The request to revise the Philosophy Major and Minor and create PHIL 1001 and 1002

Date: September 21, 2016
To: College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
From: Office of Academic Affairs
Approved On: September 1, 2016
Approved by: Undergraduate Course and Curriculum Committee
Implementation Date: Spring 2017


Note: Deletions are strikethroughs. Insertions are underlined.


Catalog Copy

Philosophy, B.A.

Degree Requirements

A Major in Philosophy leading to a B.A. degree consists of a minimum of 33 credit hours in philosophy, at least 18 of which are earned at UNC Charlotte with a grade of C or above, with no more than six nine hours below the 3000-level counting toward the major. Majors are strongly encouraged (but not required) to take the Senior Seminar, a capstone course, in one of their last three semesters.

General Education Courses (37-43 credit hours)

For details on required courses, refer to the General Education program.

Foreign Language Courses (3-4 credit hours)

Students majoring in philosophy must complete either a 2000-level course in a foreign language that uses the Latin alphabet (French, German, Italian, Spanish, etc.) or a 1202-level course in a foreign language that is not written in the Latin alphabet (Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Russian, etc.), or demonstrate proficiency at that level. Intermediate American Sign Language is also accepted. Non-native speakers of English may complete the foreign language requirement by passing UWRT 1101 and UWRT 1102 or the equivalent.

Foundation Courses (3 9 credit hours)

* PHIL 1105 – Critical Thinking (W) (3)

* PHIL 3620 – Senior Seminar (W, O) (3). Prerequisites (18 hours): PHIL 1105; one of PHIL 1001, PHIL 1002, PHIL 2101, or PHIL 2102; and any 12 additional credits in philosophy.

Plus sSelect one of the following (3 credits):

  • PHIL 1001 – Philosophy of Death and Dying (3)
  • PHIL 1002 – Philosophy of Sex and Love (3)
  • PHIL 12101 – Introduction to Philosophy (3)
  • PHIL 12102 – Introduction to Philosophy – Writing Intensive (3)

Major Courses (30 24 credit hours)

Logic Courses (3 credit hours)

  • PHIL 2105 – Deductive Logic (3)

Note:

PHIL 1105 – Critical Thinking is not required, but strongly recommended.

One 3-credit course minimum from each of the following four categories (12 credits total): History/Genealogy, Ethics/Aesthetics, Knowledge/Language, and Identity/Society.

The final 12 credits may be from any combination of the four categories listed above and/or include courses from the following list: Phil 2105 Deductive Logic; Phil 3610 Independent Study; PHIL 3380 Internship; PHIL 3791 Honors Thesis. For students with multiple majors only: one 3-credit, 3000 or 4000 level course from another major, as approved by the Philosophy Undergraduate Director, may be double-counted as part of the final 12 credits in the philosophy major.

History/Genealogy Courses (9 credit hours)

  • PHIL 3010 – Ancient Philosophy (3)
  • PHIL 3020 – Modern Philosophy (3)

Plus one of the following:

PHIL 3030 – Twentieth-Century Philosophy (3)

  • PHIL 3110 – Medieval Philosophy (3)
  • PHIL 3120 – Nineteenth-Century Philosophy (3)
  • PHIL 3130 – American Philosophy (3)
  • PHIL 3140 – Existentialism (3)
  • PHIL 3170 – Major Figure in Philosophy (3)
  • PHIL 3190 – Topics in History/Genealogy (3)
  • PHIL 4190 – Advanced Topics in History/Genealogy (3)

Ethics/Aesthetics Courses (6 credit hours)

  • PHIL 3210 – Ethical Theory (3)

Plus one of the following:

  • PHIL 3220 – Aesthetics (3)
  • PHIL 3230 – Healthcare Ethics (3)
  • PHIL 3239 – Ethics Bowl Prep (3)
  • PHIL 3240 – Ethics Bowl (3)
  • PHIL 3310 – IT Ethics (3)
  • PHIL 3320 – Engineering Ethics (3)
  • PHIL 3330 – Philosophy and Literature (3)
  • PHIL 3340 – Business Ethics (3)
  • PHIL 3390 – Topics and Ethics/Aesthetics (3)
  • PHIL 4390 – Advanced Topics in Ethics/Aesthetics (3)

Knowledge/Language Courses (6 credit hours)

  • PHIL 3410 – Knowledge and Reality (3)

Plus one of the following:

  • PHIL 3420 – Philosophy of Language (3)
  • PHIL 3430 – Mind, Cognition, and Behavior (3)
  • PHIL 3510 – Advanced Logic (3)
  • PHIL 3520 – Philosophy of Science (3)
  • PHIL 3530 – Philosophy of Religion (3)
  • PHIL 3590 – Topics and Knowledge/Language (3)
  • PHIL 4590 – Advanced Topics in Knowledge/Language (3)

Identity/Society Courses (6 credit hours)

  • PHIL 3810 – Social and Political Philosophy (3)

Plus one of the following:

  • PHIL 3820 – Feminist Philosophy (3)
  • PHIL 3830 – Philosophy and Race (3)
  • PHIL 3910 – Philosophy of War and Peace (3)
  • PHIL 3920 – Philosophy of Technology (3)
  • PHIL 3930 – Philosophy of Body (3)
  • PHIL 3940 – Philosophy of Education (3)
  • PHIL 3990 – Topics and Identity/Society (3)
  • PHIL 4990 – Advanced Topics in Identity/Society (3)

Unrestricted Elective Courses

As needed.

