Concentration Requirements

1. Complete 15 upper-division units in Philosophy

In addition, at least 21units total, from the categories listed below. (Note: Only 6 of these units can be used to fulfill Liberal Studies BA or General Education breadth requirements.)

Choose one course from each of the following two clusters (6 units):

2. Critical Thinking (choose one):

PHIL 2000 Philosophical Inquiry   GE A-3
PHIL 2100 Logic

3. History and Methods (choose one):

PHIL 1010 Introduction to Philosophy GE C-2
PHIL 2200 Ancient Philosophy GE C-2
PHIL 2230 Modern Philosophy  GE C-2
PHIL 2700 Introduction to Political Philosophy  GE C-2
PHIL 3010 Advanced Introduction to Philosophy GE F-2

Choose your remaining courses from the following two clusters (15 units):
Note: At least two of these courses must satisfy the LIBS "Integrative Inquiry" requirement for Liberal Studies majors. LIBS options include: PHIL 3700, 3750, 3850, 4420, or 4800.

4. Ethics & Value Inquiry (choose at least two courses):

PHIL 2400 Contemporary Moral Issues  GE C-2
PHIL 2500 Philosophy and Film
PHIL 3050 Existentialism
PHIL 3400 Ethics  WP
PHIL 4401 Professional Ethics  GE F-2
PHIL 4450 Eastern Philosophy: Concepts, Methods, and Context
PHIL 4500 Philosophy of Art  WP

5. Self and Context (choose at least two courses):

PHIL 3700 Concepts of Race and Identitiy in Philosophical Perspective
PHIL 3750 Concepts of Home LIBS 4-C
PHIL 3850 Information and Community LIBS 4-C
PHIL 4000 Philosophy through Literature
PHIL 4600 Philosophy and Feminism
PHIL 4800 Nature Revisited: Environmental Issues in Philosophical Perspective LIBS 4-C
PHIL 4980 Individual Study

Sample Concentrations:

Values and Social/Political Issues:

PHIL 2000 Philosophical Inquiry
PHIL 2200 Ancient Philosophy
PHIL 3400 Ethics
PHIL 4450 Eastern Philosophy
PHIL 3750 Concepts of Home
PHIL 4800 Nature Revisited
PHIL 4980 Independent Study: Philosophy for Children or:

PHIL 2000 Philosophical Inquiry
PHIL 3010 Advanced Introduction to Philosophy
PHIL 2400 Contemporary Moral Issues
PHIL 4450 Eastern Philosophy
PHIL 3750 Concepts of Home
PHIL 4800 Nature Revisited
PHIL 4980 Independent Study: Philosophy for Children

Values and Social/Political Issues:

PHIL 2000 Philosophical Inquiry
PHIL 2700 Political Philosophy
PHIL 4401 Professional Ethics
PHIL 4500 Philosophy of Art
PHIL 3750 Concepts of Home
PHIL 4800 Nature Revisited
PHIL 4980 Independent Study: Philosophy for Children

or:

PHIL 2000 Philosophical Inquiry
PHIL 2700 Political Philosophy
PHIL 4401 Professional Ethics
PHIL 4500 Philosophy of Art
PHIL 4600 Philosophy & Feminism
PHIL 3850 Information & Community
PHIL 4980 Independent Study: Philosophy for Children

Rationale for the new Concentration:

The previous LIBS Concentration in Philosophy emphasized very traditional coursework in Philosophy, more clearly suited to a student who might otherwise major in Philosophy (if not for the career choice to become an elementary school teacher) than to the student who has chosen a prospective career in elementary school teaching and wants the skills and background to apply philosophy in this context. The new program addresses the needs of Liberal Studies students interested in bringing philosophical thinking to life in their elementary classroom.

The changes reflect a curriculum with theoretical coherence and practical application to the career path of a Liberal Studies student. Students choosing the Concentration in Applied Philosophy will develop basic philosophical capacities to read and analyze philosophical texts and arguments. They will develop skills in ethical analysis and value inquiry, and learn to apply philosophical thinking as a basis for humanistic inquiry concerning socially relevant issues of self and context.

The revised program encourages students to take more than one of the newly developed Applied Philosophy courses in the LIBS Integrative area focused on Humanistic Inquiry. It also includes an independent study project in an area of application concerning philosophy for children.

We have included only those philosophy courses from our curriculum likely to have an application to a student's career as an elementary-level educator. With more and more research reflecting effective ways to bring philosophical thinking to life in the elementary school classroom setting, we expect these teachers to benefit from philosophical training that prepares them conceptually to develop curricular modules emphasizing methods of philosophical questioning and analysis tailored to the receptive capacities of their students.

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Updated: November 09, 2023