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Philosophy

Program Codes: BAPHIL
Bachelor of Arts

Introduction
Philosophy, the search for truth and wisdom, explores foundational human questions in logic, epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, aesthetics, language, religion, science, public policy, and law.

The department works closely with students to help tailor their education to meet their interests and goals. All majors are required to complete a senior capstone project, usually taking the form of a directed senior thesis based on independent study. The department houses a chapter of Sigma Tau Delta  (the  national honor society for philosophy), has a student-run Philosophy Club, and encourages majors and minors to participate in undergraduate philosophy conferences and to publish in national student journals.

Many of our students are double majors and see philosophy as their secondary major, which we strongly encourage and support. The philosophy minor  is a very attractive complement to most of the University’s majors and is perfect for anyone who loves the life of the mind. The Philosophy Department regularly offers upper level elective courses that cater to interests in other majors, such as Religious Studies, Political Science, Psychology, and Art and Graphic Design, and the department’s faculty members are often involved in various interdisciplinary courses.

Mission Statement
The Philosophy Department plays a crucial role in the fulfillment of the University’s mission, offering a major and a minor and contributing courses to the University’s REACH curriculum. In  both  endeavors, the  Philosophy Department’s goal is to educate and train the next generation of individuals to achieve personal, professional, and civic success by cultivating the intellectual skills and abilities of effective communication, critical thinking, creative thinking, and ethical reasoning. The philosophy major is designed to prepare students for professional and graduate study in philosophy or some allied field, such as law or political science. The development of these skills in our majors is facilitated by the following tenets:

  • A student-centered approach to learning and inquiry. The Department works closely with students to help tailor their education to meet their interests and goals. In addition to completing the core curriculum of the major, which consists of 6 courses, all majors are required to take 4 electives, at least one of which is expected to be an independent study.
  • Historical breadth and conceptual depth. This focuses on knowledge of the history of philosophy and the core philosophical concepts and principles that constitute the foundation of all philosophical and scientific discovery and criticism.
  • Experiential learning. Students regularly work as research assistants for faculty engaged in scholarship in philosophy or some allied field.
  • Original research. Students choose and work closely with a thesis advisor on an independent research project, which culminates in a departmental thesis defense.
Program Outcomes:
  • Effective communication (written and oral communication appropriate to the field of philosophy)
  • Substantive Knowledge (the main problems of philosophy, terminology, periods, movements, and schools of thought)
  • Critical Thinking (understand and use logical reasoning to interpret, analyze and criticize the ideas, beliefs, values, and practices of individuals and groups)
  • Creative Thinking (Construct authentic, persuasive, and interdisciplinary arguments in support of personal beliefs, values, and practices)
  • Ethical Reasoning (understand and use ethical terms, principles, theories and methods to engage and solve personal problems and broad social issues)
Bachelor of Arts Major Requirements

This program is intended for students who either want to pursue a graduate degree in philosophy or for students who want a philosophy degree as complementary double major.


The major provides students with enhanced mentoring for professional development, guidance through the graduate school application process, increased breadth and depth of substantive knowledge through coursework, increased specialization through an emphasis on independent study and directed research, and an increased focus on professional writing within the discipline through its required senior thesis, all of which are expectations for students entering graduate school. (30 Credits)

REACH
Mercyhurst - REACH and outREACH
39
PHILOSOPHICAL INQUIRY
Course Code:
PHIL 100
Course Group(s):
REASON AND FAITH
Active Term:
All Terms
/ All Years
Course Description:
An introduction to philosophy through a study of the principles of sound argument, the nature of philosophical perplexity, and selected topics in the theory of knowledge, ethics, metaphysics, and the philosophy of religion. Lecture and discussion.
Credit:
3
Instruction methods:
Lecture
Total hours: 45
x
PHIL 100
PHILOSOPHICAL INQUIRY
3

OR

PHILOSOPHICAL STUDIES
Course Code:
PHIL 150
Course Group(s):
REASON AND FAITH
Active Term:
All Terms
/ All Years
Course Description:
Invites students to explore a philosophical problem, theme, movement, school of thought, genre or interdisciplinary topic in depth, using a variety of sources, including both philosophical and non-philosophical literature as well as other forms of media, such as film, music, theater and art, as a means of philosophical interpretation, comprehension, analysis and criticism. Recent course titles: "Revolution," "Consciousness," and "Institutional Sociopathy."
Credit:
3
Instruction methods:
Lecture
Total hours: 45
x
PHIL 150
PHILOSOPHICAL STUDIES
3

