The philosophy major provides requires courses in the traditional core fields of philosophy, such as the history of philosophy, logic and critical thinking, and value theory. A student must complete 45 credit hours in philosophy with the following provisions:

A GPA of no less than 2.5 in their philosophy courses taken at Oregon State University;
A grade of C- or above in any philosophy course counted toward the major;
All philosophy courses counted toward the major must be graded.
At least 32 credits must be upper division.
At least 12 credits must be 400 level.

The major also requires minimal distributional requirements in the core fields of philosophy:

Philosophical Foundations (11-12 credits)
Must take each of the following courses:

PHL 101 (4 credits) or PHL 121 (3 credits)
PHL 251: Knowers, Knowing and the Known (4 credits)
PHL 205: Ethics (4 credits)

Philosophical Perspectives (24 - 27 credits)
Must take each the following courses:

PHL 301, 302, 303: History of Western Philosophy (4 credits each)

Plus one of the following Logic courses:

PHL 321: Deductive Logic (4 credits)
PHL 325: Scientific Reasoning (4 credits)
PHL 421: Mathematical Logic (4 credits)

And one of the following Value Theory courses:

PHL 207: Political Philosophy (4 credits)
PHL 342: Contemporary Ethics (4 credits)
PHL 344: Pacifism, Just War, and Terrorism (4)
PHL 360: Philosophy and the Arts (4)
PHL 365: Law in Philosophical Perspective (4)
PHL 390: Moral Theories (3 credits)
PHL 417: Feminist Philosophies (3 credits)
PHL 440: Environmental Ethics (3 credits)
PHL 439: Philosophy of Nature (3 credits)
PHL 499: Some Special Topics courses qualify; check with professor.

OR:

One of the following Metaphysics/Epistemology courses:

PHL 325: Scientific Reasoning (4 credits)
PHL 430: History of Buddhist Philosophy (4 credits)
PHL 451: Knowledge & Reality (3 credits)
PHL 470: Philosophy of Science (3 credits)
PHL 365: Law in Philosophical Perspective (4 credits)
PHL 436: Philosophy & Religion (3 credits)
PHL 474: Philosophy of Biology (3 credits)
PHL 499: Some Special Topics courses qualify; check with professor.

And one of the following Diversity courses:

PHL 280: Ethics of Diversity (4 credits)
PHL 308: Buddhist Traditions (4 credits)
PHL 316: Intellectual Issues of Mexico and Mexican Americans (4 credits)
PHL 371: Philosophies of China (4 credits)
PHL 380: The Body, Medicine and Culture (3 credits)
PHL 417: Feminist Philosophies (3 credits)
PHL 430: History of Buddhist Philosophies (4 credits)
PHL 448: Native American Philosophies (3 credits)
PHL 499: Some Special Topics courses qualify; check with professor.

Also the Senior Seminar:

PHL 407: A variety of Seminar Topics offered twice a year (3 credits)

And finally, Philosophy Electives:
As many courses as needed to complete the total credit requirement of 46 hours.

For Philosophy students who joined the department prior to September 2004, please see your advisor for a clarification of requirements.

For further information, contact Dr. Jim Blumenthal, Undergraduate Advisor for the Philosophy Department at:

(541) 737-8597
james.blumenthal@oregonstate.edu
102A Hovland Hall
Corvallis, OR 97331

Philosophy

The Philosophy Major Requirements

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