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Philosophy
School of Humanities & Sciences
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  • Major: Bachelor of Arts
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  2. Programs
  3. Undergraduate
  4. Philosophy
  5. Major: Bachelor of Arts

Major: Bachelor of Arts

Major
  • Philosophy opens in a new tab
Program Minimum Units
60 Units
University Minimum Units
180 Units
Interests
Literature & Culture, Ethics, Experimentation & Discovery, Social Justice & Inequality, Religion & Spirituality
Academic Areas
Humanities & Arts, Mathematics & Data Sciences, Natural Sciences

Overview

The Philosophy undergraduate program’s mission is to train students to think clearly and critically about the deepest and broadest questions concerning the fundamental structure of reality and our place in it including how we should act in our lives. With philosophy you gain the tools needed to make arguments and exercise sound judgment about the most fundamental concerns of human life. The program introduces students to the best contemporary theories, and their historical roots, across philosophy including metaphysics and the philosophy of science (the study of the fundamental structure of reality), epistemology (theories of how we know about the world), ethics and political philosophy (how we should act and how society should be organized), and logic (what is correct reasoning). Courses in the major equip students with core skills in critical reading, analytical thinking, sound argumentation, and the clear, well-organized expression of ideas.

Philosophy is an excellent major for those planning a career in law, medicine, business, or the non-profit sector. It provides analytical skills and a breadth of perspective helpful to those called upon to make decisions about their conduct and the welfare of others. Philosophy majors have an excellent admission record to professional and graduate schools.

Instead of the standard program of the philosophy major, students can pursue two alternative, optional subplans:

  1. History and Philosophy of Science

  2. Philosophy and Literature

The standard program and the two subplans have the same overall structure. An introductory course in philosophy is followed by our Writing-in-the-Major (WIM) course, PHIL 80: “Mind, Matter, Meaning”. We then require a range of courses that give students breadth in different areas of philosophy. The subplans require additional depth in their relevant areas. Students then have space for elective courses that allow them to gain either greater breadth or depth across philosophy. Finally, the capstone for the major involves taking one of our special capstone undergraduate seminars.

The overall unit requirements for the philosophy major have been kept low to allow students to double major or do a minor in some other field.

For those interested in interdisciplinary work in philosophy and religious studies, there is a separate major program (not a subplan of the Philosophy major) that allows students to receive a BA degree with the title “Philosophy and Religious Studies”.

Requirements

Core Program Requirements

Introductory Course

Complete at least 1 of the following courses:
PHIL 1

Introduction to Philosophy

4 Units
PHIL 2

Introduction to Moral Philosophy

5 Units
PHIL 3N

Randomness: Computational and Philosophical Approaches

3 Units
PHIL 7N

Philosophy and Science Fiction

3 Units
PHIL 8N

Free Will and Responsibility

3 Units
PHIL 11N

Skepticism

3 Units
PHIL 12N

Animal Cognition

3 Units
PHIL 13

Humanities Core: Great Books, Big Ideas -- Europe, Modern

3 Units
PHIL 13N

Justice across Borders

3 Units
PHIL 14N

Why Games Matter: The Philosophy of Play

3 Units
PHIL 15N

Thinking About Death

3 Units
PHIL 16N

External World Skepticism

3 Units
PHIL 20N

Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence

3 Units
PHIL 22Q

Being Reasonable

3 Units
PHIL 24E

The Male Gaze in Cinema: Perspectives from Feminist Philosophy

2 Units
PHIL 24F

Tutorial: Free Will

2 Units
PHIL 24H

Tutorial: Philosophy of Large Language Models

2 Units
PHIL 24K

GRAD TUTORIAL: Principle of Sufficient Reason

2 Units
PHIL 24L

Tutorial: Theories of Consciousness in Early Modern Philosophy

2 Units
PHIL 24M

Grad Tutorial: Abstraction

2 Units
PHIL 24R

Grad Tutorial: Plato on Punishment

2 Units
PHIL 24S

Free Will & Moral Responsibility

3 Units
PHIL 24T

Grad Tutorial: Reading Marx's "Capital"

