番茄社区

Students must complete the following 21 units of courses in philosophy.

1. At least two of:
   1.  (Critical Thinking)
   2.  (Elementary Formal Logic)
   3.  (Theoretical Logic, if selected, 370 cannot count towards upper-level requirements)
   4.  (Logic, if selected, 371 cannot count towards upper-level requirements)
2. One from each of:
   1.  (Plato),  (Aristotle)
   2.  (The Rationalists),  (The Empiricists),  (Kant)
   3. any course not already selected in (a) and (b), or  (19th Century Philosophy) or  (History of Analytic Philosophy)
   4.  (Metaphysics),  (Philosophy of Language),  (Philosophy of Mind)
   5.  (Epistemology),  (Philosophy of Science),  (Theory of Perception)
   6.  (Contemporary Moral Philosophy),  (Meta-Ethics),  (Theories of Justice)

• An additional 6.0 units of philosophy courses numbered 300 and above (excluding PHIL 321, 330, 331, 333)
• An additional 3.0 units of philosophy at any level.

Download the Major checklist file.

30 units of courses in philosophy, including at least 21 units numbered 300 and above.

1. At least two of:
   1.  (Critical Thinking)
   2.  (Elementary Formal Logic)
   3.  (Theoretical Logic, if selected, 370 cannot count towards upper-level requirements)
   4.  (Logic, if selected, 371 cannot count towards upper-level requirements)
2. One from each of:
   1.  (Plato),  (Aristotle)
   2.  (The Rationalists),  (The Empiricists),  (Kant)
   3. any course not already selected in (a) and (b), or  (19th Century Philosophy) or  (History of Analytic Philosophy)
   4.  (Metaphysics),  (Philosophy of Language),  (Philosophy of Mind)
   5.  (Epistemology),  (Philosophy of Science),  (Theory of Perception)
   6.  (Contemporary Moral Philosophy),  (Meta-Ethics),  (Theories of Justice)
3. An additional 9.0 units of philosophy courses numbered 300 and above (excluding PHIL 321, 330, 331, 333, 379)
4. An additional 3.0 units of philosophy courses numbered 400 and above
5. An additional 6.0 units of philosophy at any level

Graduation standing: To obtain an Honours degree, you must have a minimum 5.0 graduating GPA and have a minimum 6.0 GPA in all credit courses taken in philosophy.

Note: the GPA requirement above states all PHIL courses taken (whether they satisfy specific requirements or not) are included in an overall average calculation, but it does not imply that students must achieve a 6.0 in each PHIL course taken.

To apply: If you wish to be considered for the honours program, apply to the undergraduate adviser. Applications are normally considered only after students have completed their second year of study.

Download the Honours checklist file.

12 units of courses in philosophy. Of these, at least 9.0 must be numbered 300 or higher.

Studying philosophy develops skills of critical reasoning and reflective analysis of texts, rhetoric, evidence, and argument that can be fruitfully deployed in a vast array of social, professional, personal, and political settings. Students acquire an understanding and appreciation of fundamental and fascinating issues about the nature of knowledge, truth, reality, reason, value, beauty, and existence. This knowledge is garnered through study of diverse texts and figures in the history of philosophy but also through engagement with the work of contemporary philosophers working in a variety of philosophical traditions. Since philosophy addresses many fundamental issues that lie at the heart of intellectual inquiry in other disciplines, acquiring a knowledge and appreciation of philosophical views and techniques complements learning in virtually every field of study and thereby contributes to success in other subjects. In these ways, an education in philosophy fosters intellectual curiosity and habits of mind that are both intrinsically rewarding and instrumentally valuable to the pursuit of goals in every domain of life.

 
The Philosophy Department at the 番茄社区 advances these general learning outcomes by offering programs grounded in courses that develop the following more specific competencies:
 

1. Skills in informal and formal logic. Rigorous reasoning skills are developed and deployed in all our courses but courses in critical thinking and formal logic provide students with detailed understanding of the structural elements of good and bad arguments, the difference between soundness and validity, and fallacies in reasoning that are frequently encountered in everyday life. Students acquire practically relevant skills in detecting errors in reasoning and in determining how evidence for claims should be assessed.

 

2. Skills in textual interpretation and analysis. Through the close study of important texts both in the history of philosophy and in contemporary philosophy, students learn how to place texts in their historical and cultural context and identify the factors relevant to understanding and assessing the views expressed by authors. Students learn how to address issues concerning the translation of text from other languages and about the different forms of literary and philosophical expression.

 

3. Skills in writing and communication. Essay writing is an integral part of philosophy. Through regular writing assignments, students learn how write papers that are clearly structured, well-researched, and that develop effective arguments in support of clearly articulated theses. Students learn about the diversity of styles in philosophical writing from dialogues to aphorisms, to books, to academic papers. Through frequent class discussion and engagement with their professors, students learn how to pose effective questions and to engage others in critical but respectful debate.

 

4. Understanding of the history of philosophy. Students study the works of many of the most influential figures in the history of philosophy and come to understand how ideas and themes in historical texts still have relevance to contemporary debates in a wide variety of fields. Students learn to appreciate the diversity in the philosophical doctrines that have been advanced by different philosophers and different traditions. But they are also alerted to the significance of cultural and political forces that have silenced or marginalized some voices in the history of philosophy.

 

5. Understanding of dimensions of value. Students learn about fundamental issues concerning the nature of morality and the various philosophical theories that seek to illuminate key normative concepts such as goodness, rightness, wrongness, obligation, fairness, justice, democracy, and human rights. Students learn both about broad theories of morality and about the application of ethical considerations in a wide variety of applied settings such as medicine, law, business, economics, and the environment.

 

6. Understanding of metaphysics and epistemology. Students learn about key problems and views concerning the nature of knowledge, the considerations at play in the acquisition of knowledge, and what we can know about the fundamental character of reality. Students learn about the way in which epistemic and metaphysical issues concerning the use of language, the nature of scientific investigation and explanation, and nature of the mind and related psychological phenomena arise and how philosophical inquiry in these domains intersects with research in the sciences and social sciences.

 

7. Understanding of beauty, meaning, and creativity. Through opportunities to grapple with profound philosophical issues in many domains, students can explore how different cultures and communities have interpreted the place of beauty and meaning in human life. Students learn about the philosophical facets of art, literature, film, and music. Students also learn about various kinds of religious belief and spiritual practices to which many humans are drawn as sources of meaning but which can generate philosophical puzzles and disagreements.