Degree Total = 120 Credit Hours

Grade Requirements

A GPA of 2.5 is required for all philosophy courses applied to the major.

Honors Program

For details about the Honors Program in Philosophy, visit the program page.

Suggested Curriculum

For a suggested curriculum progression toward completing the major, please see the Academic Plan of Study available online at academics.uncc.edu.

Philosophy, Minor

A Minor in Philosophy consists of 18 credit hours in philosophy, at least twelve of which are earned at UNC Charlotte with a grade of C or above, with no more than six hours below the 3000-level counting toward the minor.

Philosophy Minor Program Requirements

Foundation Course Courses (3 6 credit hours)

PHIL 1105 – Critical Thinking (3)

Plus sSelect one of the following:

  • PHIL 1001 – Philosophy of Death and Dying (3)
  • PHIL 1002 – Philosophy of Love and Sex (3)
  • PHIL 12101 – Introduction to Philosophy (3)
  • PHIL 12102 – Introduction to Philosophy – Writing Intensive (3)

Logic Courses (3 credit hours)

Select one of the following:

  • PHIL 1105 – Critical Thinking (3)
  • PHIL 2105 – Deductive Logic (3)
  • PHIL 3510 – Advanced Logic (3)

History/Genealogy Courses (6 credit hours)Additional, upper-level courses (12 credits)

Select two of the following:

  • PHIL 3010 – Ancient Philosophy (3)
  • PHIL 3020 – Modern Philosophy (3)
  • PHIL 3030 – Twentieth-Century Philosophy (3)
  • PHIL 3110 – Medieval Philosophy (3)
  • PHIL 3120 – Nineteenth-Century Philosophy (3)
  • PHIL 3130 – American Philosophy (3)
  • PHIL 3140 – Existentialism (3)
  • PHIL 3170 – Major Figure in Philosophy (3)
  • PHIL 3190 – Topics in History/Genealogy (3)
  • PHIL 4190 – Advanced Topics in History/Genealogy (3)At least 6 credits must be from a minimum of two of the following categories, all of the courses in which are 3000 or 4000 level: Ethics/Aesthetics, History/Genealogy, Knowledge/Language, or Identity/Society. There are no required courses within these categories.
  • The other 6 credits may be from any combination of the four categories and/or include courses from the following list: Phil 2105 Deductive Logic; Phil 3610 Independent Study; PHIL 3380 Internship

Ethics/Aesthetics, Knowledge/Language, or Identity/Society Courses (6 credit hours)

Select two additional courses from among those listed above in the following categories:

Ethics/Aesthetics

Knowledge/Language

Identity/Society

PHIL 1001 – Philosophy of Death and Dying

Credit Hours: (3)

Introduces students to the field of philosophy via the theme of death and dying. Examines the meaning(s) of death and dying and how one’s attitude toward death could be connected to living a good life. Includes both historical (e.g., Plato, Tolstoy, Camus, and Beauvoir) and contemporary perspectives in bioethics on death and dying. Topics in bioethics may include: euthanasia, physician assisted suicide, brain death, and end-of-life care such as hospice and palliative care.

PHIL 1002 – Philosophy of Love and Sex

Credit Hours: (3)

Introduces students to the field of philosophy via the topic of love and sex. Includes both historical (e.g., Plato, Augustine and Freud) and contemporary perspectives on love and sex. Topics may include: monogamy, homosexuality, bisexuality, intersexuality, sexual perversion and normality, masturbation, rape, prostitution, gay marriage, and pornography.

PHIL 2101 1101 – Introduction to Philosophy

Credit Hours: (3)

Same content as PHIL 2102 1102, but does not fulfill the General Education writing goal. Students can receive credit for either PHIL 2101 1101 or PHIL 2102 1102, but not both. Exploration of some of the basic problems that have shaped the history of philosophy (truth, knowledge, justice, beauty, etc.) and remain relevant to students today on personal and professional levels. Readings will range from classical to contemporary texts by a variety of philosophers representing diverse perspectives on these problems. Please see the descriptions in Banner attached to each section to appreciate the different ways this course is taught every semester. Note: While PHIL 2101 1101 or PHIL 2102 1102 are not prerequisites for courses at the 3000-level and above, students who have taken PHIL 2101 1101 or PHIL 2102 1102 typically benefit more from upper level philosophy courses than students who have not.

PHIL 2102 1102 – Introduction to Philosophy – Writing Intensive

Credit Hours: (3) (W)

Same content as PHIL 2101 1101, but fulfills the General Education writing goal. Students can receive credit for either PHIL 2101 1101 or PHIL 2102 1102, but not both. Exploration of some of the basic problems that have shaped the history of philosophy (truth, knowledge, justice, beauty, etc.) and remain relevant to students today on personal and professional levels. Readings will range from classical to contemporary texts by a variety of philosophers representing diverse perspectives on these problems. Please see the descriptions in Banner attached to each section to appreciate the different ways this course will be taught every semester. Makes substantial use of writing as a tool for learning. Note: While PHIL 2101 1101 or PHIL 2102 1102 are not prerequisites for courses at the 3000-level and above, students who have taken PHIL 2101 1101 or PHIL 2102 1102 typically benefit more from upper level philosophy courses than students who have not.

Other Requirements Satisfied (O, W, SL): General Education – Writing in the Disciplines (W)