2 Units
PHIL 24Y

Grad Tutorial

2 Units
PHIL 26S

Other People's Minds

3 Units
PHIL 27S

How to Make a Decision: Ancient Greek Philosophers on Practical Rationality

3 Units
PHIL 28S

Introduction to the Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence

3 Units
PHIL 29S

Feminist Philosophy

3 Units
PHIL 30

Democracy and Disagreement

1-2 Units
PHIL 30S

Introduction to Political Philosophy

3 Units
PHIL 34S

What makes us Human

3 Units
PHIL 35S

Plato and Punishment

3 Units
PHIL 36

Dangerous Ideas

1 Units
PHIL 36S

Equality: For and Against

3 Units
PHIL 37S

Self, Freedom and Morality

3 Units
PHIL 41S

What Would Change Your Mind? Evidence and Disagreement in Everyday Life

3 Units
PHIL 49

Survey of Formal Methods

4 Units
PHIL 50S

Introduction to Formal Methods in Contemporary Philosophy

3 Units
PHIL 60

Introduction to Philosophy of Science

4 Units
PHIL 60S

Introduction to Philosophy of Science

3 Units
PHIL 72

Contemporary Moral Problems

4-5 Units
PHIL 74A

Ethics in a Human Life

4 Units
PHIL 75C

Computers, Ethics, and Public Policy

4 Units
PHIL 80

Mind, Matter, and Meaning

5 Units
PHIL 81

Philosophy and Literature

3-5 Units
PHIL 82

Ethics, Public Policy, and Technological Change

5 Units
PHIL 86

How to Make a Moral Agent

3 Units
PHIL 99

Minds and Machines

4 Units

Breadth in Discipline

Logic

Complete at least 1 of the following courses:
PHIL 150

Mathematical Logic

4 Units
PHIL 151

Metalogic

4 Units
PHIL 154

Modal Logic

4 Units

More advanced logic courses may also count for this requirement by petition.

History of Philosophy

Complete all of the following course(s):
PHIL 100

The History of Ancient Greek Philosophy

4 Units
PHIL 102

Modern Philosophy, Descartes to Kant

4 Units

Contemporary Theoretical Philosophy

Complete at least 1 of the following courses:
PHIL 180

Metaphysics

4 Units
PHIL 181

Philosophy of Language

4 Units
PHIL 181A

Philosophy of Language

4 Units
PHIL 181B

Topics in Philosophy of Language

4 Units
PHIL 181C

Linguistic Justice

4 Units
PHIL 181E

External World Skepticism

4 Units
PHIL 182D

Ethical Anti-theory

4 Units
PHIL 182H

Truth

4 Units
PHIL 182J

Theories of Consciousness

3 Units
PHIL 184

Epistemology

4 Units
PHIL 184B

Formal Epistemology

4 Units
PHIL 184D

Collective Epistemology and Shared Inquiry

4 Units
PHIL 184P

Philosophy of Probability

4 Units
PHIL 185J

The Philosophy and Science of Perception

3 Units
PHIL 186

Philosophy of Mind

4 Units
PHIL 187

Philosophy of Action

4 Units
PHIL 187B

Responsibility and the Criminal Law

4 Units
PHIL 188A

Explanation

4 Units
PHIL 188B

Undergrad Seminar: Striving and the Nature of Belief

4 Units
PHIL 189

Reduction and Grounding

4 Units

Philosophy of Science

Complete at least 1 of the following courses:
PHIL 160

Philosophy of Science

4 Units
PHIL 161C

What Makes a Good Explanation? Philosophical, Psychological and Computational Perspectives

4 Units
PHIL 162

Philosophy of Mathematics

4 Units
PHIL 164

Scientific Realism, Perspectivism, and Antirealism

4 Units
PHIL 165

Philosophy of Physics: Space, Time and Motion

4 Units
PHIL 167D

Philosophy of Neuroscience

4 Units
PHIL 167E

Philosophy of Evolutionary Biology

4 Units
PHIL 168R

Philosophy of Biology

4 Units

Moral and Political Philosophy

Complete any of the following requirements:
Introduction to Moral Philosophy Option
Complete all of the following course(s):
PHIL 2

Introduction to Moral Philosophy

5 Units
or
Other Moral Philosophy Course Options
Complete at least 1 of the following courses:
PHIL 170

Ethical Theory

4 Units
PHIL 170B

Metaphor

4 Units
PHIL 171

Justice

4-5 Units
PHIL 171P

Liberalism and its Critics

5 Units
PHIL 172

History of Modern Moral Philosophy

4 Units
PHIL 172B

The History of Early Modern Political Philosophy: Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Locke

4 Units
PHIL 173

The Birth of Modern Moral Philosophy

4 Units
PHIL 173A

Moral Psychology

4 Units
PHIL 173B

Undergraduate Introduction to Metaethics

4 Units
PHIL 174

Ethics Beyond Consequences

4 Units
PHIL 174L

Justice Across Borders

4 Units
PHIL 175

Philosophy of Law

4 Units
PHIL 175A

Ethics and Politics of Public Service

3-5 Units
PHIL 175W

Philosophy of Law: Protest, Punishment, and Racial Justice

4 Units

All courses taken to satisfy the breadth in the discipline requirement must be taken for a minimum of 3 units and completed with a grade of C- or higher.

