Overview

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 frameworks for reflection, thought, decision, and action.

Program Objectives

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

1. 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,
2. 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,
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 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:

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

Curriculum

A total of 92 credits are required to graduate, distributed as follows:

• Philosophy courses (36 credits)
• LAC Courses (34 credits)
• Free Electives (22 credits)

The Philosophy courses are distributed across 7 areas of course work:

1. Logic Requirement: 3 credits from the following courses

• PHL210 Critical & Creative Thinking (3 cr. )
• PHL211 Symbolic Logic (3 cr.)

2. Ethics Requirement: 3 credits from the following courses

• PHL301 Ethics (3 cr.)
• PHL326 Social and Political Philosophy (3 cr.)

3. History of Philosophy Requirement: 6 credits from the following courses

• PHL201 Ancient Philosophy (3 cr.)
• PHL202 Medieval Philosophy (3 cr.)
• PHL203 Early Modern Philosophy (3 cr.)
• PHL304 19th Century Philosophy (3 cr.)
• PHL328 Arab & Islamic Philosophy (3 cr.)

4. Theoretical Philosophy Requirements: 9 credits from the following

• PHL302 Theory of Knowledge (3 cr.)
• PHL303 Metaphysics (3 cr.)
• PHL306 Phenomenology (3 cr.)
• PHL307 Philosophy of Language (3 cr.)
• PHL311 Philosophy of Religion (3 cr.)
• PHL321 Philosophy of Art (3 cr.)
• PHL322 Philosophy in Literature & Film (3 cr.)
• PHL323 Philosophy of History (3 cr.)
• PHL324 Philosophy of Science (3 cr.)
• PHL325 Philosophy of Mind (3 cr.)
• PHL401 Topics in Philosophy(3 cr)

5. Individual Philosopher Requirements: 3 credits

• PHL350 Individual Philosophers (3 cr.)

6. Philosophy Electives: 9 credits from the following

• PHL210 Critical & Creative Thinking (3 cr. )
• PHL211 Symbolic Logic (3 cr.)
• PHL301 Ethics (3 cr.)
• PHL302 Theory of Knowledge (3 cr.)
• PHL303 Metaphysics (3 cr.)
• PHL311 Philosophy of Religion (3 cr.)
• PHL201 Ancient Philosophy (3 cr.)
• PHL202 Medieval Philosophy (3 cr.)
• PHL203 Early Modern Philosophy (3 cr.)
• PHL304 19th Century Philosophy (3 cr)
• PHL328 Arab & Islamic Philosophy (3 cr.)
• PHL306 Phenomenology (3 cr)
• PHL307 Philosophy of Language (3 cr)
• PHL325 Philosophy of Mind (3 cr.)
• PHL324 Philosophy of Science (3 cr.)
• PHL321 Philosophy of Art (3 cr.)
• PHL326 Social and Political Philosophy (3 cr.)
• PHL322 Philosophy in Literature & Film (3 cr.)
• PHL323 Philosophy of History (3 cr.)
• PHL327 Philosophy and Mythology (3 cr)
• PHL350 Individual Philosophers (3 cr.)

7. Senior Study Requirements (3 credits)

• PHL499 Senior Study (3 cr.)

LAC Requirements (34 credits)

Free Electives (22  credits)

Recommended Study Plan

Year One

Fall (16 credits)

• PHL211 Symbolic Logic (3 cr)
• PHL302 Theory of Knowledge (3 cr)
• PHL301 Ethics (3 cr)
• LAC English requirement (3 cr)
• LAC Computer Applications Requirement (3 cr)
• Free Elective (3 cr)

Spring (16 credits)

• PHL311 Philosophy of Religion (3 cr)
• PHL303 Metaphysics (3 cr)
• LAC English requirement (3 cr)
• LAC Arabic requirement (3 cr)
• LAC Ethics requirement (3 cr)
• Free Elective (3 cr)

Year Two

Fall (15 credits)

• PHL203 Early Modern Philosophy (3 cr)
• PHL201 Ancient Philosophy (3 cr)
• Free Elective (3 cr)
• Free Elective (3 cr)
• Humanities LAC Elective (3 cr)

Spring (15 credits)

• PHL325 Philosophy of Mind (3 cr)
• English LAC elective (3 cr)
• Science LAC elective (3 cr)
• Art LAC elective (3 cr)
• Humanities LAC elective (3 cr)

Year Three

Fall (16 credits)

• PHL322 Philosophy in Literature and Film (3 cr)
• PHL307 Philosophy of Language (3 cr)
• Free elective (3 cr)
• Social Sciences LAC elective (3 cr)
• Free elective (3 cr)
• Free elective (3 cr)

Spring (14 credits)

• PHL350 Individual Philosopher (3 cr)
• PHL499 Senior Study
• Humanities LAC elective (3 cr)
• LAC Physical Education requirement (1 cr)
• Free elective (3 cr)