Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy
Mission
The Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy at LAU intends to offer a course of study that will prepare outstanding graduates ready to approach life’s challenges, interpersonally and professionally, with the greatest possible range of supple and far-reaching frameworks for reflection, thought, decision, and action.
Program Objectives
The purpose of the Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy is to
- foster in graduates superior critical and analytical capacities for the understanding of the most difficult and profound texts ever written; also, to advance excellent writing abilities and cultivate courageous proclivities for truly independent thinking,
- 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), and foster an open-minded, tolerant, and receptive outlook on what it is to be human,
- 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
- prepare 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.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, students will
- think critically with a strong moral awareness,
- have acquired broad knowledge of ancient and contemporary texts,
- have acquired the dispositions and skills required of an active and responsible citizenry,
- have acquired adaptive abilities particularly suited to a rapidly changing job market, and
- have acquired broad insights into the complexities of the human condition.
Curriculum
A total of 92 credits are required to graduate, as per the following:
- Program Core requirements (42 cr)
- LAC Requirements (34 cr)
- Free Electives (16 cr)
Logic Requirements (6 cr)
History of Philosophy Requirements (12 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)
Core Requirements (9 cr)
- 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 (3 cr)
- PHL327 Philosophy and Mythology (3cr)
- PHL328 Arab and Islamic Philosophy (3 cr)
Individual Philosopher Requirements (6 cr)
Special Topics Requirements (6 cr)
Senior Study Requirements (3 cr)
- PHL499 Senior Study (3 cr)
LAC Requirements (34 cr)
Free Electives (16 cr)
Recommended Study Plan
Year One
Fall (16 cr)
- PHL210 Critical Thinking
- PHL201 Ancient Philosophy
- ENG202 Advanced Academic English
- LAC Electives
- ETH201 Moral Reasoning
Spring (16 cr)
- PHL202 Medieval Philosophy
- PHL211 Symbolic Logic
- ENG203 Fundamentals of Oral Communication
- LAC Elective
- ARA2xx Arabic Language
- CSC201 Computer Applications
Year Two
Fall (16 cr)
- PHL203 Early Modern Philosophy
- PHL302 Theory of Knowledge
- HLT201 Basic Health
- LAC Electives
- Free Electives
Spring (16 cr)
Year Three
Fall (16 cr)
Spring (12 cr)