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Undergraduate Program Description

The Department of Philosophy at Kent State University offers both Bachelor and Master programs of study in philosophy.  An undergraduate student can major in philosophy, minor in philosophy, or take philosophy courses to fulfill liberal education requirements.  The Philosophy Department is located in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, but a student in any college can minor (or double major) in philosophy.  The Philosophy Department invites all University students to consider philosophy's course offerings as a complement or supplement to any program of studies.

To educate humanity, not just offer courses in philosophy as one of the humanities, is an aim of the philosophy department to Kent State University.  Any person studying philosophy is urged to use philosophy's courses as good occasion:

• To enhance analytic and critical capacities;
• To facilitate grasp and articulation of careful prose;
• To entertain and scrutinize offered options without mere, habitual, or impulsive adoption or rejection;
• To increase capacity to invent options to stated alternatives; but also as occasions;
• To start learning for life;
• To broaden horizons and develop reflective and imaginative capacities;
• To begin appreciation of a discipline that dates back more than 2000 years but a discipline where questions of method and subject matter are ever newly considered.

What a Student Should Expect From Philosophy Courses

Each student's active participation is expected in any philosophy course, large or small.  Students in a philosophy course should expect to be asked to think not just to listen, to be allowed to express their own ideas and views as opposed to repeating or agreeing with a correct answer.  Students should expect also to be pressed to formulate reasons and explore consequences of views.  And students should expect to become more able to identify beliefs and values, their origins, and consequences.

Instruction in philosophy aims to help students develop and self-impose a discipline and a daring that will risk and sustain encounter with classical, relatively congenial thinkers but also with authors who challenge assumptions and outlooks.  Philosophy helps a person search out not only similarities but also differences in human assumptions and objectives.

Course Offerings and Faculty

Philosophy's course offerings stress diversity with depth in classes that explore a wide range of ethical, epistemological, and metaphysical concerns.  Courses are taught by a faculty differing not only in scholarly concentrations but differing also in teaching modes, life concerns, and styles of interaction in instruction or advising.  Students are urged to sample broadly from both course offerings and faculty interests.

The philosophy department participates in a spectrum of interdisciplinary programs: American Studies, British Studies, Classical Humanities, German Studies, Health-Care Ethics, Hellenic Studies, Paralegal Studies, Pre-Law, Religious Studies, Women's Studies, and the Writing Program.

Philosophy faculty have a triple aim: excellence in teaching, rigor in professional research activities, and generosity and service to students, to the university, and to the broader community.  Full-time faculty have doctorates from Universities of California (Riverside), Emory, Illinois, Miami, Purdue, Washington, and Waterloo; from Massachusetts, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt and Yale universities.  Faculty also participate in and contribute leadership within the American Philosophical Association, Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy, Nietzsche Society, American Society for Value Inquiry, American Academy of Religion, Ohio Philosophical Association, International Society for Chinese Philosophy, and Society for Women in Philosophy.

Majoring or Minoring in Philosophy

Philosophy Major:

The Philosophy major comprises 42 hours of classes.  A student majoring in philosophy starts with 15 hours of basics—introductions to philosophy, ethics, logic (2 courses), and comparative religious thought.  These are the required basics for a student:

• *11001  Introduction to Philosophy
• *11009  Principles of Thinking
• *21001  Introduction to Ethics
• *21002  Introduction to Formal Logic
• *21020  Comparative Religious Thought I

Beyond these basics a student chooses (at least) four courses (12 hours) in philosophy's history.  Philosophy's history courses are:

• 31001   Ancient Greek Philosophy
• 31002   Medieval Philosophy
• 31003   Continental Rationalism
• 31004   British Empiricism
• 31005   German Critical Philosophy
• 31006   Nineteenth Century Philosophy
• 31010   Twentieth Century Philosophy
• 31020   American Philosophy

Each of these courses in philosophy's history is taught as a Writing Intensive Course (WIC) so that a philosophy major takes (at least) four courses with a heavy emphasis on sequenced, varied, and closely counseled writing endeavors.

In addition to the required 27 hours of basics and history, a philosophy major requires 15 upper division hours, at least 9 hours (three courses) at the 40000 level.  The 40000-level courses that a major may elect are courses offered jointly to advanced undergraduates and to graduate students in the department's masters program.  This graduate program emphasizes pluralism and aims to keep fidelity with philosophy's tradition while exploring and expanding newer and emerging views of philosophy's possibilities.

Philosophy Minor:

To minor in philosophy a student must take seven courses.  A student selects any three of these basic courses:

• *11001  Introduction to Philosophy
• *11009  Principles of Thinking
• *21001  Introduction to Ethics
• *21002  Introduction to Formal Logic

Along with these basics, a student chooses four further courses, at least three of which (9 hours) are upper division courses.  These courses must include one of the history of philosophy courses (31001, 31002, 31003, 31004, 31005, 31010, 31020) and one course at the 40000 level.

When course prerequisites are taken into account, the sequence for a philosophy major (or minor) has, then, these features: Three introductory courses (including one of the logic courses) are to be taken before taking any of the history of philosophy courses.  At least one of the history courses must precede any 40000 level course.

The philosophy major (and minor) as specified leave student considerable flexibility for further focus in philosophy and leave student free for substantial work outside philosophy.

Note that the courses listed above that are marked with asterisks (*) fulfill Liberal Education Requirements.  If a freshman student is undecided on major or even on college, it might make sense to follow a philosophy major or minor.  For the LER courses in Philosophy, whether Humanities or in Math/Logic/Foreign Languages, can be counted also toward a philosophy major or minor.  And if another choice is made, work in the philosophy major or minor, or even one or more philosophy courses, gives some exposure to areas of learning broader than only some current vocational concern but at the same time aims to develop capacities relevant to almost any vocational or scholarly discipline.

Formal Declaration of a Major or a Minor in Philosophy

Beyond any statement of intent in admission or other documents, a formal declaration of a major or minor is required.  The formal declaration starts in the student's own college. To complete declaration of a philosophy major or minor, an undergraduate student needs to make an appointment (in 320 Bowman) to meet with the Undergraduate Coordinator.  In that meeting, the student's interests and background will be noted, the student's questions will be answered or redirected, and the student will be assigned a member of the philosophy faculty as a major adviser.  The philosophy department's forwarding of the student's signed (by the adviser) "major" or "minor" sheet to the College Office completes the declaration.

Career Opportunities

Philosophy is not a specifically job-oriented major the way a major in journalism or nursing might be.  Still students majoring in philosophy find themselves well educated in skills attractive to a range of potential employers.  Students with a philosophy background are able to make fine distinctions, to follow and construct arguments, to express themselves well in writing, and to read demanding texts with penetration and care.

Because of their liberal arts backgrounds, philosophy majors may gain employment in a variety of areas.  Training in critical thought can be especially important in business or editing careers.  A humanities background that aids in the understanding of different people and their thought processes and belief sets provides a foundation for employment in public relations, in marketing, and in diplomatic or other government service, including policy analysis.

By far, the largest vocation of philosophers is teaching.  This teaching is done mostly at the college and university level and requires a Ph.D. degree.  Recently, a number of high schools across the country have begun to offer courses in philosophy or the humanities.  One can teach at that level with a B.A. or M.A. degree in philosophy and the appropriate certification in education.  Some teaching at the community college level can be done with an M.A. degree in philosophy.

A scholarship is provided through the Honors College.  Please consult the honors college for details.