Department of Philosophy
Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy
Students on Summer 2020, Fall 2020, or Spring 2021 requirements PHILBA
Requirements
The major requires at least 30 credit hours, including the requirements listed below.
- Symbolic Logic. One (1) course:
- PHIL-P 250 Introductory Symbolic Logic
PHIL-P 250 Introductory Symbolic Logic
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Propositional logic and first-order quantificational logic.
- Repeatability
- No credit for PHIL-P 150 if PHIL-P 250 taken first or concurrently.
- Fall 2024CASE NMcourseSummer 2024CASE NMcourse
- History of Philosophy. One (1) course:
- PHIL-P 201 Ancient Greek Philosophy
- PHIL-P 205
- PHIL-P 211 Early Modern Philosophy
- PHIL-P 301 Medieval Philosophy
- PHIL-P 304 19th Century Philosophy
- PHIL-P 305 Topics in the Philosophy of Judaism
- PHIL-P 319 American Pragmatism
- PHIL-P 328 Philosophies of India
- PHIL-P 330 Marxist Philosophy
- PHIL-P 335 Phenomenology and Existentialism
- PHIL-P 374 Early Chinese Philosophy
PHIL-P 201 Ancient Greek Philosophy
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours of philosophy
- Description
- Selective survey of ancient Greek philosophy (pre-Socratics, Plato, Aristotle).
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourse
PHIL-P 211 Early Modern Philosophy
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours in Philosophy
- Description
- Selective survey of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century philosophy, including some or all of the following: Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 301 Medieval Philosophy
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours in philosophy
- Description
- A selective survey of Western philosophy from the turn of the Christian era to the end of the Middle Ages. Readings from some or all of Augustine, Boethius, Anselm, Abelard, Bonaventure, Aquinas, Duns Scotus, and Ockham.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourse
PHIL-P 304 19th Century Philosophy
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours in philosophy
- Description
- Selective survey of post-Kantian philosophy. Readings from some or all of Hegel, Marx, Kierkegaard, Mill, and Nietzsche.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 305 Topics in the Philosophy of Judaism
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours of philosophy
- Description
- Comparative analysis of two or more Jewish philosophers; or selected topics in the philosophical treatment of contemporary Jewish experience; or topics in the history of Jewish philosophy.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated once with different topic.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 319 American Pragmatism
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours of philosophy
- Description
- Examination of the central doctrines of Peirce, James, Dewey, Mead.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 328 Philosophies of India
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Historical and critical-analytic survey of the major traditions of Indian philosophy. Attention to early philosophizing and the emergence of the classical schools in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain traditions. Attention also to contemporary thought in India including critical theory and subaltern theorizing.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of PHIL-P 328 or REL-R 368.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 330 Marxist Philosophy
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours of philosophy
- Description
- An examination of major philosophical issues in the light of Marxist theory. Historical materialism and the critique of idealism in metaphysics, the theory of knowledge, ethics, and social science. Discussion of both classical and contemporary sources.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 335 Phenomenology and Existentialism
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours in philosophy or advanced work in a related field
- Description
- An overview of the main problems, themes, and foundational texts of Phenomenology and Existentialism, as well as intensive study of the writings of several of the most prominent thinkers in these movements. Selected readings from Buber, Camus, de Beauvoir, Heidegger, Husserl, Jaspers, Kierkegaard, Marcel, Merleau-Ponty, Nietzsche, Sartre, and others.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 374 Early Chinese Philosophy
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Origins of Chinese philosophical traditions in the classical schools of Confucianism, Taoism, Mohism, and Legalism. Explores contrasting agendas of early Chinese and Western traditions.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of EALC-E 374, PHIL-P 374, REL-B 374, or REL-R 368.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Ethics and Value Theory. One (1) course:
- PHIL-P 332 Feminism and Value
- PHIL-P 340 Classics in Ethics
- PHIL-P 342 Problems of Ethics
- PHIL-P 343 Classics in Social and Political Philosophy
- PHIL-P 345 Problems in Social and Political Philosophy
- PHIL-P 346 Classics in Philosophy of Art
- PHIL-P 347
- PHIL-P 375 Philosophy of Law
- PHIL-P 393 Biomedical Ethics
PHIL-P 332 Feminism and Value
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours in philosophy or advanced work in a field related to the course topic. Students without this background should take PHIL-P 103
- Description
- Selected topics from philosophical feminism. Topics may include gender and its relationship to sex; the relationship among sexism, feminism and sexuality; theories of the institutions through which sexist norms are perpetuated and reified and of the intersections and interactions amongst sexism, classism, racism and heterosexism. Focus is on philosophical frameworks underlying feminist theorizing.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 340 Classics in Ethics
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours in philosophy or 300-level work in a related field such as religious studies, political theory, or intellectual history. Students without this background should take PHIL-P 140
- Description
- Readings from Plato and Aristotle to Kant, Mill, and Nietzsche. Topics include virtue and human nature, pleasure and the good, the role of reason in ethics, the objectivity of moral principles, and the relation of religion to ethics.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 342 Problems of Ethics
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours in Philosophy or 300-level work in a related field such as religious studies or political theory. Students without this background should take PHIL-P 140
- Description
- May concentrate on a single large issue (e.g., whether utilitarianism is an adequate ethical theory), or several more or less independent issues (e.g., the nature of goodness, the relation of good to ought, the objectivity of moral judgments, moral responsibility, moral emotions, concepts of virtue, cultural conflicts of value, the nature of moral discourse).
