Philosophy

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Major and minor offered 

Visit the philosophy webpage at https://www.stlawu.edu/offices/philosophy.  

Major Requirements  

A major in philosophy consists of 9 courses, distributed as follows: 

Core Courses (6) 

  • Two courses designated ‘Texts and Contexts’ 
  • One course designated ‘Logic and Argumentation’ 
  • One course designated ‘Ethics and Values’ 
  • One course designated ‘Power and Privilege’ 
  • One course designated ‘Knowledge and Reality’ 

Electives (2) 

Only one 100-level course may count toward the electives requirement.  No courses from the PHIL-498-499 sequence may count as electives towards the major. 

SYE course or course sequence (1) 

Normally PHIL 400 Metaphilosophy  

Or PHIL 498-499: SYE Honors Thesis (for students eligible for honors and interested in writing an honors thesis). 

Honors 

To receive honors in philosophy, a student must satisfy the requirements for the major. In addition, he or she must have a 3.5 grade point average in the department and complete a departmentally approved honors project (PHIL 498/499) as his or her SYE. 

Minor Requirements  

A minor in philosophy consists of five courses that must include: 

  • One course designated ‘Texts and Contexts.’ 
  • One course designated ‘Logic and Argumentation’ or ‘Knowledge and Reality’ 
  • One course designated ‘Ethics and Values’ 
  • One course designated ‘Power and Privilege’ 
  • One elective 

Preparing for Graduate Studies in Philosophy 

Majors considering graduate school in philosophy are strongly advised to take PHIL 302, Symbolic Logic, plus an advanced course in the subfield of philosophy they may wish to specialize in at the graduate level. Those aspiring to graduate school in philosophy should also plan to write a senior thesis. 

Preparing for Law School 

A philosophy major or minor offers an excellent background for the study of law. A student who wishes to go to law school is strongly advised to take PHIL 202, Reasoning, and PHIL 302, Symbolic Logic. PHIL 206, Political Theory, is also recommended. 

See Philosophy coursesUpdated 7/1/25