Program Requirements
Core
Choose 3 Credit(s).
Traditional syllogistic logic and an introduction to the elements of modern symbolic logic.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-02, GE-04
This course explores what makes reasoning scientific as distinguished from non-scientific. Issues are inductive reasoning, causal reasoning, fallacies, hypothetico-deductive reasoning, falsifiability, and scientific knowledge.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-02, GE-04
Restricted Electives
Select One Area of Specialization
* Select 15 credits from one of the following five areas: Natural Science, Humanities, Social Science, History, Business,
* At least 9 of the 15 credits must be upper division (300-400 level).
* At least 6 of the 15 credits must be upper-division (300-400 level) philosophy courses.
* Course substitution for the upper-division requirements require permission from the Philosophy Department.
Area 1: Natural Science - Choose 15 Credit(s).
Introduction to the basic principles of chemistry including atomic and molecular structure, bonding, chemical reactions, stoichiometry, thermodynamics and states of matter. Laboratory will reinforce lecture concepts. Other prerequisites: High school chemistry or C (2.0) or higher in CHEM 104. C (2.0) or higher in MATH 112 or student must demonstrate math placement requirements at or above MATH 115 in the placement chart. See Mathematics for details.
- Prerequisites:
- CHEM 104 and Select 1 Course: MATH 112, MATH 113, MATH 115, MATH 121. High school chemistry or "C" (2.0) or higher in CHEM 104. "C" (2.0) or higher in MATH 112 or student must demonstrate math placement requirements at or above MATH 115 in the placement chart. See Mathematics for details.
- Goal Areas:
- GE-02, GE-03
This course considers historical and contemporary analyses of the mind in relation to the body and the connection of the mind-body problem to other issues concerning both religion and science.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-06
Theories of knowledge and justification, skeptical attacks on the possibility of knowledge, and anti-skeptical defenses.
- Prerequisites:
- none
An investigation of the most fundamental concepts of reality, including the nature of things, identity over time, modality, causation, free will, space and time, and universals and particulars.
- Prerequisites:
- none
The nature of consciousness, mind and body relations, freedom of action.
- Prerequisites:
- none
This course examines the conceptual and philosophical complexities of efforts to understand the mind in science. Topics include the difference and similarities between humans and other animals, the nature of psychological explanation, and reductive strategies for explaining consciousness, intentionality and language. Fall
- Prerequisites:
- none
Cognitive and epistemic issues surrounding sensory perception, including the nature of perception, its immediate objects, and its ability to deliver knowledge of the world.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Philosophical issues concerning the mental lives of non-human animals, with emphasis on consciousness, rationality, language, and implications for non-human animal ethics.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Nature of explanations, causality, theoretical entities, and selected problems.
- Prerequisites:
- none
This course examines conceptual and philosophical issues in biology, the nature and scope of biological explanation and conflicts between evolutionary and religious explanations for the origin of life.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Area 2: Humanities - Choose 15 Credit(s).
Nature, functions, responsibilities and effects of the media in contemporary society.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-09
- Diverse Cultures:
- Purple
Exploration of the basic principles of visual media design, stressing the significance of images in a mass media society. Special focus on contextualizing historial and technological changes affecting image production for mass media.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-06, GE-7A
- Diverse Cultures:
- Purple
This course is divided into two sections. First, the class explores ethical parameters involved in communication from a variety of social, cultural, and disciplinary perspectives. Second, the class investigates historic and contemporary standards and issues involving freedom of speech and press.
- Prerequisites:
- none
The course provides explanations and analysis of the historical evolution of American mass communication from the colonial period of the 1600s to the present. Students will study media history within the broader contexts of American social and cultural history. Developing a deeper understanding of how mass media evolved will lead to a deeper and more effective comprehension of the roles and effects of mass communication in today's society.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Courses will explore literary representations of, and literary contributions made by, under-represented peoples. Students will develop critical thinking, reading, and writing skills, and increased appreciation of the diversity of human experience. Potential topics include: Multi-Ethnic Literature, Literature and Disability. May be repeated as topics change.
- Prerequisites:
- ENG 101
- Goal Areas:
- GE-06, GE-7A
- Diverse Cultures:
- Purple
Courses will introduce students to works of literature from a variety of world cultures. Designed to increase knowledge of world cultures and appreciation and understanding of cultural differences in representation, and in seeing, believing, and being. Emphasizes critical thinking, reading, and writing. May be repeated with different topics.
- Prerequisites:
- ENG 101
- Goal Areas:
- GE-06, GE-08
Courses will focus on some characteristic ways in which literature addresses and explores the ethical dimensions of human society and the relationships between works and their cultural contexts. Emphasizes critical thinking, reading and writing. May be repeated as topics change.
