Program Description

Philosophy studies many of life’s most significant questions. It investigates issues about the fundamental nature of reality, the relation of the mind to the body, the existence of a divine being, and the basis of our most fundamental values: moral, aesthetic, and spiritual. In addition, philosophy is concerned with problems concerning the possibility of knowledge, including questions arising from the role of reason and experience in justifying claims to know and from the challenges raised by various types of skepticism. Therefore, the student of philosophy can pursue a broad range of topics of the greatest historical, intellectual, and personal interest.

The department offers courses that relate these traditional philosophical questions to contemporary work in linguistics, literature, and the social and natural sciences. In addition, the department offers several courses that make a careful study of the classic texts in philosophy, ancient and modern. Moreover, the curriculum covers all the dominant contemporary schools of philosophy in the Anglo-American and European traditions.

The study of philosophy enables students to expand their abilities in critical thinking and reasoning as well as to improve their skills in verbal and written communication. Students may major or minor in philosophy. The department also offers a major in philosophy with a concentration in religious thought.

Philosophy prepares students for many careers as well as for most professional schools, including law and medicine. Students who wish to go to graduate school in philosophy are encouraged to study logic at both the introductory and intermediate levels and any languages that are necessary for advanced scholarship in the different historical eras of philosophy.

Major Requirements

Courses

Eleven courses are required: two at the introductory level, three in the history of philosophy sequence (91–113), and six additional courses (including one advanced seminar). For the lower-division required courses and for some history of philosophy courses, students may petition to substitute courses taken at other institutions. These 11 courses must meet the following distribution requirements:

Introductory. Course 9 and at least one of courses 11, 22, 24, and 26;

History of philosophy. Two of 91, 93, or 94, plus any third course numbered between 91 and 113 (with all three—91, 93, and 94—strongly recommended for students who anticipate graduate work in philosophy). History of philosophy courses taken at other institutions may be substituted by petition, provided that such courses have included intensive study of primary sources;

At least six additional courses numbered 91 and above, one of which must be an advanced seminar numbered 190. Note that the courses counted toward fulfilling the history of philosophy requirement cannot be counted among these six additional courses. Courses 195A, 195B, and 199 also cannot be counted among these six additional courses. All upper-division courses except those in the history of philosophy sequence must be completed at UCSC.

Normal progress for a philosophy major is as follows: first year, take the introductory courses; second year, complete the required three courses in the history of philosophy; third and fourth years, upper-division course work, plus work in advanced seminars. Students are advised to complete lower-division and history of philosophy requirements by their third year at the latest. Transfer students are particularly advised that completion of one or more courses in the history of philosophy is assumed as background for most other upper-division courses in philosophy.

Comprehensive Requirement

In the fourth year, students satisfy the comprehensive (exit) requirement by taking one course numbered 190. This advanced seminar involves a major coherent project that meets the standards of the senior-year level of achievement in philosophy. Students who do superior work in an advanced seminar can be awarded a notation of Honors in the evaluation for that course. In addition to Honors in an advanced seminar, graduating seniors with a distinguished record of achievement in their philosophy courses may be awarded Honors or Highest Honors in the philosophy major.

Minor Requirements

A minor in philosophy consists of any nine of the 11 courses required for the major. There is no senior exit requirement for the minor.

Philosophy Major Planners

Getting started in the right way is important in the study of philosophy. The following are two recommended academic plans for students to complete during their first two years as preparation for the philosophy major. Plan One is a guideline for students who are committed to the major early in their academic career. Plan Two is for students who are considering the philosophy major, but who are interested in other possible majors as well.

Program Planning Notes

Although not as a substitute for the advanced seminar requirement, a student may be given the option of writing a senior essay (course 195A) when a faculty member thinks that the student has already done exceptional work that could be carried to a more advanced level. Normally, the senior essay is completed in one quarter; in unusual circumstances, it can be continued for a second quarter (course 195B), but only if the writing requirements for course 195A are completed successfully and on time. The senior essay, like individual studies more generally, does not count toward the 11 courses required for the major.

After undergraduates have taken the requisite introductory courses, they have a wide range of upper-division courses from which to choose. Those who are considering advanced study are encouraged to consult regularly with any member of the philosophy faculty about the courses that would best prepare them for graduate work.

Philosophy Major with Concentration in Religious Thought

This program is for students who wish to use the discipline of philosophical studies as a basis for pursuing an interest in religion. It consists of an individually planned sequence of at least five courses dealing with religious thought, supplementing a core of courses in philosophy.

A student enters the concentration by petitioning the Department of Philosophy and by proposing, in consultation with a member of the philosophy faculty, a sequence of upper-division courses to fulfill the religious thought concentration. The current adviser is Professor Robert Goff, and prospective philosophy majors who are interested in this concentration are encouraged to consult with him in advance.