Electives

Elective Requirement

  • Students who have taken SLE may count 2 units of SLE towards the depth in discipline elective units. These units do not count for the introductory course requirement.

  •  Any course 10 and above except for 196-199. At least nine units must be 99 and above.

Writing in the Major (WIM)

Writing in the Major (WIM)

The Writing in the Major (WIM) course for the Philosophy major, PHIL 80: "Mind, Matter, and Meaning", should be taken as soon as possible after the first introductory course in philosophy since it prepares students for the more advanced philosophy courses required for achieving breadth in the discipline.

Complete all of the following course(s):
PHIL 80

Mind, Matter, and Meaning

5 Units

Capstone

Capstone Experience

The capstone experience aims to foster the integration of capacities, knowledge, and skills acquired in the student’s coursework for the major and to provide students with an opportunity to synthesize their undergraduate educational careers and to demonstrate their capacity for independent and creative philosophical work.

Complete at least 1 of the following courses:
PHIL 194A

Capstone seminar: Imagination in Fiction and Philosophy

4 Units
PHIL 194B

Capstone Seminar: Montaigne

4 Units
PHIL 194C

Capstone Seminar: Consciousness and Acquaintance

4 Units
PHIL 194D

Capstone Seminar: How Virtual is Reality, and Vice Versa

4 Units
PHIL 194E

Capstone Seminar: When Bad People Create Beautiful Things

4 Units
PHIL 194F

Capstone seminar: Beauty and Other Forms of Value

4 Units
PHIL 194G

Capstone Seminar: Visual Representation and Visual Narrative

4 Units
PHIL 194H

Capstone Seminar: What is Explanation?

4 Units
PHIL 194J

Capstone Seminar: Other Minds

4 Units
PHIL 194K

Capstone Seminar: The Metaphysics of Consciousness

4 Units
PHIL 194P

Capstone Seminar: The Meaning of Life

4 Units
PHIL 194T

Capstone Seminar: Practical Reason

4 Units
PHIL 194W

Capstone Seminar: Imagination in Fiction and Philosophy

4 Units
PHIL 194Y

Capstone seminar: Metaphilosophy

4 Units

Subplans

Optional
Students have the option to complete a subplan as part of this program. A subplan is an officially declared and defined set of requirements that allows students to go deeper into a discipline or focus within a program.

History and Philosophy of Science Subplan

Subplan Overview

The Subplan in the History and Philosophy of Science enables students to combine interests in science, history, and philosophy. This field of study is declared on Axess and is printed on the transcript.

Students are required to complete a minimum of 61 units for this subplan. PHIL 196-199 do not count towards this unit requirement and no more than ten units with grades of Satisfactory (S) or Credit (CR) may count towards the 61-unit requirement.

A maximum of two transfer courses for a combined maximum of 10 units can be used for the subplan. In general, transfer courses cannot be used as substitutes for required courses.

For further information about the subplan, contact the History and Philosophy of Science Advisor.