OR

INTRO TO ETHICS
Course Code:
PHIL 190
Active Term:
Fall Term
/ Randomly
Credit:
3
Instruction methods:
Lecture
Total hours: 45
x
PHIL 190
INTRO TO ETHICS
3
INTRODUCTION TO LOGIC
Course Code:
PHIL 101
Course Group(s):
REASON AND FAITH
Active Term:
All Terms
/ All Years
Course Description:
An introduction to the rules and processes of rational thinking, argumentation, analysis and criticism. Students will learn the elements of logic, become skilled at constructing rationally compelling deductive and inductive arguments, and learn how to effectively analyze and criticize arguments through a study of formal and informal fallacies. Lecture/discussion.
Credit:
3
Instruction methods:
Lecture
Total hours: 45
x
PHIL 101
INTRODUCTION TO LOGIC
3
HIST PHIL TO RENAISS
Course Code:
PHIL 260
Course Group(s):
REASON AND FAITH
Active Term:
Fall Term
/ Odd Years
Course Description:
A study of the history of Western philosophical thought and culture from its advent in ancient Greece to the Renaissance, emphasizing the great minds and ideas of Western civilization and how these have helped to shape our cultural landscape, focusing on the most significant ideological continuities and ruptures that constitute the historical changes of the Western world. Special emphasis is placed on shifts in conceptual frameworks and narrative forms found in the works of Greek dramatists, the early natural philosophers, Socratic philosophy, and the philosophical systems of Plato, Aristotle, the hedonists, the stoics, and Christian theologians, such as St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas.
Credit:
3
Instruction methods:
Lecture
Total hours: 45
x
PHIL 260
HIST PHIL TO RENAISS
3
HIST OF PHIL SINCE RENAISSANCE
Course Code:
PHIL 261
Course Group(s):
REASON AND FAITH
Active Term:
Spring Term
/ Even Years
Course Description:
A study of Western philosophical thought and culture from the Renaissance to the 21st century, emphasizing the great minds and ideas of Western civilization and how these have helped to shape our cultural landscape, focusing on the most significant ideological continuities and ruptures that constitute the history of the modern Western world. Emphasis is placed on the Renaissance and Reformation, modern rationalism and empiricism, and the subsequent movements that grew out of these, such as German idealism, romanticism, scientific materialism, positivism, Marxism, and modern psychology and existentialism. Lecture and discussion. 3 credits.
Credit:
3
Instruction methods:
Lecture
Total hours: 22.5
x
PHIL 261
HIST OF PHIL SINCE RENAISSANCE
3
SENIOR THESIS
Course Code:
PHIL 460
Active Term:
All Terms
/ All Years
Credit:
3
Instruction methods:
Total hours: 45
x
PHIL 460
SENIOR THESIS
3

Five (5) Electives in Philosophy

Philosophy Minor

Required Philosophy Minor Courses

This program of study is intended for students who are passionate about philosophy as a subject and who want the benefits of the formal study of philosophy but whose academic or professional schedules cannot accommodate the more substantial requirements of the major. (18 Credits)

PHIL 100 Philosophical Inquiry 3 credits
PHIL 101 Introduction to Logic 3 credits
PHIL 260 History of Philosophy to the Renaissance 3 credits
OR
PHIL 261 History of Philosophy Since the Renaissance 3 credits
Three (3) Electives in Ethics

Philosophy Electives

Independent Study 
In addition to the department’s regularly offered courses for majors and minors listed in the course descriptions, students can elect to take independent study courses at the 200, 300 and 400 levels in order to meet their major or minor requirements. An independent study is a unique opportunity for a student to work closely with a faculty member in a field or on a topic of their interest. Recent independent studies have included:

PHIL 315 Philosophy of Mind 3 credits
PHIL 315 Philosophy of Climate Change 3 credits
PHIL 315 Environmental Philosophy 3 credits
PHIL 320 Philosophy of Science 3 credits
PHIL 340 Metaphysics 3 credits
PHIL 350 Analytic Philosophy 3 credits
PHIL 370 Phenomenology 3 credits
PHIL 410 Social and Political Philosophy 3 credits

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