SUNY Potsdam

36 credit hours required.

The Honors Program in Philosophy is designed to allow students a more rigorous introduction to the discipline than the normal major. It is particularly designed to better prepare students who plan to enter graduate programs in philosophy, law, political science, psychology or other related fields of study. Students will be exposed to a more rigorous set of course requirements, and will write and orally defend a thesis written under advisement of a faculty mentor. Students will thus be better prepared for graduate study in terms of content, and in terms of the discipline and skills needed to thrive in graduate school. They will gain a more in depth understanding of the progression of philosophy by engaging in active philosophical research of contemporary significance.

Eligibility

1.   Philosophy majors with six credit hours in philosophy completed at SUNY Potsdam (or other acceptable institution, to be determined by the faculty)
   
2. 3.5 cumulative GPA in philosophy
3. 3.25 cumulative degree GPA
4. 3.0 minimum grade in all philosophy courses to be applied to major
5. Submit application at least three semesters before graduation.

Requirements
  Senior Thesis and Oral Defense
Thesis will be written as part of a year-long intensive research project on a topic to be approved by the full faculty of the department and which is of interest to both the student and at least one faculty men- tor. The mentor and student will devise a course of study (effectively, design a tutorial) and present the fruits of their research, in the form of an essay, to the department as a whole for approval. An oral defense for the thesis will be required before three members of the faculty to be chosen by the student and mentor. The thesis is to be presented to the faculty by mid-semester of the second semester of the senior year.

  Students who fail to pass their thesis exam but who complete all coursework for the honors program will be granted a standard major in philosophy.

All courses are 3 credits unless noted. Credits are divided as follows:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

		Credits
Required Courses		27
PHIL 210	Introduction to Symbolic Logic*
	or
PHIL 217	Language and Symbolic Logic
PHIL 322	Ancient Philosophy
PHIL 324	Modern Philosophy
PHIL 328	Issues in Ethical Theory
PHIL 440	20th Century Analytic
	or
PHIL 355	Philosophy of Language
PHIL 454	Theory of Knowledge
PHIL 465	Metaphysics
PHIL 480	Honors Thesis Research I (2 credits)
PHIL 481	Honors Thesis Research II (1 credit)
PHIL 387	Selected Philosophers
	or
PHIL 475	Seminar (to be approved by the faculty)
	or
PHIL 495	Special Topics
*It is highly recommended that students also take PHIL 110 Introduction to Logic.
Electives: three of the following		9
PHIL 320	Aesthetics
PHIL 323	Medieval Philosophy
PHIL 325 PHIL 350	19th Century Philosophy Philosophy of Science
PHIL 359	Philosophy of Religion
PHIL 371	Social and Political Philosophy
PHIL 380	Philosophy of Mind