What is the Course Curriculum for a Philosophy Major?

<h3 id="section---CourseCurriculumForPhilosophyMajor"> Course Curriculum for Philosophy Major</h3> <h3 id="section---ImportantFactsAboutCourseCurriculumForPhilosophyMajors">Important Facts About Course Curriculum for Philosophy Majors</h3> <p /> <table border="1"><tr><td> Concentration </td><td> Law and Justice, Philosophy and Classics, Linguistics and Philosophy, Philosophy and Math, Philosophy and Physics, Philosophy and Political Science, Philosophy and Psychology, Philosophy and Religion</td></tr> <tr><td> Learning Environment </td><td> Traditional classroom and online options available</td></tr> <tr><td> Continuing Education </td><td> Master's and doctoral degrees</td></tr> <tr><td> Possible Careers </td><td> Law, Educator, Journalism, Publishing, Public Relations, Religion, Management, Politics, Public Policy</td></tr> <tr><td> Key Skills </td><td> Analytical, synthetic and critical thinking, problem solving, detail oriented, memory recall, excellent oral and written communication</td></tr> <tr><td>Median Salary (2021)*</td><td> $77,610 <i>(philosophy and religion teachers, post-secondary)</i></td></tr> <tr><td>Job Outlook (2021-2031)*</td><td>9% <i>(philosophy and religion teachers, post-secondary)</i></td></tr> </table><p><i>Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</i> </p> <h3 id="section---Logic">Logic</h3> <p>Required logic courses cover different types of logic. Students follow and analyze different types of arguments and learn to defend and present their own positions. Logic courses also typically cover the basic laws of reasoning and common logical fallacies by using examples in reasoning. </p> <h3 id="section---AncientPhilosophy">Ancient Philosophy</h3> <p>Courses in ancient philosophy typically focus on thinking, starting with the ancient Greeks until the closing of the classical period. Students study all the major ancient philosophers, including Stoics, Epicureans, Skeptics and the pre-Socratics, along with Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and other noted Hellenistic philosophers. Problems considered may include the self and reality. </p> <h3 id="section---ModernPhilosophy">Modern Philosophy</h3> <p>The curriculum of a course in modern philosophy covers thinkers during the Enlightenment age, along with those of the critical, empiricist and rationalist traditions. Students study the ideas of morality, human knowledge and freedom through the works of Descartes, Spinoza, Locke, Hume and Bacon. </p> <h3 id="section---Ethics">Ethics</h3> <p>Classes in ethics cover the moral issues frequently encountered in philosophy. The courses teach ethical theories, such as utilitarianism, natural law ethics and contractarianism. Students look at the ethical issues surrounding just punishment, freedom, civil disobedience, justice, distributive justice, community, rights and the relationship between law and morality. They may go on to consider current and tradition theories of freedom, duty, happiness, evil, good, wrong, right and value. </p> <h3 id="section---Metaphysics">Metaphysics</h3> <p>Metaphysics explores the relationships between different aspects of the natural world, causation between different things and the unchanging nature of others. The curriculum covers possibility and necessity, the nature of causation, the nature of events and the idea of existence. Students study such metaphysical ideas as freedom, truth, identity, existence, time, properties, causality, universals, particulars and reality. </p> <h3 id="section---Reasoning">Reasoning</h3> <p>Students are introduced to logic and argument. Students study inductive and deductive logic. They also look at methods used to determine the reliability of both types of arguments. The course goes on to consider arguments composition, arguments informal evaluation and scientific thinking. </p> <h3 id="section---Epistemology">Epistemology</h3> <p>This course endeavors to look at present day topics in knowledge theory. It may cover the analysis of evidence, certainty, rationality, justified belief and knowledge.</p>