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 343 Classics in Social and Political Philosophy
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours in philosophy
- Description
- Readings from Plato and Aristotle to Hobbes, Locke, Hegel, and Marx. Topics include the ideal state, the nature and proper ends of the state, natural law and natural right, social contract theory, and the notion of community.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 345 Problems in Social and Political Philosophy
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours in Philosophy or in a field related to the course. Students without this background should take PHIL-P 145
- Description
- Problems of contemporary relevance: civil disobedience, participatory democracy, conscience and authority, law and morality.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 346 Classics in Philosophy of Art
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours in philosophy
- Description
- Readings from Plato and Aristotle to Nietzsche and Dewey. Topics include the definition of art, the nature of beauty, and art and society.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 375 Philosophy of Law
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours of philosophy
- Description
- Selective survey of philosophical problems concerning law and the legal system. Topics include nature and validity of law, morality and law, legal obligation, judicial decision, rights, justice, responsibility, and punishment.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 393 Biomedical Ethics
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- A philosophical consideration of ethical problems that arise in current biomedical practice, e.g., with regard to abortion, euthanasia, determination of death, consent to treatment, and professional responsibilities in connection with research, experimentation, and health care delivery.
- Epistemology and Metaphysics. One (1) course:
- PHIL-P 310 Topics in Metaphysics
- PHIL-P 312 Topics in the Theory of Knowledge
- PHIL-P 320 Philosophy of Language
- PHIL-P 360 Philosophy of Mind
- PHIL-P 366 Philosophy of Action
PHIL-P 310 Topics in Metaphysics
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours in philosophy
- Description
- Topics such as existence, individuation, contingency, universals and particulars, causality, determinism, space, time, events and change, relation of mental and physical.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 312 Topics in the Theory of Knowledge
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours in philosophy
- Description
- Topics such as various theories of perceptual realism, sense-datum theories, theories of appearing, phenomenalism, the nature of knowledge, the relation between knowledge and belief, relation between knowledge and evidence, and the problem of skepticism.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 320 Philosophy of Language
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: PHIL-P 250 (or another logic course involving formal languages and methods, such as COGS-Q 350 or MATH-M 384) and at least one other course in Philosophy. Students who have not successfully completed a course in logic may find this course difficult
- Description
- A study of selected philosophical problems concerning language and their bearing on traditional problems in philosophy.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 360 Philosophy of Mind
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours of philosophy or coursework in cognitive science or brain and psychological science
- Description
- Selected topics from among the following: the nature of mental phenomena (e.g., thinking, volition, perception, emotion); the mind-body problem (e.g., dualism, behaviorism, functionalism); connections to cognitive science issues in psychology, linguistics, and artificial intelligence; computational theories of mind.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 366 Philosophy of Action
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours of philosophy
- Description
- The nature of human and rational action: the structure of intentions and practical consciousness; the role of the self in action; volitions; the connections of desires, needs, and purposes to intentions and doings; causation and motivation; freedom; the structure of deliberation; rational actions and duties, whether moral or institutional.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Research Course. One (1) course:
- PHIL-P 401 History of Philosophy: Special Topics
- PHIL-P 470
- PHIL-P 498 Honors Thesis Directed Research
- PHIL-P 499 Honors Thesis
PHIL-P 401 History of Philosophy: Special Topics
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 6 credit hours of philosophy. This course will be difficult for students who have not taken a 300-level philosophy course
- Description
- A focused look at a particular thinker, movement, period, or set of ideas in the history of philosophy.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 498 Honors Thesis Directed Research
- Credits
- 4
- Prerequisites
- Approval of departmental honors committee
- Description
- Directed research course preparatory to writing the senior honors thesis. Training in skills necessary for original philosophical research. Goals are to achieve appropriate mastery over a body of philosophical material relevant to the honors thesis project, and to develop core ideas for a successful honors thesis.