Introductory Course

Complete at least 1 of the following courses:
PHIL 1

Introduction to Philosophy

4 Units
PHIL 2

Introduction to Moral Philosophy

5 Units
PHIL 3N

Randomness: Computational and Philosophical Approaches

3 Units
PHIL 7N

Philosophy and Science Fiction

3 Units
PHIL 8N

Free Will and Responsibility

3 Units
PHIL 11N

Skepticism

3 Units
PHIL 12N

Animal Cognition

3 Units
PHIL 13

Humanities Core: Great Books, Big Ideas -- Europe, Modern

3 Units
PHIL 13N

Justice across Borders

3 Units
PHIL 14N

Why Games Matter: The Philosophy of Play

3 Units
PHIL 15N

Thinking About Death

3 Units
PHIL 16N

External World Skepticism

3 Units
PHIL 20N

Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence

3 Units
PHIL 22Q

Being Reasonable

3 Units
PHIL 24E

The Male Gaze in Cinema: Perspectives from Feminist Philosophy

2 Units
PHIL 24F

Tutorial: Free Will

2 Units
PHIL 24H

Tutorial: Philosophy of Large Language Models

2 Units
PHIL 24K

GRAD TUTORIAL: Principle of Sufficient Reason

2 Units
PHIL 24L

Tutorial: Theories of Consciousness in Early Modern Philosophy

2 Units
PHIL 24M

Grad Tutorial: Abstraction

2 Units
PHIL 24R

Grad Tutorial: Plato on Punishment

2 Units
PHIL 24S

Free Will & Moral Responsibility

3 Units
PHIL 24T

Grad Tutorial: Reading Marx's "Capital"

2 Units
PHIL 24Y

Grad Tutorial

2 Units
PHIL 26S

Other People's Minds

3 Units
PHIL 27S

How to Make a Decision: Ancient Greek Philosophers on Practical Rationality

3 Units
PHIL 28S

Introduction to the Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence

3 Units
PHIL 29S

Feminist Philosophy

3 Units
PHIL 30

Democracy and Disagreement

1-2 Units
PHIL 30S

Introduction to Political Philosophy

3 Units
PHIL 34S

What makes us Human

3 Units
PHIL 35S

Plato and Punishment

3 Units
PHIL 36

Dangerous Ideas

1 Units
PHIL 36S

Equality: For and Against

3 Units
PHIL 37S

Self, Freedom and Morality

3 Units
PHIL 41S

What Would Change Your Mind? Evidence and Disagreement in Everyday Life

3 Units
PHIL 49

Survey of Formal Methods

4 Units
PHIL 50S

Introduction to Formal Methods in Contemporary Philosophy

3 Units
PHIL 60

Introduction to Philosophy of Science

4 Units
PHIL 60S

Introduction to Philosophy of Science

3 Units
PHIL 72

Contemporary Moral Problems

4-5 Units
PHIL 74A

Ethics in a Human Life

4 Units
PHIL 75C

Computers, Ethics, and Public Policy

4 Units
PHIL 80

Mind, Matter, and Meaning

5 Units
PHIL 81

Philosophy and Literature

3-5 Units
PHIL 82

Ethics, Public Policy, and Technological Change

5 Units
PHIL 86

How to Make a Moral Agent

3 Units
PHIL 99

Minds and Machines

4 Units

Logic

Complete at least 1 of the following courses:
PHIL 49

Survey of Formal Methods

4 Units
PHIL 150

Mathematical Logic

4 Units
PHIL 151

Metalogic

4 Units
PHIL 154

Modal Logic

4 Units

Must be completed with a letter grade. More advanced logic courses may also count for this requirement by petition.

Philosophy of Science

Complete all of the following requirements:
Introduction to Philosophy of Science
Complete all of the following course(s):
PHIL 160

Philosophy of Science

4 Units
and
Other Philosophy of Science Courses
Complete at least 2 of the following courses:
PHIL 161C

What Makes a Good Explanation? Philosophical, Psychological and Computational Perspectives

4 Units
PHIL 162

Philosophy of Mathematics

4 Units
PHIL 164

Scientific Realism, Perspectivism, and Antirealism

4 Units
PHIL 165

Philosophy of Physics: Space, Time and Motion

4 Units
PHIL 167D

Philosophy of Neuroscience

4 Units
PHIL 167E

Philosophy of Evolutionary Biology

4 Units
PHIL 168R

Philosophy of Biology

4 Units

Must be completed with a letter grade.

Science

Complete three science courses.

For 12 units.

History of Science

Complete three history of science courses.

Depth in Subplan

Three additional courses related to the subplan in philosophy or history.

To be agreed on with the History and Philosophy of Science Advisor

Capstone Experience

The capstone experience aims to foster the integration of capacities, knowledge, and skills acquired in the student’s coursework for the major and to provide students with an opportunity to synthesize their undergraduate educational careers and to demonstrate their capacity for independent and creative philosophical work.

Complete at least 1 of the following courses:
PHIL 194A

Capstone seminar: Imagination in Fiction and Philosophy

4 Units
PHIL 194B

Capstone Seminar: Montaigne

4 Units
PHIL 194C

Capstone Seminar: Consciousness and Acquaintance

4 Units
PHIL 194D

Capstone Seminar: How Virtual is Reality, and Vice Versa

4 Units
PHIL 194E

Capstone Seminar: When Bad People Create Beautiful Things

4 Units
PHIL 194F

Capstone seminar: Beauty and Other Forms of Value

4 Units
PHIL 194G

Capstone Seminar: Visual Representation and Visual Narrative

4 Units
PHIL 194H

Capstone Seminar: What is Explanation?

