Philosophy Minor

Program Learning Outcomes

Students will:
1. Demonstrate knowledge of the history and development of significant philosophical views.

2. Demonstrate understanding of concepts and theories central to philosophy including specifically​:

• questions of value
• questions of knowledge and existence

3. Demonstrate critical thinking, reading, writing and discussion skills including:

• the ability to extract arguments in classic and contemporary philosophical texts and relate them to appropriate philosophical context
• construction of sound deductive arguments and strong inductive arguments to evaluate philosophical concepts, positions, and arguments
• engagement in dialectical discussion: to participate in sustained and coherent discussion of arguments including articulation of clarifications, objections, and responses
• the ability to present viewpoints/arguments that differ from or oppose one’s own fairly and charitably, and to respond to such viewpoints/arguments
• proficiency in oral discourse: to orally present philosophical arguments (whether one’s own or those derived from reading) clearly and to encourage other students to engage with those arguments
• reflecting upon the ways in which philosophical reasoning, argumentation, concepts, texts, etc. apply to everyday life, including personally, locally, socially, politically, nationally, globally, etc.

4. Engage proficiently in philosophical research and writing including:

• locating, evaluating, and interpreting scholarly philosophical sources
• producing one’s own philosophical research question(s) and pursuing primary and/or secondary source research, while properly crediting sources
• constructing original arguments in written form in a manner consistent with disciplinary norms concerning argumentative writing

Total Credits Required to Complete Minor: 18