BACHELOR OF ARTS (PHILOSOPHY) DEGREE
The Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy) is a degree completion program designed for students wishing to finish their bachelor of arts with a philosophy major and for those desiring a second bachelor’s degree. The program includes three components: the philosophy major, general education requirements, and elective courses.
Goals. The general goal of the program is to inspire students with a love of philosophy as a discipline that seeks the truth and is a guide for life. Through a systematic examination of the major problems traditionally studied in philosophy and a survey of the history of philosophy from classical Greece to the present, students will develop:
- a fundamental knowledge of the content and method of philosophy, especially as exemplified in the thought of Thomas Aquinas.
- a basic understanding of the history of philosophy.
- a facility for critical thought and sound judgment.
- an ability to communicate ideas both orally and in writing.
- a familiarity with traditional methods of academic research.
- an ability to relate the classical philosophic tradition to contemporary thought and to apply both to current philosophical issues.
- an appreciation for diverse philosophical opinions and an understanding of their intellectual and cultural contexts.
Outcomes. In accordance with the goals of the program, students are expected to show prior to graduation that they have acquired the knowledge, skills and abilities that the program envisions:
- The student manifests a fundamental knowledge of the content and method of philosophy, especially as exemplified in the thought of Thomas Aquinas.
- The student demonstrates a basic understanding of the history of philosophy
- The student is able to think critically, to do academic research, and to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
- The student is able to relate the classical philosophic tradition to contemporary thought and to apply both to current philosophical issues.
- The student shows an appreciation for diverse philosophical opinions and an understanding of their intellectual and cultural contexts.
The Philosophy Major. The philosophy major provides students with a thorough grounding in the classical, western philosophical tradition, especially as exemplified in the thought and method of Thomas Aquinas. Students are led to explore the depth of Aquinas’ understanding of the world of physical nature, human life and psychology, being, ethics and knowledge. At the same time, students are introduced to the rich diversity of themes and questions that are part of the philosophical experience of the ancient, medieval, modern and contemporary world. In the course of these studies, students learn habits of critical thinking that will allow them independently to investigate the questions that have been asked and evaluate the truths that have been discovered in each age.
General Education. In keeping with the School's mission to promote the study and effective communication of philosophical and theological truth and with the Dominican tradition of liberal arts education, the general education requirements are designed to ensure that students have a broad background in the humanities and social sciences and development appropriate skills in critical thinking, research, diversity studies, and oral and written communication.
Prerequisite general education Since the School offers only an upper division program for the bachelor’s degree, it is normally expected that students will have fulfilled the initial general education requirements before being admitted to the program. The prerequisite general education course requirements are given below with the admission requirements.
Upper division general education goals and courses The program is designed to allow students to continue to develop their general education skills across the curriculum in oral and written communication, critical analysis and scholarship. Students in the program are also introduced to new areas of scholarship through the upper division general education requirement of six hours of courses in Scripture.
Upper division general education outcomes Prior to graduation, students demonstrate through completion of course and portfolio assessment requirements that they have attained the appropriate general education skills in oral and written communication, critical analysis and scholarship.
Electives. To allow students a degree of freedom in their undergraduate studies, the program includes 27 units of unrestricted elective courses. See General Education Requirements (
144k).
Senior Paper. To demonstrate appropriate command of philosophical research and writing skills, each student is required to write a senior paper of fifteen to twenty pages and to participate in an oral discussion of it. The senior paper is a requirement for graduation in addition to the work entailed in the individual courses in the program. The paper is to show the student's ability to pursue academic research, to think critically and to communicate effectively. The discussion of the paper is to demonstrate the student's proficiency in oral communication of philosophical ideas. The paper topic should be chosen to show either (a) the student's ability to relate the classical philosophic tradition to contemporary thought and to apply both to current philosophical issues or (b) the student appreciation for diverse philosophical opinions and an understanding of their intellectual and cultural contexts. Sometime after completing the first 15 units of required philosophy course work in the program, the student formulates a paper topic, chooses a faculty member to serve as the reader, and submits the form for the senior paper to the academic dean for approval. Upon approval, the student works closely with the reader in writing the paper and submits the completed paper to the reader who then schedules a time to meet with the student for an oral discussion of the paper. Upon satisfactory completion of the paper and oral discussion, the reader submits the paper along with a written evaluation of the paper and the oral discussion to the academic dean for inclusion in the student's portfolio. The paper should be submitted to the reader at least two weeks before the oral discussion. As students may be approved for graduation while still in their final semester of classes, they may also be approved for graduation if the reader attests that the student is making sufficient progress on the senior paper for completion by the end of the semester. As the diploma is not awarded until the grades for the student's final semester in the program have been reviewed and found satisfactory by the academic dean, so the diploma is not awarded until the reader's written evaluation, indicating satisfactory completion of the paper and discussion, is also received and reviewed by the academic dean.
Degree Requirements
The Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy represents the completion of a total of 120 semester units of undergraduate study and the completion and oral discussion of a senior thesis. Students must also complete all assessment portfolio requirements, a checklist for which may be obtained from the Registrar. The program provides 36 semester units of upper division undergraduate courses of which 30 (18 in systematic scholastic philosophy and 12 in historical philosophy) comprise the philosophy major and 6 are upper division general education requirements. Courses are designed to be taken sequentially, respecting the chronology of history of philosophy classes and degree of difficulty of systematic classes. The normal sequence is reflected in the ordering of the courses under each heading in the list below. Students should work closely with their advisors in planning their courses each semester to determine when exceptions to the normal order are warranted. Applicants are normally admitted for the fall semester only. B.A. students may take courses from other GTU schools and/or graduate level courses at DSPT only with the permission of the DSPT Academic Dean. Students in the program must maintain at least a 2.3 grade point average.
One year degree completion: Students who have completed at least six units of the course requirements before admission to the school may be able to complete the program in one academic year, taking 15 units of course work each semester. Such students should work especially closely with their advisors in fulfilling the necessary degree requirements.
Course Offerings:
| History of Philosophy |
|
| History of Ancient Philosophy |
3 |
| History of Medieval Philosophy |
3 |
| History of Modern Philosophy |
3 |
| History of Contemporary Philosophy |
3 |
| |
Total: 12 |
| |
|
| Systematic Philosophy |
|
| Logic |
3 |
| Philosophy of Nature |
3 |
| Philosophical Anthropology |
3 |
| Metaphysics |
3 |
| Theory of Knowledge |
3 |
| Philosophical Ethics |
3 |
| |
Total: 18 |
| |
|
| General Education |
|
| Introduction to Old Testament |
3 |
| Introduction to New Testament |
3 |
| |
Total: 6 |
See Also
Back To Philosophy Department Degree Programs
about us | news & events | admissions
faculty | academics | student services
