Learning Outcomes
Undergraduate
Students completing the Philosophy core will be able to
- Understand the historical origins of values and principles that ground and are questioned in contemporary culture
- Reflect on their individual, social, and religious identities and relationships
- Examine their values in light of their reflection on philosophical views
- Develop the ability to analyze arguments in order to create a moral framework for considering questions of ultimate value
- Consider the nature of notions like reason, evidence, belief, and certainty such that they are able to think critically about the kinds of claims made in different disciplines from the natural sciences to theology
- Critically engage with contemporary problems and questions using the tools of philosophical reflection and argument
All students majoring in Philosophy will be able to demonstrate
- knowledge of major texts and thinkers in at least 2 of the major periods in the history of Western philosophy
- an ability to read and interpret philosophical texts
- an ability to evaluate philosophical arguments
- understanding of such philosophical issues as the nature and scope of human knowledge, the meaning of human personhood, the good life and moral obligation, the social and political dimensions of human existence, the relationship of faith and reason, and the existence and nature of God, especially those connected to their track
- understanding of the difference between philosophical and other types of claims, e.g., historical, scientific (both natural and social sciences), theological, political, etc., especially those most connected to their track
- an ability to use philosophical resources to engage with contemporary issues and problems, especially those most connected to their track
Graduate
- Demonstrate a working understanding of the fundamental texts, voices, conversations, and debates that have shaped the history of philosophy and theology in the Western tradition (ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary);
- Appreciate and systematically engage the historical and ongoing interaction between philosophy and theology in the Western tradition, particularly as it concerns questions of God, reason, revelation, faith, language, doctrine, culture, and human experience;
Appreciate and constructively engage the various genres, methods, styles, aims, and historical contexts of philosophical and theological inquiry - Develop a program of study in consultation with an advisor that includes a concentration in one of the following areas: Faith, Science, and Philosophy; Foundations in Philosophy and Theology; Medieval Philosophy and Theology; and Philosophy and Religions.
Demonstrate a sophisticated ability to write and speak about philosophical and theological texts and issues through graduate seminars, language study, a comprehensive exam, and an optional thesis.
- Demonstrate a wide-ranging and sophisticated grasp of the history of Western philosophy (ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary) and converse knowledgeably about it and two of the major systematic areas in philosophy (metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, natural theology / philosophy of religion, social / political philosophy).
- Demonstrate a sophisticated reading and interpretation of philosophical texts and to contextualize philosophical texts and issues in a fairly sophisticated way
- Demonstrate a sophisticated understanding and evaluation of philosophical arguments
- Demonstrate a sophisticated ability to write about philosophical texts and issues and state a philosophical thesis
- Demonstrate the ability to survey and to select secondary literature that is appropriate to their work, and to make fair and effective use of this secondary literature.
- Demonstrate a sophisticated ability to distinguish philosophical claims from other types of claims and explain texts in which claims of different sorts are not only found side by side but are even confused.
- Demonstrate a fairly sophisticated understanding of such philosophical issues as the nature and scope of human knowledge, the meaning of human personhood, the good life and moral obligation, the social and political dimensions of human existence, the relationship of faith and reason, and the existence and nature of God; to stake out a reasoned position on at least some of these questions; and to show an appreciation of what they do and do not know about these various issues.