Philosophy: Bachelor of Arts Major (also: Honours)
Description
The Philosophy Major at KPU provides students a broad-based, general education in the principal areas of Western Philosophy. Philosophy majors will complete courses in logic, epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and history of philosophy. The program is expressly set up to satisfy a variety of additional pedagogical and intellectual objectives, chief among these being the development of critical reasoning and writing skills, both in general and with regard to specialized research in the discipline. Philosophy majors at KPU will experience a learning environment that is supportive and challenging. It is one that prepares students for graduate work in philosophy. It develops effective citizenship, community leadership, and the critical reasoning, writing, and problem-solving skills required for successful careers in any area.
The Bachelor of Arts Major in Philosophy provides students the opportunity to build a sturdy educational foundation in one of the core areas of the Humanities. All Philosophy majors take a course in formal logic at the 1000-level. At the 2000-level, five courses in philosophy are obligatory: Moral Theory (the study of the nature of right and wrong), Metaphysics (the study of the nature of reality), Epistemology (the study of the nature and limits of knowledge), Ancient Greek Philosophy, and Modern Philosophy.
Upper-level students will have the following options: to take smaller, more participatory courses in Special Topics in Philosophy; to pursue an Applied Ethics Stream by taking specially designed courses in Business, Environmental, and Biomedical Ethics; to participate in a Practicum course where research and work skills are enhanced; and to apply to a selective sequence of honours courses with a focus on researching and writing an honours thesis.
Admission Requirements
Students pursuing a major in Philosophy must be admitted to the Faculty of Arts.
Declaration Requirements
Students intending to graduate with this Faculty of Arts Bachelor’s degree must declare the credential by the time they complete 60 credits of undergraduate coursework. At the time of declaration, the student must satisfy all of the following requirements:
- In good academic standing with the University
- Completion of a minimum of 18 credits of undergraduate coursework, including the following with a minimum grade of “C”:
- 3 credits of ENGL at the 1100 level or higher
- 6 credits at the 1100 level or higher in the Major area
Curricular Requirements
Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree must complete all requirements in the Bachelor of Arts framework in addition to their major or minor program requirements.
Major
Requirements for the major in philosophy include the successful completion of a minimum of 48 credits in philosophy, of which at least 18 credits are at the 3rd year level, and at least 6 credits are at the 4th year level.
As part of the 48 credits in philosophy, majors must complete the following:
Logic Requirement - at least 3 credits: |
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| PHIL 1150 | Introduction to Formal Logic | 3 credits | |
History of Philosophy Requirement - at least 9 credits: |
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| PHIL 2106 | Ancient Greek Philosophy | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 2107 | Modern Philosophy: Descartes to Kant | 3 credits | |
| 3 further credits at the 3rd year or higher in the History of Philosophy (see list of courses by area below) | |||
Metaphysics and Epistemology Requirement - at least 9 credits: |
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| PHIL 2210 | Epistemology | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 2215 | Metaphysics | 3 credits | |
| 3 further credits at the 3rd year or higher in Metaphysics or Epistemology (see list of courses by area below) | |||
Ethics Requirement - at least 9 credits: |
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| PHIL 2110 | Moral Theory | 3 credits | |
| One of the following: | |||
| PHIL 3109 | Foundations in Ethics | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3119 | Contemporary Moral Theory | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 4110 | Topics in Ethics | 3 credits | |
| 3 further credits at the 3rd year or higher in Value Theory (see list of courses by area below) | |||
Applied Ethics Stream
Besides the requirements for the philosophy major, students must complete at least 9 additional credits in Applied Ethics from the following: |
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| PHIL 3118 | Ethics and Public Policy | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3510 | Confronting Moral Issues: Bio-medical Ethics | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3512 | Confronting Moral Issues: The Natural Environment | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3533 | Confronting Moral Issues: Business Ethics | 3 credits | |
Note:
Certain pre-requisites must be met in order to gain admission to 3000 and 4000 level PHIL courses.
