Philosophy Minor
About the Philosophy Minor
Philosophical inquiry encompasses a wide range of topics, across a wide range of disciplines, including interrelations between disciplines. Nearly every academic discipline is a historical outgrowth of philosophy.
The degree requirements in philosophy allow students to tailor their course of study. A well-designed program is appropriate not only for students whose primary interest is the study of philosophy, but for various pre-professional students (for example, those planning on law school or medical school). Philosophy is also very popular as a second Major, because philosophical study tends to reinforce a deep understanding of the issues of interest to other disciplines.
Required coursework for philosophy students is organized around four main areas of study: Ethics and Values; Metaphysics and Epistemology; History of Philosophy; Logic and Formal Methods. The specific requirements are explained below.
Philosophy Minor Course Requirement Handout
Requirements
Minimum of 18 credits of philosophy coursework that meets the following five requirements:
Students are to take courses from the four Areas in the summary table below, in the quantities indicated. Click on the area title for course titles.
|
Areas |
Minimum |
Qualified Courses |
|
1 course |
3011*, 3080, 3320, 3390, 3500, 3510, 3520, 3530, 3750, 3700, 3710 3730, 3740, 3750, 3790, 3800, 3820, 4540, 5130, 5191*, 5500, 5510, 5520, 5530, 5540, 5700, 5710, 5800 |
|
|
1 course |
3012*, 3300, 3310, 3350, 3370, 3375, 3380, 3400, 3440, 3600, 3870, 4380, 4400, 4450, 4480, 5192*, 5300, 5350†, 5370†, 5375†, 5400*, 5450, 5480* |
|
|
1 course |
3013*, 3040, 3060, 3085, 3086, 3100, 3110, 3120, 3130, 3810, 4140, 5040, 5060, 5100, 5110, 5120*, 5145, 5193*, 5360 |
|
|
1 course |
1250, 3200, 3210, 5200, 5210, 5220 |
|
|
* These courses typically have variable content and may be taken multiple times, each time counting as a new and separate course, so long as the course content is different. † These courses sometimes have variable content, in which case they may be taken multiple times. Check with instructor for permission to take a second time. |
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Students elect the particular courses (from each of the above Areas) that they wish to take. Those who are just starting the degree should simply start taking courses of interest, in each of the four areas, beginning with courses at the 3000 or 4000 - level. As for prerequisites, before taking any 5000-level course students must have completed one 3000 or 4000-level course from that same Area; exceptions must be approved by the instructor of the 5000-level course. Be sure to talk with an advisor if you would like any further guidance about which courses to take.
Area I: Ethics and Value Theory
3011* Philosophy of ____
3080 Philosophy of Feminism
3320 - Aesthetics & Philosophy of Play
3390 Tech & Design Ethics
3500 Ethics
3510 Business Ethics
3520 Bioethics
3530 Environmental Ethics
3570 Research Ethics
3700 Political Philosophy
3710 Philosophy of Law
3730 Justice and International Affairs
3750 Philosophy of Literature
3790 Philosophy of Film
3800 Philosophy and the Arts
3820 The Meaning of Life
4540 Engineering, Ethics, and Society
5130 History of Ethical Theory
5191* Philosophy of ____
5500 Contemporary Ethical Theory
5510 Applied Ethics
5520 Advanced Bioethics
5530 Environmental Philosophy
5700 Advanced Political Philosophy
5710 International Human Rights
5800 Topics in Philosophy of Art
Area II: Metaphysics and Epistemology
3012* Philosophy of ____
3300 Theory of Knowledge
3310 Science and Society
3350 History and Philosophy of Science
3370 Philosophy of Biology
3375 Philosophy of Social Science
3380 Feminist Philosophy of Science
3400 Mind, Language, and Reality
3440 Cognitive Science
3600 Philosophy of Religion
3870 Philosophy of Race
4380 Philosophy of Physics
4400 Metaphysics
5350† Topics of Philosophy of Science
5370† Philosophy of Biology
5375† Topics in Philosophy of Social Science
5400* Metaphysics
5450 Philosophy of Mind
5480* Philosophy of Language
4450 Philosophy of Mind
4480 Philosophy of Language
5192* Philosophy of ____
5300 Epistemology
Area III: History of Philosophy
3013* Philosophy of ____
3040 Twentieth Century Analytic Philosophy
3060 Twentieth Century Continental Philosophy
3085 History of African American Philosophy
3086 History of Latin American Philosophy
3100 Survey of Ancient Greek Philosophy
3110 Survey of Medieval Philosophy
3120 Survey of Early Modern Philosophy
3130 Survey of Nineteenth Century Philosophy
3810 Existentialism
4140 Classical Chinese Philosophy
5040 Advanced Twentieth Century Analytic Philosophy
5060 Advanced Twentieth Century Continental Philosophy
5100 Advanced Ancient Philosophy
5110 Advanced Medieval Philosophy
5120* Advanced Early Modern Philosophy
5145 Topics in Classical Chinese Philosophy
5193* Philosophy of ____
5360 Topics in the History of Science
Area IV: Logic and Formal Methods
1250 Intro to Reasoning and Rational Decision [counts only for Minor]
3200 Deductive Logic
3210 Inductive Logic
5200 Advanced Deductive Logic
5210 Advanced Inductive Logic
5220 Rational Choice Theory
At least one course of the total 18 units must come from the 5000-level (or higher). These advanced courses do at the same time satisfy an Area Requirement, as indicated in the above table. (Note: the Advanced Course Requirement may not be satisfied by "independent study" coursework.)
Additional courses may be needed to bring your total to 18 units. Every course the philosophy department offers counts towards the Elective Requirement. Note that two kinds of courses count only towards this requirement, not meeting any other requirement. First, all lower division courses count as electives (i.e., 1000 level and 2000 level courses). Second, the four specifically religion-oriented courses we offer: Phil 3610 (Religions of India), Phil 3620 (Religions of China and Japan), Phil 3630 (Buddhist Thought), and Phil 3640 (World Religions). Since these courses are not primarily philosophical in content, they do not count towards any of our specific philosophy requirements, but they do count for the Elective Requirement. The historical explanation of why the philosophy department offers these courses is that U of Utah does not have a Religion Department, the natural home for such courses. Note that Phil 3600 (Philosophy of Religion) is a philosophy course, and it meets the Area II requirement.
The Grade Requirement has three parts. First, only coursework taken for a letter grade will contribute to the above requirements; CR/NC coursework will not count. Second, no individual course receiving a grade lower than C- will count for any of the above requirements. Third, the overall grade-point average (GPA) for courses meeting the above requirements must be at least 2.00.
Various of the above requirements may, in special cases, and with approval, be satisfied with transfer credit. Requirement 2 is an exception: in all cases, the Advanced Course Requirement must be satisfied by course work completed at the University of Utah.
