The Philosophy concentration offers courses covering subjects from the philosophy of religion to the philosophies of science and literature. It also provides survey courses on various periods in the history of philosophy. Concentrators can expect to strengthen their knowledge of and skills in ancient philosophy, early modern philosophy, logic, epistemology and metaphysics. Students are required to identify an area of specialization. There is also a related, but separate concentration in physics and philosophy. 

There is one concentration program in Philosophy, with two optional tracks.

Standard Concentration

Eight courses in philosophy, which may not include more than one course numbered below 0350. In addition, at least one of the courses must be an undergraduate or graduate seminar.

One course in Ancient Philosophy		1
PHIL 0350	Ancient Philosophy
PHIL 1250	Aristotle
PHIL 1260	Plato
PHIL 1310	Myth and the Origins of Science
One course in Early Modern Philosophy		1
PHIL 0360	Early Modern Philosophy
PHIL 1700	British Empiricists
PHIL 1710	17th Century Continental Rationalism
PHIL 1720	Kant: The Critique of Pure Reason
Logic
PHIL 0540	Logic (or higher)	1
Ethics or Political Philosophy
PHIL 0500	Moral Philosophy (or higher)	1
One course in Epistemology or Metaphysics		1
PHIL 1660	Metaphysics
PHIL 1750	Epistemology
PHIL 1770	Philosophy of Mind
Three additional courses is philosophy		3
Total Credits		8

 

Optional tracks:

Ethics and Political Philosophy

Eight courses in philosophy, which may not include more than one course numbered below 0350. 

One course in Ancient Philosophy		1
PHIL 0350	Ancient Philosophy
PHIL 1250	Aristotle
PHIL 1260	Plato
PHIL 1310	Myth and the Origins of Science
One course in Early Modern Philosophy		1
PHIL 0360	Early Modern Philosophy
PHIL 1700	British Empiricists
PHIL 1710	17th Century Continental Rationalism
PHIL 1720	Kant: The Critique of Pure Reason
Logic
PHIL 0540	Logic (or higher)	1
Three courses in ethics or political philosophy at the level of 0400 or higher		3
Two additional philosophy courses		2
Total Credits		8

Logic and Philosophy of Science

Eight courses in philosophy, which may not include more than one course numbered below 0350.  With the approval of the concentration advisor, two appropriate science or mathematics courses may be taken instead of philosophy courses. 

One course in Ancient Philosophy		1
PHIL 0350	Ancient Philosophy
PHIL 1250	Aristotle
PHIL 1260	Plato
PHIL 1310	Myth and the Origins of Science
One course in Early Modern Philosophy		1
PHIL 0360	Early Modern Philosophy
PHIL 1700	British Empiricists
PHIL 1710	17th Century Continental Rationalism
PHIL 1720	Kant: The Critique of Pure Reason
A course in Logic at the level of 1630 or higher		1
One course in Epistemology or Metaphysics		1
PHIL 1660	Metaphysics
PHIL 1750	Epistemology
PHIL 1770	Philosophy of Mind
Three courses in philosophy of science at the level of 0650 or higher		3
One additional philosophy course		1
Total Credits		8

Cross-listed courses may be used to fulfill the requirements of any of the concentrations above only with the approval of the concentration advisor.

Honors

Seniors wishing to earn honors by presenting a senior honors thesis should consult their concentration advisor during their sixth semester concerning procedures and requirements. In addition to completing the usual non-honors requirements, a student must write a thesis judged to be of honors quality by two readers and have a strong record in philosophy department courses (of which at least five must be taken for a letter grade). Honors theses are usually written during a student's final semester at Brown.

 

 

Standard Concentration (for new declarations effective Spring 2013)

10 courses total, of which no more than one may be below PHIL 0200, and at least three must be at or above PHIL 0990.

One course in Ancient Philosophy, e.g.		1
PHIL 0350	Ancient Philosophy
PHIL 1250	Aristotle
PHIL 1260	Plato
PHIL 1310	Myth and the Origins of Science
One course in Early Modern Philosophy, e.g.		1
PHIL 0360	Early Modern Philosophy
PHIL 1700	British Empiricists
PHIL 1710	17th Century Continental Rationalism
PHIL 1720	Kant: The Critique of Pure Reason
One course in Epistemology or Metaphysics, e.g.		1
PHIL 1660	Metaphysics
PHIL 1750	Epistemology
PHIL 1760	Philosophy of Language
PHIL 1770	Philosophy of Mind
One course in Ethics or Political Philosophy, e.g.		1
PHIL 0500	Moral Philosophy
PHIL 0560	Political Philosophy
PHIL 1640	The Nature of Morality
PHIL 1650	Moral Theories
One course in Logic, e.g.		1
PHIL 0540	Logic
PHIL 1630	Mathematical Logic
PHIL 1880	Advanced Deductive Logic
One seminar		1
A course from the PHIL 0990 series
Or any seminar at the 2000-level, which may be counted for one of the other requirements
Specialization: Three related courses from one single area of philosophy: e.g., logic and language; philosophy of science; epistemology; philosophy of mind; moral philosophy; political philosophy; ancient philosophy, etc. 1		3
Capstone		1
Reading Course (PHIL 1990): a reading course for one semester involving one professor and one student, leading to the preparation of a substantial resarch paper on a particular topic. The Reading Course may accompany a 1000-level course being taken concurrently. In this case, the 1000-level course would provide a general overview of the topic and the reading course would consist of a deeper foray into the topic. A one-semester Reading Course may also be a first step towards writing an Honors Thesis.
Senior Seminar (PHIL 0990): Seminars aimed primarily at advanced undergraduates, on varying topics each year, requiring the completion of a substantial research paper.
Graduate Seminar (PHIL 2000-level): seminars mainly aimed at graduate students, but also open to advanced undergraduates, requiring the completion of a substantial research paper.
Honors Thesis: a piece of work expected to be more substantial than the above-mentioned research papers, typically researched and written over the course of the entire senior year (possibly starting with a relevant Reading Course in the first semester) under the supervision of a thesis advisor (possibly, though not necessarily, the specialization advisor). For honors, see below.
Total Credits		10

1

No more than one course may fulfill both a general distribution requirement and a specialization requirement. No more than two courses from departments other than the philosophy department may be counted among the ten courses required for the concentration; no more than one of these two outside courses may count toward the three specialization requirements.  The specialization and the courses that will fulfill it are subject to approval by the DUS when the concentration is declared, but may also be subsequently changed with the DUS's approval.  Concentrators who aim at a general acquaintance with the discipline of philosophy may forgo a specialization and devise an appropriately balanced program of courses beyond the requirements with the approval of the DUS.

 

Honors Requirements:

• Philosophy GPA must be greater than 3.5.  (This refers to the GPA at the beginning of the senior year in all philosophy courses, and including at least six courses).
• Thesis (see Capstone Options)