4 Units
PHIL 194J

Capstone Seminar: Other Minds

4 Units
PHIL 194K

Capstone Seminar: The Metaphysics of Consciousness

4 Units
PHIL 194P

Capstone Seminar: The Meaning of Life

4 Units
PHIL 194T

Capstone Seminar: Practical Reason

4 Units
PHIL 194W

Capstone Seminar: Imagination in Fiction and Philosophy

4 Units
PHIL 194Y

Capstone seminar: Metaphilosophy

4 Units

Electives

Any course 10 and above except for 196-199.

Philosophy and Literary Thought Subplan

Subplan Overview

The subplan in Philosophy and Literary Thought enables students to combine their interests in philosophy and literary studies. This field of study is declared on Axess and is printed on the transcript.

Students are required to complete a minimum of 65 units for this subplan. PHIL 196-199 do not count towards this unit requirement. 2. No more than ten units with grades of Satisfactory (S) or Credit (CR) can be used to satisfy the major requirements.

A maximum of 15 transfer units may be counted toward the major, at most 10 of which may substitute for courses within Philosophy. Transfer credits may not substitute for PHIL 80: "Mind, Matter, and Meaning" or PHIL 81: "Philosophy and Literature", and are approved as substitutes for required courses only in exceptional cases.

Students who have taken SLE may count 2 units of SLE towards the depth in discipline elective units. These units do not count for the introductory course requirement.

For further information about the subplan, contact the Philosophy and Literary Thought Advisor.

Introductory course

Complete at least 1 of the following courses:
PHIL 1

Introduction to Philosophy

4 Units
PHIL 2

Introduction to Moral Philosophy

5 Units
PHIL 3N

Randomness: Computational and Philosophical Approaches

3 Units
PHIL 7N

Philosophy and Science Fiction

3 Units
PHIL 8N

Free Will and Responsibility

3 Units
PHIL 11N

Skepticism

3 Units
PHIL 12N

Animal Cognition

3 Units
PHIL 13

Humanities Core: Great Books, Big Ideas -- Europe, Modern

3 Units
PHIL 13N

Justice across Borders

3 Units
PHIL 14N

Why Games Matter: The Philosophy of Play

3 Units
PHIL 15N

Thinking About Death

3 Units
PHIL 16N

External World Skepticism

3 Units
PHIL 20N

Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence

3 Units
PHIL 22Q

Being Reasonable

3 Units
PHIL 24E

The Male Gaze in Cinema: Perspectives from Feminist Philosophy

2 Units
PHIL 24F

Tutorial: Free Will

2 Units
PHIL 24H

Tutorial: Philosophy of Large Language Models

2 Units
PHIL 24K

GRAD TUTORIAL: Principle of Sufficient Reason

2 Units
PHIL 24L

Tutorial: Theories of Consciousness in Early Modern Philosophy

2 Units
PHIL 24M

Grad Tutorial: Abstraction

2 Units
PHIL 24R

Grad Tutorial: Plato on Punishment

2 Units
PHIL 24S

Free Will & Moral Responsibility

3 Units
PHIL 24T

Grad Tutorial: Reading Marx's "Capital"