Honours
Students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts, Honours in Philosophy degree must complete 120 credits including area requirements as specified in the Bachelor of Arts, Major in Philosophy or the Bachelor of Arts, Major in Philosophy – Applied Ethics Stream. Within these 120 credits, in lieu of 6 credits of Philosophy electives, students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts, Honours in Philosophy degree must complete the following:
| PHIL 3900 | Honours Research and Thesis I | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 4900 | Honours Research and Thesis II | 3 credits |
Enrolment in Philosophy Honours courses requires the permission of the Philosophy department. In order to be considered for Honours courses, students must typically have a record of exceptional academic performance, including the following:
- at least 60 credits of university-level coursework with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
- at least 24 of the 60 credits must be university-level Philosophy coursework with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.67.
Please see kpu.ca/arts/philosophy for further information regarding application deadlines and selection criteria.
Students may receive either the Bachelor of Arts Major in Philosophy degree or the Bachelor of Arts Honours in Philosophy Honours degree, but not both.
Other Information
Philosophy Courses by Area
A course appearing in boldface type signals that the course is required for the major. No single course can count for more than one area. Students may take the same 4th year Topics course twice for different credit if and only if the content differs significantly. Students who wish to take the same 4th year Topics course more than once must obtain the permission of the Chair of the Philosophy Department.
Logic |
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| PHIL 1145 | Critical Thinking | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 1150 | Introduction to Formal Logic | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 1155 | Introduction to Scientific Reasoning | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3150 | Advanced Formal Logic | 3 credits | |
History of Philosophy |
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| PHIL 1106 | Introduction to Ancient and Medieval Philosophy | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 2106 | Ancient Greek Philosophy | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 2107 | Modern Philosophy: Descartes to Kant | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 2115 | Asian Philosophy | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3100 | Great Philosophers of the Twentieth Century | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3101 | Twentieth Century Analytic Philosophy | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3220 | Empiricism | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3225 | Rationalism | 3 credits | |
Metaphysics and Epistemology |
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| PHIL 2120 | Philosophy of Religion | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 2210 | Epistemology | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 2215 | Metaphysics | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3100 | Great Philosophers of the Twentieth Century | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3101 | Twentieth Century Analytic Philosophy | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3105 | Life and Death | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3110 | The Possibility of Knowledge | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3120 | Free Will and Determinism | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3220 | Empiricism | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3225 | Rationalism | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3320 | Personal Identity | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3425 | Language and Meaning | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3430 | Philosophy of Mind: Consciousness | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 4120 | Topics in Philosophy of Religion | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 4210 | Topics in Epistemology | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 4215 | Topics in Metaphysics | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 4430 | Topics in Philosophy of Mind | 3 credits | |
Ethics and Value Theory |
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| PHIL 1110 | Confronting Moral Issues: Introduction to Ethics | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 1112 | Environmental Ethics | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 2110 | Moral Theory | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 2117 | Social and Political Philosophy | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3010 | Health Care Ethics (not for majors) | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3033 | Business Ethics (not for majors) | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3040 | Philosophy of Art | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3105 | Life and Death | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3109 | Foundations in Ethics | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3118 | Ethics and Public Policy | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3119 | Contemporary Moral Theory | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3510 | Confronting Moral Issues: Bio-Medical Ethics | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3512 | Confronting Moral Issues: the Natural Environment | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3533 | Confronting Moral Issues in Business | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 4040 | Topics in the Philosophy of Art | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 4110 | Topics in Ethics | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 4117 | Topics in Social and Political Philosophy | 3 credits | |
Other |
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| PHIL 1100 | Introduction to Philosophy | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 1101 | Philosophy, Culture, and Identity | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 1111 | Sustainability and Ethical Analysis | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 3900 | Honours Research and Thesis I | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 4900 | Honours Research and Thesis Ii | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 4950 | Practicum | 3 credits | |
Credential Awarded
Upon successful completion of the honours program, students are eligible to receive a Bachelor of Arts (Honours). Transcripts will indicate a Major in Philosophy.
Upon successful completion of the major program students are eligible to receive a Bachelor of Arts. Transcripts will indicate a Major in Philosophy.
At a Glance
Faculty of Arts
Philosophy
Program Type:
- Undergraduate
Credential Granted:
- Baccalaureate Degree
Offered At:
Langley
Richmond
Surrey
Start Date(s):
September
January
May
Intake Type:
Open intake
Format:
Full-time
Part-time
Minimum Credits Required:
- 120
Instructional Cycle:
- Semester-based
Curriculum Effective Date:
- 01-Sep-2011