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Philosophy

College of Liberal Arts

	QUICK JUMP
	Philosophy
	Requirements and Core Courses
	Careers in Philosophy
	Scholarships and Financial Aid
	Contact Information

Philosophy

The Department of Philosophy offers course work in all major areas of philosophy. These include traditional systematic topics such as ethics, philosophy of religion, philosophy of science, aesthetics, metaphysics, and logic; the history of philosophy; and a series of courses in applied philosophy, such as biomedical, business, and environmental ethics. • Offered at WSU: Bachelor of arts in traditional philosophy or philosophy pre-law, minor in philosophy, minor in ethics, master of arts in philosophy. • Available at: Pullman

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Requirements and Core Courses

—Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy TRADITIONAL PHILOSOPHY This option is most appropriate for students wanting a broad and well-balanced grounding in the whole field of philosophy and for those intending to go on to graduate work in philosophy, theology, or other areas. Phil 101—Introduction to Philosophy Phil 201—Elementary Logic Phil 290—History of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy Phil 305—Modern Philosophy Phil 325—Twentieth-Century Philosophy One of these:      Phil 310—Nineteenth-Century Philosophy      Phil 420—Contemporary-Continental Philosophy One of these:      Phil 335—Seminar on Theory of Knowledge      Phil 340—Seminar on Metaphysics One of these:      Phil 445—Seminar on Social and Political Philosophy      Phil 460—Seminar on Ethical Theory Plus nine additional hours of philosophy electives PHILOSOPHY PRE-LAW This option is designed for students preparing for legal studies. It places less emphasis on the history of philosophy and more on applications to problem areas and on communication skills. In addition, it allows more opportunity for a broad study in supporting areas of the liberal arts. Phil 201—Elementary Logic Phil 260—Ethics and Contemporary Social Issues Engl 301—Advanced Writing Pol Sci 300—The American Constitution One of these:      Phil 360—Business Ethics      Phil 365—Biomedical Ethics      Phil 370—Environmental Ethics One of these:      Phil 445—Social/Political Philosophy      Phil 460—Ethical Theory      Phil 470—Philosophy of Law Plus eighteen hours of philosophy electives MINOR IN PHILOSOPHY Sixteen hours of philosophy courses, eight of which must be 300 or 400 level Phil 201—Logic MINOR IN ETHICS Eighteen total hours, at least fifteen of which must be from ethics courses within the Department of Philosophy, such as: Phil 260—Introduction to Ethics Phil 360—Business Ethics Phil 365—Biomedical Ethics Phil 370—Environmental Ethics Phil 375—Women and Ethics Phil 445—Social/Political Philosophy Phil 460—Ethical Theory Three credit hours may, with department approval, be from an ethics course in the student’s major or in another department. Eight of the eighteen hours must, in accord with University policies, be in upper-division course work. NOTE: Students should consult the General Catalog for course planning and must meet course requirements as outlined in the catalog to graduate.

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Careers in Philosophy

The career fields for people with a philosophy degree include business, computers, education, journalism, government, law, medicine, publishing, real estate, religion, and much more. Philosophy graduates can take on new responsibilities and adapt to new careers more readily than those whose training is tightly focused on narrowly defined career goals. To get the best of both worlds, some philosophy majors also minor or double major in fields more obviously connected to the careers they intend to pursue.

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Scholarships and Financial Aid

Scholarships memorializing Frank Potter, the first philosophy teacher at WSU, are available for junior and senior philosophy students. The department also offers a series of Young Philosopher Scholarships available to freshmen and sophomores as well. Additional scholarships are available within the College of Liberal Arts and the University.

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Contact Information

Department of Philosophy

Washington State University Pullman, WA 99164-5130 Phone: 509-335-8611

philo@wsu.edu

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Strengths of the Program

• The moderately sized Department of Philosophy has a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.
• Learn to think logically, analyze and solve problems, assess the pros and cons of proposals, write and speak clearly, attend to details, and ask the right questions.
• Courses, including those on the introductory level, are taught by faculty members—not by graduate teaching assistants.
• Philosophy majors do exceptionally well on such exams as the Graduate Record Exam, Law School Admission Test, and Graduate Management Admissions Test.
• Each year the Potter Memorial Lectureship and the Inland Northwest Philosophy Conference bring to campus philosophers of national or international reputation.

Office of Enrollment Management, PO Box 641067, Washington State University, Pullman WA 99164-1067, 888-GO TO WSU (888-468-6978), Contact Us