Course Requirements

Fourteen courses are required: two introductory philosophy courses, two in the history of philosophy sequence, five additional upper-division philosophy courses, and five upper-division courses in the area of religious thought. For required lower-division courses and for some history of philosophy courses, students may petition to substitute courses taken at other institutions. These 14 courses must meet the following distribution requirements:

Introductory. Two of courses 11, 22, 24, or 26;

History of philosophy. Course 91 and one of course 93 or 94;

Upper-division. Five courses, including course 170 or 171, one advanced seminar (190 series), and any three additional upper-division philosophy courses (excluding 195A and 195B; course 108 is recommended);

Concentration in religious thought. At least five upper-division courses in the area of religious thought from programs on campus such as anthropology, literature, history, and history of art and visual culture. One of these five courses can be an upper-division philosophy course with a focus on religious topics or figures; however, this course must be in addition to course 170 or 171 and the required two courses in the history of philosophy. The upper-division concentration courses may include individual study courses (199). A current list of UCSC courses focusing upon religious history, figures, and texts is maintained by the Philosophy Department Office. All courses from other departments to be used toward the major requirements must be approved in advance by the department’s adviser for the concentration.

Graduate Program

The Department of Philosophy conceives of philosophy as a broad and inherently cross-disciplinary enterprise. Graduate students are able to take advantage of a wide range of courses in the history of philosophy, including ancient, early modern, Kantian, nineteenth-century, American, and early analytic philosophy. Faculty research has focused on such conceptual clusters as mind, brain, and body; consciousness, perception, and action; understanding, interpretation, and language; religion, reason, and probability; moral motivation, practical reason, and virtue ethics; the emotions, psychoanalytic theory, and the will; science and technology; and society and the law.

Both the M.A. and the Ph.D. programs encourage interaction with other fields, and the curriculum includes graduate and undergraduate courses cross-listed with departments such as Psychology, Linguistics, Anthropology, Environmental Studies, History of Consciousness, Legal Studies, Politics, and Women’s Studies. Furthermore, the programs allow for graduate-level study of phenomenology, hermeneutics, critical theory, and poststructuralism.

Graduate Program Requirements

Breadth Requirements in the First Year

During their first year, all graduate students are expected to fulfill a set of breadth requirements. These requirements are designed to provide both a common experience on which students can build their individual projects and a shared framework within which they can exchange ideas. In addition to Philosophy 217, Intermediate Logic, and Philosophy 201, First Year Seminar, students must take at least one course in the area of metaphysics and epistemology and one course in the area of value theory according to a list determined annually by the graduate committee.

Ph.D. Program

The Ph.D. program provides students with closely monitored training in philosophy. The program is designed to be completed in six years or less. Graduate work in philosophy can lead to careers both inside and outside academia. Because most doctoral students will be preparing for a career that involves teaching philosophy, they are encouraged to be teaching assistants for at least three quarters.

Courses: a minimum of 12 graduate courses. Up to two courses may be taken from the offerings of other departments, and up to two courses may be independent studies.

Languages: knowledge of foreign languages will be individually determined based on the relevance of such linguistic skills to the research interests of the student.

Qualifying examination: near the end of required course work, Ph.D. students will develop a research project and write a detailed dissertation prospectus. The qualifying examination, which will normally take place in the student’s third year of study, will consist of an oral examination conducted by the qualifying examination committee, which will include an outside member, on the research proposal.

Dissertation: the final requirement for the Ph.D. degree is an oral presentation of a dissertation representing an original contribution to philosophical research.

M.A. Program

Applications to the M.A. program are welcomed from talented students with diverse academic backgrounds. The program is open not only to applicants who majored in philosophy as undergraduates, but also to applicants who majored in other disciplines and who now want to study philosophy more intensively. The program is designed to be completed in one or two years.

Courses: a minimum of nine graduate courses. Up to two courses may be taken from the offerings of other departments, and up to two courses may be independent studies.

Languages: there is no foreign language requirement for M.A. students.

Master’s paper: as an M.A. student approaches the completion of 45 credits, he or she submits a master’s paper which will form the basis of an oral examination. The oral examination will be conducted by a committee of two faculty members and must occur before the end of the second year of study.

Relationship of the M.A. and Ph.D. Programs

Students in the M.A. and Ph.D. programs will be in the same classes and work on the same course distribution requirements. Enrollment in the M.A. program confers no advantage for admission to the Ph.D. program.

Applications and Admissions

Requests for application forms should be directed to the Department of Philosophy, 234 Stevenson College, (831) 459-4578, philgrad@ucsc.edu. Further information regarding the program may be requested from the Department of Philosophy at (831) 459-4578, fax: (831) 459-2650, philgrad@ucsc.edu. Visit the web site at http://humanities.ucsc.edu/phil/home.html.