Mission

The Philosophy program at LAU intends to offer a course of study that will produce outstanding graduates prepared to approach life’s challenges, interper­sonally and professionally, with the greatest possible variety of supple and far-reaching frameworks for reflection, thought, decision, and action.

Program Objectives

The purpose of the Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy program is to:

1. Produce graduates who have: superior critical and analytical capaci­ties; the ability to read and understand some of the most difficult and profound texts ever written; excellent writing abilities; and courageous proclivities for truly independent thinking;
2. Not merely to help students acquire a particular set of skills (although this will be one outcome of the sustained practice of closely reading and think­ing about extremely difficult texts, and attempting to write clearly, pene­tratingly, and persuasively about them), but also to foster an open-mind­ed, tolerant, and receptive outlook on what it is to be human
3. Help students to develop the ability to think clearly and reflect deeply about their individual lives, their communities, the world around them, and what it all means. The emergence of a substantial number of such individuals could have a meaningful and highly constructive impact on the relevant cultural, social, and political surroundings; and
4. Prepare our students to enter the job market with corporations and other large international organizations who have been clamoring for better edu­cated and more cultured employees capable of thinking for themselves, strong in their communication and comprehension skills. Experience has taught those employers that majors in fields such as philosophy, English, and history have repeatedly excelled at their jobs in banking, finance, law, economics, and international relations.

Program Outcomes

Graduates in the Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy will:

1. Become critical thinkers with a strong moral awareness;
2. Acquire broad knowledge of ancient and contemporary texts;
3. Acquire the dispositions and skills required of an active and responsible citizenry;
4. Acquire adaptive abilities particularly suited to a rapidly changing job market; and
5. Acquire broad insights into the complexities of the human condition.

Admission Requirements

A total of 92 credits are required to graduate, based on:

Program Requirements

Major Core Requirements (19 credits):

• PHL210 / Critical and Creative Thinking (3 cr.)
• PHL211 / Symbolic Logic (3 cr.)
• PHL201 / Ancient Philosophy: From the Pre-Socrates to the Epicureans and the Stoics (3 cr.)
• PHL202 / Medieval Philosophy: From Plotinus to Ockham (3 cr.)
• PHL203 / Early Modern Philosophy: From Montaigne to Kant (3 cr.)
• PHL204 / Modern Philosophy: from Hegel to Heidegger and/or Frege to Wittgenstein (3 cr.)

Emphasis Requirements – Choose eight courses (24 Credits):

• PHL301 / Ethics (3 cr.)
• PHL302 / Theory of Knowledge (3cr.)
• PHL303 / Metaphysics (3cr.)
• PHL311 / Philosophy of Religion (3 cr.)
• PHL321 / Philosophy of Art (3 cr.)
• PHL322 / Philosophy in Literature and Film (3 cr.)
• PHL323 / Philosophy of History (3 cr.)
• PHL324 / Philosophy of Science (3 cr.)
• PHL325 / Philosophy of Mind (3 cr.)
• PHL326 / Social and Political Philosophy ( 3cr.)
• PHL327 / Philosophy and Mythology ( 3cr.)
• PHL328 / Arab and Islamic Philosophy ( 3cr.)

Sample Study Plan

Year One

Fall (16 credits)

• PHL210 / Critical Thinking
• PHL201 / Ancient Philosophy
• ENG202 / Sophomore Rhetoric
• LAC Electives
• ETH201 / Moral Reasoning

Spring (16 credits)

• PHL202 / Medieval Philosophy
• PHL211 / Symbolic Logic
• ENG203 / Fundamental of Oral Communication
• LAC Elective
• ARA201 / Appreciation of Arabic Literature
• CSC201 / Computer Applications

Year Two

Fall (16 credits)

• PHL203 / Early Modern Philosophy
• PHL351 / Aristotle
• PHL302 / Theory of Knowledge
• LAC Electives
• HLT201 / Basic Health

Spring (16 credits)

• PHL204 / Modern Philosophy
• PHL305 / Hegel
• PHL301 / Ethics
• LAC Elective
• PED101 / Free elective

Year Three

Fall (15 credits)

• PHL324 / Philosophy of Science
• PHL391 / Heidegger and the Pre-Socratics
• LAC Elective
• Free Electives

Spring (12 credits)

• PHL390 / Philosophy of the Environment
• PHL499 / Senior Study
• Free Electives