Concordia College

Requirements for a Major or Minor in Philosophy

Programs offered:

• Major in Philosophy (8.0 course credits)
• Minor in Philosophy (5.0 course credits)

Faculty
Susan M. O’Shaughnessy, chair
George B. Connell
Richard A. Gilmore
Gregg A. Muilenburg
Matthew Van Cleave

Faculty in philosophy seek to help students join them in a mutual search for wisdom. To participate fully in the ongoing conversations that define philosophy as a discipline and a tradition, successful graduates of the department will develop critical inquiry skills. The philosophy department provides learning experiences that prepare students to achieve the following outcomes:

• become aware of significant philosophical schools and important issues of each period through the study of primary texts of the major periods of Western philosophy, including the style and substance of philosophical practice
• understand the ways in which history conditions thinking as it shapes institutions, actions and thoughts
• see how environment, economics, politics, nationality and gender have shaped, and continue to shape, philosophical thought
• gain some familiarity with other philosophical traditions, as areas worthy of study in their own right and as illuminating contrasts to problems and positions familiar in Western philosophy
• be skilled in philosophical analysis and discourse:
– be familiar with problem-oriented methods of inquiry
– know the canons of deductive and inductive logic and be ready to appeal to them in recognizing, reconstructing and evaluating arguments
– be able to use symbolic logic, its notation and its analytical tools to understand debates in the philosophy of logic
– develop skills that nurture genuine dialogue, including a precise command of spoken and written language, effective listening and social discussion skills, and proficiency as researchers
• be able to question how philosophers’ value commitments, both spoken and unspoken, have shaped their philosophies
• be aware of and attentive to religious dimensions and implications of the philosophy they study

Students should undertake a study of at least one area of value theory (ethics, aesthetics or political philosophy) to help them grow in their understanding of values-related implications of philosophical arguments, including the interactions between religion and philosophy.

The philosophy department sponsors an honors program for exceptional students. For details consult the department chair.

Department Course Descriptions

Major in Philosophy
The requirements for a major in philosophy are 8.0 course credits:
• PHIL 210 — Ancient Philosophy, 1.0 credit
• PHIL 220 — Modern Philosophy, 1.0 credit
• PHIL 230 — Patterns of Reasoning, 1.0 credit
• PHIL 407 — Senior Seminar, 1.0 credit
• 4.0 additional course credits, at least two of which must be from the 300 level

Minor in Philosophy
The requirements for a minor in philosophy are any five philosophy courses.