Plato’s Republic
• PHIL 100 - The Good Life
• PHIL 102 - Introduction to Philosophy
• PHIL 103 - Analytic Reasoning
• PHIL 104 - The AIDS Pandemic
• PHIL 105 - Personal Values
• PHIL 107 - Logic and Legal Analysis
• PHIL 108 - Privacy Protection In Law & Ethics
• PHIL 110 - Introduction to Symbolic Logic
• PHIL 130 - Medical Ethics
• PHIL 131 - Environmental Ethics
• PHIL 132 - Social and Political Ethics
• PHIL 135 - Existentialism in Philosophy, Literature and The Human Sciences
• PHIL 141 - History of Ancient Greek Philosophy
• PHIL 142 - History of Medieval Philosophy
• PHIL 143 - History of Modern European Philosophy
• PHIL 145 - History of Contemporary Philosophy
• PHIL 150 - Philosophy of Religion
• PHIL 160 - Intermediate Logic
• PHIL 166 - Philosophy of Love
• PHIL 169 - Aesthetics
• PHIL 201 - Surseminar: Research and Writing in Philosophy
• PHIL 202 - Surseminar: Philosophical Journals
• PHIL 203 - Surseminar: Teaching Philosophy
• PHIL 210 - Modernism in Philosophy, Literature and the Arts
• PHIL 213 - The Ideal of the Educated Person
• PHIL 214 - Postmodernism and Recent Continental Philosophy
• PHIL 215 - Kant and the 19th Century
• PHIL 220 - Theories of Ethics
• PHIL 221 - Social and Political Philosophy
• PHIL 228 - Contemporary Moral Theory
• PHIL 232 - Case Studies in Environmental Ethics
• PHIL 234 - Metaphysics
• PHIL 239 - Theories of Knowledge
• PHIL 240 - Epistemology
• PHIL 241 - Philosophy of Science
• PHIL 242 - Philosophy of Language
• PHIL 243 - Philosophy of Psychology
• PHIL 250 - Plato
• PHIL 251 - Aristotle
• PHIL 256 - Kant
• PHIL 260 - Kierkegaard and Nietzsche
• PHIL 263 - Philosophy of Mind
• PHIL 270 - Philosophy of Law
• PHIL 272 - Advanced Issues in Medical Ethics
• PHIL 273 - Aids Pandemic
• PHIL 275 - Phenomenology and Hermeneutics
• PHIL 276 - Heidegger and Early 20th-Century Philosophy
• PHIL 286 - Critical Rationalism
• PHIL 295 - Senior Thesis
• PHIL 297 - Honors
• PHIL 299 - Directed Study

Directed Readings, Individual Research, Tutorials

For significant independent research, the department offers individual Directed Research, Directed Readings, and Advanced Independent Study in Philosophical Topics, all falling under the course heading PHIL 299 . Students interested in these possibilities should consult with individual members of the philosophy faculty.

Internships, Research Apprenticeships

Students are encouraged to apply for a research apprenticeship with an individual philosophy professor. Research apprentices work closely with their mentor on the mentor’s scholarly research, sometimes co-authoring a published article. Some recent topics have been: environmental ethics; privacy in law and ethics; and statistical stylometry and ancient philosophy. Philosophy faculty also sponsor off-campus undergraduate internship experiences. Students interested in these opportunities may inquire at the department or through the internship office.

Honors Thesis

Undergraduate majors are encouraged to complete an Honors thesis.  Majors intending to pursue graduate study should especially consider this opportunity. Honors thesis students engage in advanced individual research on a selected philosophical problem, guided by a faculty thesis adviser and a thesis committee composed of two additional faculty members. For complete requirements and further information, see the catalog entry on Honors.

Professional Organizations

The department has the Massachusetts Alpha Chapter of the national philosophy honor society, Phi Sigma Tau. In addition to awarding membership to academically exceptional majors, the society also sponsors speakers and colloquia, as well as trips to regional philosophy conferences.

The department is a founding member of the Boston-area Colloquium in Ancient Philosophy. The organization sponsors lectures and seminars at the various member college campuses.

Departmental Publications

The international philosophical journal, Idealistic Studies, is edited by Gary Overvold. Founded by Robert N. Beck, Idealistic Studies is a leading interdisciplinary journal focusing on issues of contemporary European philosophy and idealism. The journal provides a forum for writing that recognizes whether by advocacy or criticism, the defining significance of consciousness and mind in the concerns of philosophy and other expressions of high culture.