PHIL-P 499 Honors Thesis
- Credits
- 3–6 credit hours
- Prerequisites
- Approval of departmental honors committee
- Description
- None
- Electives. At least five (5) additional courses:
- One (1) of:
- Any PHIL-P 100–199
- PHIL-P 200 Problems of Philosophy
- PHIL-P 240 Business and Morality - Ethics in Context
- Any PHIL-P 200–299 except PHIL-P 200; PHIL-P 240; PHIL-P 250
- Any PHIL-P 300–399
- PHIL-P 401 History of Philosophy: Special Topics
- PHIL-P 470
- One (1) of:
- PHIL-X 471 Undergraduate Teaching Assistantship in Philosophy
- PHIL-X 473 Internship in Philosophy
- PHIL-X 490 Readings in Philosophy
PHIL-P 200 Problems of Philosophy
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Important problems at the center of rational reflection upon human experience, including issues in ethics, aesthetics, political philosophy, philosophy of religion, metaphysics, epistemology, and/or the history of philosophical thought. Emphasis upon interpretation, critical analysis, and evaluation of philosophical texts from contemporary and/or historical perspectives. Topics vary. Introductory level.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 240 Business and Morality - Ethics in Context
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Fundamental issues of moral philosophy in a business context. Application of moral theory to issues such as the ethics of investment, moral assessment of corporations, and duties of vocation.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 401 History of Philosophy: Special Topics
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 6 credit hours of philosophy. This course will be difficult for students who have not taken a 300-level philosophy course
- Description
- A focused look at a particular thinker, movement, period, or set of ideas in the history of philosophy.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-X 471 Undergraduate Teaching Assistantship in Philosophy
- Credits
- 1–3 credit hours
- Prerequisites
- Approval of major department
- Notes
- Does not count toward the major in philosophy
- Description
- Provides academic credit for assisting a Philosophy faculty member in an undergraduate course. Requires paper or other project related to the teaching internship.
- Grading
- S/F grading.
PHIL-X 473 Internship in Philosophy
- Credits
- 1–3 credit hours
- Prerequisites
- Consent of major department
- Description
- Designed to provide academic credit for paper or other project done for academic supervisor of the intern in a given semester. Internships may be within the Philosophy Department or in a professional work setting elsewhere. Credit hours tied to the number of internship hours worked.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of PHIL-P 497 or PHIL-X 473.
- Grading
- S/F grading.
PHIL-X 490 Readings in Philosophy
- Credits
- 1–3 credit hours
- Prerequisites
- Consent of instructor.
- Notes
- R: 9 credit hours philosophy
- Description
- Intensive study of selected authors, topics, and problems.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated for a maximum of 9 credit hours in PHIL-P 490 and PHIL-X 490.
- One (1) of:
- Major GPA, Hours, and Minimum Grade Requirements.
- Major GPA. A GPA of at least 2.000 for all courses taken in the major—including those where a grade lower than C- is earned—is required.
- Major Minimum Grade. Except for the GPA requirement, a grade of C- or higher is required for a course to count toward a requirement in the major.
- Major Upper Division Credit Hours. At least 18 credit hours in the major must be completed at the 300–499 level.
- Major Residency. At least 18 credit hours in the major must be completed in courses taken through the Indiana University Bloomington campus or an IU-administered or IU co-sponsored Overseas Study program.
- College Breadth. At least 58 credit hours must be completed in courses from College of Arts and Sciences disciplines outside of the major area.
Major Area Courses
-
Unless otherwise noted below, the following courses are considered in the academic program and will count toward academic program requirements as appropriate:
- Any course at the 100–499 level with the
PHILsubject area prefix—as well as any other subject areas that are deemed functionally equivalent - Any course contained on the course lists for the academic program requirements at the time the course is taken—as well as any other courses that are deemed functionally equivalent—except for those listed only under Addenda Requirements
- Any course directed to a non-Addenda requirement through an approved exception
- Any course at the 100–499 level with the
Exclusions
The following courses cannot be applied toward major requirements or the College Breadth requirement:
This program of study cannot be combined with the following:
- Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Political Science (PHILPOLSBA)
- Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Religious Studies (PHILRELBA)
- Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy (POLSPHILBA)
- Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and Philosophy (RELPHILBA)
- Minor in Philosophy (PHILMIN)
- Minor in Philosophy of Mind and Cognition (PHILMCMIN)
- Minor in Philosophy of the Arts (PHILARMIN)
Exceptions to and substitutions for major requirements may be made with the approval of the unit's Director of Undergraduate Studies, subject to final approval by the College of Arts and Sciences.
The Bachelor of Arts degree requires at least 120 credit hours, to include the following:
- College of Arts and Sciences Credit Hours. At least 100 credit hours must come from College of Arts and Sciences disciplines.
- Upper Division Courses. At least 42 credit hours (of the 120) must be at the 300–499 level.
- College Residency. Following completion of the 60th credit hour toward degree, at least 36 credit hours of College of Arts and Sciences coursework must be completed through the Indiana University Bloomington campus or an IU-administered or IU co-sponsored Overseas Study program.
- College GPA. A College grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.000 is required.
- CASE Requirements. The following College of Arts and Sciences Education (CASE) requirements must be completed:
- CASE Foundations
- CASE Breadth of Inquiry
- CASE Culture Studies
- CASE Critical Approaches: 1 course
- CASE Foreign Language: Proficiency in a single foreign language through the second semester of the second year of college-level coursework
- CASE Intensive Writing: 1 course
- CASE Public Oral Communication: 1 course
- Major. Completion of the major as outlined in the Major Requirements section above.
Most students must also successfully complete the Indiana University Bloomington General Education program.