2 Units
PHIL 24Y

Grad Tutorial

2 Units
PHIL 26S

Other People's Minds

3 Units
PHIL 27S

How to Make a Decision: Ancient Greek Philosophers on Practical Rationality

3 Units
PHIL 28S

Introduction to the Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence

3 Units
PHIL 29S

Feminist Philosophy

3 Units
PHIL 30

Democracy and Disagreement

1-2 Units
PHIL 30S

Introduction to Political Philosophy

3 Units
PHIL 34S

What makes us Human

3 Units
PHIL 35S

Plato and Punishment

3 Units
PHIL 36

Dangerous Ideas

1 Units
PHIL 36S

Equality: For and Against

3 Units
PHIL 37S

Self, Freedom and Morality

3 Units
PHIL 41S

What Would Change Your Mind? Evidence and Disagreement in Everyday Life

3 Units
PHIL 49

Survey of Formal Methods

4 Units
PHIL 50S

Introduction to Formal Methods in Contemporary Philosophy

3 Units
PHIL 60

Introduction to Philosophy of Science

4 Units
PHIL 60S

Introduction to Philosophy of Science

3 Units
PHIL 72

Contemporary Moral Problems

4-5 Units
PHIL 74A

Ethics in a Human Life

4 Units
PHIL 75C

Computers, Ethics, and Public Policy

4 Units
PHIL 80

Mind, Matter, and Meaning

5 Units
PHIL 81

Philosophy and Literature

3-5 Units
PHIL 82

Ethics, Public Policy, and Technological Change

5 Units
PHIL 86

How to Make a Moral Agent

3 Units
PHIL 99

Minds and Machines

4 Units

Logic

Complete at least 1 of the following courses:
PHIL 49

Survey of Formal Methods

4 Units
PHIL 150

Mathematical Logic

4 Units
PHIL 151

Metalogic

4 Units
PHIL 154

Modal Logic

4 Units

Must be completed with a grade of C- or higher.

History of Philosophy

Complete all of the following course(s):
PHIL 100

The History of Ancient Greek Philosophy

4 Units
PHIL 102

Modern Philosophy, Descartes to Kant

4 Units

Must be completed with a grade of C- or higher.

Contemporary Theoretical Philosophy

Complete at least 1 of the following courses:
PHIL 180

Metaphysics

4 Units
PHIL 181

Philosophy of Language

4 Units
PHIL 181A

Philosophy of Language

4 Units
PHIL 181B

Topics in Philosophy of Language

4 Units
PHIL 181C

Linguistic Justice

4 Units
PHIL 181E

External World Skepticism

4 Units
PHIL 182D

Ethical Anti-theory

4 Units
PHIL 182H

Truth

4 Units
PHIL 182J

Theories of Consciousness

3 Units
PHIL 184

Epistemology

4 Units
PHIL 184B

Formal Epistemology

4 Units
PHIL 184D

Collective Epistemology and Shared Inquiry

4 Units
PHIL 184P

Philosophy of Probability

4 Units
PHIL 185J

The Philosophy and Science of Perception

3 Units
PHIL 186

Philosophy of Mind

4 Units
PHIL 187

Philosophy of Action

4 Units
PHIL 187B

Responsibility and the Criminal Law

4 Units
PHIL 188A

Explanation

4 Units
PHIL 188B

Undergrad Seminar: Striving and the Nature of Belief

4 Units
PHIL 189

Reduction and Grounding

4 Units

Must be completed with grade of C- or higher.

Philosophy of Science

Complete at least 1 of the following courses:
PHIL 160

Philosophy of Science

4 Units
PHIL 161C

What Makes a Good Explanation? Philosophical, Psychological and Computational Perspectives

4 Units
PHIL 162

Philosophy of Mathematics

4 Units
PHIL 164

Scientific Realism, Perspectivism, and Antirealism

4 Units
PHIL 165

Philosophy of Physics: Space, Time and Motion

4 Units
PHIL 167D

Philosophy of Neuroscience

4 Units
PHIL 167E

Philosophy of Evolutionary Biology

4 Units
PHIL 168R

Philosophy of Biology

4 Units

Must be completed with a grade of C- or higher.

Moral and Political Philosophy

Complete any of the following requirements:
Introduction to Moral Philosophy Option
Complete all of the following course(s):
PHIL 2

Introduction to Moral Philosophy

5 Units
or
Other Moral Philosophy Course Options
Complete at least 1 of the following courses:
PHIL 170

Ethical Theory

4 Units
PHIL 170B

Metaphor

4 Units
PHIL 171

Justice

4-5 Units
PHIL 171P

Liberalism and its Critics

5 Units
PHIL 172

History of Modern Moral Philosophy

4 Units
PHIL 172B

The History of Early Modern Political Philosophy: Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Locke

4 Units
PHIL 173

The Birth of Modern Moral Philosophy

4 Units
PHIL 173A

Moral Psychology

4 Units
PHIL 173B

Undergraduate Introduction to Metaethics

4 Units
PHIL 174

Ethics Beyond Consequences

4 Units
PHIL 174L

Justice Across Borders

4 Units
PHIL 175

Philosophy of Law

4 Units
PHIL 175A

Ethics and Politics of Public Service

3-5 Units
PHIL 175W

Philosophy of Law: Protest, Punishment, and Racial Justice

4 Units

Must be completed with a grade of C- or higher.