- Prerequisites:
- ENG 101
- Goal Areas:
- GE-06, GE-09
A study of selected novels from a variety of time periods and cultures, including Eastern and Western Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
- Prerequisites:
- none
This writing-intensive course surveys the earliest Native American literary works, from oral tradition and songs to contemporary works and authors, with a particular emphasis on tribal and cultural contexts that identify these works as Native American.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Diverse Cultures:
- Purple
This course surveys the origins and development of Chicana/o and Latina/o literature, from oral narratives, early poetry, and narrative fiction and memoirs, through the Chicano Movement and the emergence of Chicana/o literature and drama. The course also examines contemporary Chicana/o and Latina/o narrative fiction, including issues related to im/migration, the urban experience, Chicana/o and Latina/o subjectivity, and the reappropriation and reinterpretation of myths, legends, and cultural figures in transnational context.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Diverse Cultures:
- Purple
This writing-intensive course surveys the earliest African American literary works, including slave narratives, poetry, folklore, and oration, through 20th century movements such as the Jazz Age, Harlem Renaissance, and Black Arts Movement of the 1960s, to contemporary works and authors.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Diverse Cultures:
- Purple
Theories of literature and its production and use. Prereq: 6 semester credits in literature.
- Prerequisites:
- 6 semester credits in literature
This course explores what makes reasoning scientific as distinguished from non-scientific. Issues are inductive reasoning, causal reasoning, fallacies, hypothetico-deductive reasoning, falsifiability, and scientific knowledge.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-02, GE-04
To what extent do the differences among races and between genders represent biological differences, and to what extent are they constructed by society? Is racism best conceptualized as an additional burden to sexism or as one different in kind?
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-06, GE-7A
Discussion of theories of value and obligation.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-06, GE-09
Discussion of the ways that a culture both creates human community and shapes self-identity. Exploration of similarities and differences between and interdependence among cultural traditions, and of vocabularies for assessing traditions.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-06, GE-08
Critical discussion of the topics chosen from the Asian philosophical traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Diverse Cultures:
- Purple
In-depth analysis of major European existentialists such as Kierkegaard, Heidegger, and Sartre.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Aesthetic principles, theories, and the creative process. Theories of visual arts, music, literature, dance, etc.
- Prerequisites:
- none
This course investigates some of the central philosophical issues in our thinking about film, including questions about narrative, ontology, ethical criticism of film, the role of artistic intentions in interpretation, artistic medium, and the art/entertainment distinction.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Cognitive and epistemic issues surrounding sensory perception, including the nature of perception, its immediate objects, and its ability to deliver knowledge of the world.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Area 3: Social Science - Choose 15 Credit(s).
To what extent do the differences among races and between genders represent biological differences, and to what extent are they constructed by society? Is racism best conceptualized as an additional burden to sexism or as one different in kind?
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-06, GE-7A
Discussion of the ways that a culture both creates human community and shapes self-identity. Exploration of similarities and differences between and interdependence among cultural traditions, and of vocabularies for assessing traditions.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-06, GE-08
Consideration of the basic philosophical approaches to the idea of justice and how this idea relates to other fundamental ideas in political philosophy, ethics, and law.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-06, GE-09
Human rights and responsibilities in relation to the organization of society and government.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Topics in normative, meta-ethical and applied ethical theory.
- Prerequisites:
- Select one course: PHIL 120W, PHIL 222W, PHIL 224W, or PHIL 226W
Theories of knowledge and justification, skeptical attacks on the possibility of knowledge, and anti-skeptical defenses.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Discussion of philosophical issues in law by way of connecting legal problems to well-developed and traditional problems in philosophy, e.g., in ethics, political philosophy, and epistemology, and investigates the philosophical underpinnings of the development of law. The course takes an analytical approach to law (as opposed to historical sociological, political, or legalistic approaches) and devotes a substantial part of the semester to a major work on law written by a philosopher.
- Prerequisites:
- none
In-depth analysis of major European existentialists such as Kierkegaard, Heidegger, and Sartre.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Cognitive and epistemic issues surrounding sensory perception, including the nature of perception, its immediate objects, and its ability to deliver knowledge of the world.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Introduces students to major issues in society that impact their lives, behaviors, and the way they think. Course requires student to critically address controversial and non-controversial issues through clear argumentations, intensive writings, research and presentations.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-02
A fresh look at the city, with emphasis on the reasons why cities have grown and how people can make cities livable.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-05, GE-08
This course will identify and analyze global social, economic, political and environmental problems impacting community viability and explore the full range of solutions to these problems. The course will view communities as complex, sustainable organisms and bring together the works of the great minds working on sustainability.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-05, GE-10
Area 4: History - Choose 15 Credit(s).
