School of Arts and Humanities
Philosophy (BA)
Philosophy is one of the most broad-based, rigorous, interdisciplinary, and socially engaged of the liberal arts. Philosophy engages deep, important, and persistent questions, questions concerning the nature of the good life, why we believe and how we know, the nature of the self and its connection with the world and with society, and the foundations of justice. Philosophy engages such questions through critical analysis of textual evidence, clear and rigorous argumentation, and questioning of unexamined personal and cultural assumptions. The study of the history of philosophy from all cultures is central to this pursuit.
Far from being an abstruse, removed, and self-contained pursuit, Philosophy at UT Dallas is engaged and interdisciplinary. It is closely connected with the interdisciplinary Arts & Humanities program, drawing on and contributing to the study of history, literature, and the arts. It is particularly suited to the STEM excellence of UT Dallas, with a practical and theoretical emphasis on the philosophy of science, technology, and medicine. Finally, the UT Dallas Philosophy BA program is highly pluralistic and intellectually diverse, with emphases in continental, analytic, feminist, American, and non-Western philosophical traditions.
Since the following catalog course descriptions are very general, students are urged to consult the detailed course descriptions available on the web site for the School of Arts and Humanities.
Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy
Degree Requirements (120 semester credit hours)1
View an Example of Degree Requirements by Semester
Faculty
Professor: Charles R. Bambach
Associate Professor: Matt Brown
Assistant Professor: Katherine Davies
Senior Lecturer: Lawrence Amato
I. Core Curriculum Requirements: 42 semester credit hours2
Communication: 6 semester credit hours
COMM 1311 Survey of Oral and Technology-based Communication
RHET 1302 Rhetoric
Mathematics: 3 semester credit hours
PHIL 2303 Introduction to Logic3
Or select any 3 semester credit hours from Mathematics core courses
Life and Physical Sciences: 6 semester credit hours
Select any 6 hours rom Life and Physical Sciences core courses
Language, Philosophy and Culture: 3 semester credit hours
PHIL 1301 Introduction to Philosophy3
Or select any 3 semester credit hours from Language, Philosophy and Culture core courses
Creative Arts: 3 semester credit hours
Select any 3 semester credit hours from Creative Arts core courses
American History: 6 semester credit hours
Select any 6 semester credit hours from American History core courses
Government / Political Science: 6 semester credit hours
GOVT 2305 American National Government
GOVT 2306 State and Local Government
Social and Behavioral Sciences: 3 semester credit hours
Select any 3 semester credit hours from Social and Behavioral Sciences core courses
Component Area Option: 6 semester credit hours
Select any 6 semester credit hours from Component Area option courses
II. Major Requirements: 45 semester credit hours
Major Preparatory Courses: 0 semester credit hours beyond Core Curriculum4
PHIL 1301 Introduction to Philosophy3
PHIL 2303 Introduction to Logic3
Major Core Courses: 9 semester credit hours
ARHM 3342 Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies in the Arts and Humanities
PHIL 3321 Philosophical Traditions I
PHIL 4328 Philosophy Capstone Project
Major Distribution Courses: 12 semester credit hours
6 semester credit hours of lower- or upper-division courses in History of Philosophy
PHIL 2316 History of Philosophy I
PHIL 2317 History of Philosophy II
PHIL 3322 Ancient Philosophy
PHIL 3323 Early Modern Philosophy
PHIL 3324 19th and 20th Century Philosophy
3 semester credit hours of upper-division courses in Theoretical Philosophy
PHIL 3373 Philosophy of Mind
PHIL 4308 Theories of Knowledge
PHIL 3328 History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine
3 semester credit hours of upper-division courses in Practical Philosophy
PHIL 3375 Contemporary Ethical Issues
PHIL 3320 Medical Ethics
PHIL 4323 Ethical Theories
PHIL 4324 Social and Political Philosophy
PHIL 4325 Philosophy of Art and Aesthetics
Major Elective Courses: 15 semester credit hours
15 semester credit hours of upper-division Philosophy electives, including Major Figures, Great Texts, Traditions, and Special Topics courses.
Major-Related Courses: 9 semester credit hours
Students may select any combination of upper-division courses in Arts and Humanities, Visual and Performing Arts, Art History, Visual Arts, Communications, Creative Writing, Dance, Theatre, Film Studies, Humanities, Literature, Language, and/or Music. Students should consider taking some of the following courses with significant philosophical content:
LIT 3316 The Literature of Science Fiction
LIT 3317 The Literature of Fantasy
LIT 3328 Ethics in Literature
LIT 3330 Linguistics
LIT 3334 Literature of Science
LIT 4330 Dante's Divine Comedy
LIT 4348 Topics in Literature
HIST 3302 Gender in Western Thought
HIST 3376 American Intellectual History, Colonial to the Civil War
HIST 3377 American Intellectual History, Civil War to the Present
HIST 4358 Topics in Asian History
HIST 4380 Topics in Intellectual History
COMM 3351 History and Theory of Communication
COMM 3352 Media and Culture
COMM 4360 Communication Ethics
III. Elective Requirements: 33 semester credit hours
Free Electives: 33 semester credit hours
Both upper-and lower-division courses may be used as electives, but students must complete at least 51 semester credit hours of upper-division courses to qualify for graduation. Students may want to consider using some free elective credit to complete one of the approved minors offered by UT-Dallas, and should consult their academic advisor for more information about their choices.
Students should further consider using some of their free electives to supplement their degree by taking some of the following courses with significant philosophical content:
CS 3385 Ethics, Law, Society, and Computing
ECON 4381 History of Economic Ideas
ECS 3361 Social Issues and Ethics in Computer Science and Engineering
PSCI 3301 Political Theory
PSCI 3306 Political Economy
PSY 3360 Historical Perspectives on Psychology: Mind and Machines since 1600
SOC 3303 Classical Social Theory
Incoming freshmen must enroll and complete requirements of ARHM 1100.1
1. Incoming freshmen must enroll and complete requirements of UNIV 1010 and the corresponding school-related freshman seminar course. Students, including transfer students, who complete their core curriculum at UT Dallas must take UNIV 2020.
2. Curriculum Requirements can be fulfilled by other approved courses from institutions of higher education. The courses listed are recommended as the most efficient way to satisfy both Core Curriculum and Major Requirements at UT Dallas.
3. A required Preparatory course that also fulfills a Core Curriculum requirement. Semester credit hours may be counted in Core Curriculum.
4. 0 semester credit hours beyond Core Curriculum, if the student has not previously completed other courses to satisfy these core curriculum requirements.
5. These courses may have prerequisites not listed in the degree plan, and may add to the student's time to degree.