Gateway Course in Philosophy and Literature

Complete all of the following course(s):
PHIL 81

Philosophy and Literature

3-5 Units

This course should be taken as early as possible in the student’s career, generally in the sophomore year.

National Literature

Three courses in a single national literature, chosen by the student in consultation with the student's subplan advisor and the Philosophy and Literary Thought Advisor.

This normally involves meeting the language proficiency requirements of the relevant literature program. Units devoted to meeting language requirements do not count towards the unit requirements of the subplan.

Depth in Philosophy

Electives within philosophy totaling at least 5 units and drawn from courses numbered 100 or higher.

Advanced Depth in Philosophy and Literature

Two upper division courses of special relevance to philosophy and literature (see approved course list at https://philit.stanford.edu/).

Philosophy Capstone Experience

The philosophy capstone experience aims to foster the integration of capacities, knowledge, and skills acquired in the student’s coursework for the major and to provide students with an opportunity to synthesize their undergraduate educational careers and to demonstrate their capacity for independent and creative philosophical work.

Complete at least 1 of the following courses:
PHIL 194A

Capstone seminar: Imagination in Fiction and Philosophy

4 Units
PHIL 194B

Capstone Seminar: Montaigne

4 Units
PHIL 194C

Capstone Seminar: Consciousness and Acquaintance

4 Units
PHIL 194D

Capstone Seminar: How Virtual is Reality, and Vice Versa

4 Units
PHIL 194E

Capstone Seminar: When Bad People Create Beautiful Things

4 Units
PHIL 194F

Capstone seminar: Beauty and Other Forms of Value

4 Units
PHIL 194G

Capstone Seminar: Visual Representation and Visual Narrative

4 Units
PHIL 194H

Capstone Seminar: What is Explanation?

4 Units
PHIL 194J

Capstone Seminar: Other Minds

4 Units
PHIL 194K

Capstone Seminar: The Metaphysics of Consciousness

4 Units
PHIL 194P

Capstone Seminar: The Meaning of Life

4 Units
PHIL 194T

Capstone Seminar: Practical Reason

4 Units
PHIL 194W

Capstone Seminar: Imagination in Fiction and Philosophy

4 Units
PHIL 194Y

Capstone seminar: Metaphilosophy

4 Units

Philosophy and Literature Capstone Experience

A capstone seminar of relevance to the study of philosophy and literature, as approved by the Philosophy and Literary Thought Advisor. In some cases, the same course may be approved to satisfy this requirement and the Philosophy Capstone Experience.

Honors

Optional
Students may choose to pursue department honors by completing a program of special advanced work, such as an honors thesis, in addition to their major requirements.

Honors

Apply for Honors Program

Students who wish to engage in advanced, independent research, analysis and articulation with faculty guidance that results in an honors thesis must apply for the honors program during Winter Quarter of their junior year. Admission is selective based on demonstrated ability in Philosophy including an average grade of at least A- in a substantial number of Philosophy courses and progress toward satisfying the requirements of the major. The application form for the Honors program is available from the Philosophy and Religious Studies Undergraduate Student Services Officer, Karina Sahgal (ksahgal@stanford.edu). For further information about the program contact the Honors Director, Joshua O’Rourke (jsorourk@stanford.edu).

Prospective Honors Students Seminar

Complete all of the following course(s):
PHIL 199

Seminar for Prospective Honors Students

2 Units

To be taken Spring Quarter of Junior year.

Honors Tutorial

Earn at least 5 units in the following course(s):
PHIL 196

Honors Tutorial, Senior Year

1-5 Units

To be taken Autumn and/or Winter quarter of Senior year.

Submit Honors thesis

The length of the honors thesis may vary considerably depending on the problem and the approach; usually it falls somewhere between 7,500 and 12,500 words. This essay may use work from previous seminars and courses as a starting point, but it cannot be the same essay that has been used, or is being used, in some other class or seminar. It must be a substantially new and different essay reflecting work in the tutorial(s).

A completed essay draft is submitted to the advisor at the end of Winter quarter of Senior year. Any further revisions must be finished by the fifth whole week of Spring quarter, when three copies of the essay are to be given to the Student Services Officer. The honors thesis is graded by the advisor together with a second reader chosen by the advisor in consultation with the student. The student must also pass an oral thesis defense at a meeting with the advisor and second reader. The essay must receive a grade of A- or better for the student to receive honors.