This course examines U.S. constitutional history from its foundations to the current day. Students will read and analyze legal material and explore how U.S. constitutional interpretations changed over time; factors affecting change and resistance; and how constitutional change both reflected and shaped U.S. society, culture, politics, and economics.
- Prerequisites:
- none
The history of Greece and Rome stressing political, social and economic institutions and cultural and intellectual achievements.
- Prerequisites:
- none
European history from the later Middle Ages to the end of the Thirty Years' War (c. 1300-1648). Students will examine the intellectual, religious, and cultural developments in Western-Europe, with special attention given to social life and popular culture.
- Prerequisites:
- none
The history of Europe from the Treaty of Westphalia to the eve of the French Revolution (1648-1789). Course emphasizes absolutism and constitutionalism, the construction of European empires, the scientific revolution and Enlightenment, and social and economic changes.
- Prerequisites:
- none
A comparative history of the rise of the Chinese and Japanese nations from 1945 to the present.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Diverse Cultures:
- Purple
This course will discuss the social, economic, and political issues from the rise of Jackson through the beginning of the Civil War. Major issues to be covered include: Jacksonian Democracy, Industrialization, Reform, Westward Expansion, Slavery, and the 1850's.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Diverse Cultures:
- Purple
Social, political and foreign affairs since World War II.
- Prerequisites:
- none
An examination of the major factors influencing U.S. diplomacy since 1900. Students will examine how influential policy makers defined their diplomatic goals, and how both domestic and external factors have contributed to America's reaction to wars and revolutions around the world.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Diverse Cultures:
- Purple
This course will examine the Vietnam War. Students will discover how and why the U.S. became involved in Vietnam, examine the specific problems faced by American diplomats and military officials, and how the war affected American society.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Diverse Cultures:
- Purple
Survey of Asian philosophical traditions of Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-06, GE-08
- Diverse Cultures:
- Purple
This course will introduce students to important texts in moral and social philosophy that provide the foundation for modern economics. In addition, we will discuss philosophical accounts of rationality, well being, and freedom and their relevance to economic analysis.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Philosophers of Ancient Greece, Rome and the early middle ages: The presocratics, Plato, Aristotle, Hellenistic and Roman philosophers, St. Augustine.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Late Medieval Philosophy and its influence on the Renaissance, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibnitz and Continental Rationalism, Locke, Berkeley, Hume and British Empiricism, and Kant.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Philosophers and philosophies of the 19th century.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Critical discussion of the topics chosen from the Asian philosophical traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Diverse Cultures:
- Purple
Discussion of philosophical issues in law by way of connecting legal problems to well-developed and traditional problems in philosophy, e.g., in ethics, political philosophy, and epistemology, and investigates the philosophical underpinnings of the development of law. The course takes an analytical approach to law (as opposed to historical sociological, political, or legalistic approaches) and devotes a substantial part of the semester to a major work on law written by a philosopher.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Area 5: Business - Choose 15 Credit(s).
Discussion of theories of value and obligation.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-06, GE-09
Ethical perspectives relevant to issues such as euthanasia, genetic engineering, organ transplant, patients' rights, abortion, etc.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-06, GE-09
Introduction to ethical theories and concepts and their application to specific cases in the world of business.V
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-06, GE-09
Questions about human responsibilities to other animals and the environment gain urgency as environmental crises become more prevalent, and animal species continue to be eliminated. Learn about, critique, and apply the principles underlying evaluations of human environmental conduct.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-09, GE-10
Human rights and responsibilities in relation to the organization of society and government.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Topics in normative, meta-ethical and applied ethical theory.
- Prerequisites:
- Select one course: PHIL 120W, PHIL 222W, PHIL 224W, or PHIL 226W
This course will introduce students to important texts in moral and social philosophy that provide the foundation for modern economics. In addition, we will discuss philosophical accounts of rationality, well being, and freedom and their relevance to economic analysis.
- Prerequisites:
- none
Discussion of philosophical issues in law by way of connecting legal problems to well-developed and traditional problems in philosophy, e.g., in ethics, political philosophy, and epistemology, and investigates the philosophical underpinnings of the development of law. The course takes an analytical approach to law (as opposed to historical sociological, political, or legalistic approaches) and devotes a substantial part of the semester to a major work on law written by a philosopher.
- Prerequisites:
- none
A fresh look at the city, with emphasis on the reasons why cities have grown and how people can make cities livable.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-05, GE-08
This course will identify and analyze global social, economic, political and environmental problems impacting community viability and explore the full range of solutions to these problems. The course will view communities as complex, sustainable organisms and bring together the works of the great minds working on sustainability.
- Prerequisites:
- none
- Goal Areas:
- GE-05, GE-10
Degree
Minor
Total Credits
18
Locations
Mankato
Career Cluster
People and Cultures