Program Requirements

• Total Units Required: 27 units
  • At least 21 units at the 3000 level or above (including core courses)
  • At least 6 of the 21 units must be at the 4000 level
• Grade Requirement: C- or above; Pass/No Pass grades do not count toward the major requirements

This specialization is especially recommended for students who intend to pursue a career in law or public policy. The specialization involves taking certain specific courses for the major (and possibly a few extra courses) that will provide the student with additional preparation and a competitive edge when applying to law school, postgraduate programs in public policy, and related jobs.

Requirements

Core Area Requirement

Majors must complete at least one course in each of the three Core Areas:

1. Contemporary Language, Epistemology, Mind & Metaphysics
2. Historical Philosophy
3. Value Theory

A course cannot count towards more than one Core Area requirement. The courses that will satisfy each Core Area are listed below. 

Contemporary Language, Epistemology, Mind & Metaphysics (3 units):

Course List

Code	Title	Units
PHIL 3000	Philosophy of Medicine	3
PHIL 3020	Philosophy of Language	3
PHIL 3091	Theory of Knowledge	3
PHIL 3100	Philosophy of Mind	3
PHIL 3110	Mind and Morals	3
PHIL 3130	Philosophy of Science	3
PHIL 3140	Philosophy of Biology	3
PHIL 3150	Philosophy of Religion	3
PHIL 3250	Introduction to Metaphysics	3
PHIL 3310	Philosophy of Emotions	3
PHIL 3320	Art and the Mind-Brain	3

Historical Philosophy (3 units):

Course List

Code	Title	Units
CLASSICS 3800	Ancient Greek and Roman Medicine	3
PHIL 3240	Ancient Philosophy	3
PHIL 3260	Descartes to Hume	3
PHIL 3290	Kant and 19th-Century Philosophy	3
PHIL 3300	Conceptual Foundations of Modern Science	3
PHIL 3340	Existentialism	3

Value Theory (3 Units):

Course List

Code	Title	Units
PHIL 3110	Mind and Morals	3
PHIL 3160	Classical Ethical Theories	3
PHIL 3170	Feminist Philosophy	3
PHIL 3190	Philosophy of the Arts	3
PHIL 3220	Issues in Applied Ethics
PHIL 3310	Philosophy of Emotions	3
PHIL 3320	Art and the Mind-Brain	3

Law and Policy Specialization

To complete the specialization in Law and Policy, Majors must complete both of the two courses listed below. 

Course List

Code	Title	Units
PHIL 3200	Social and Political Philosophy	3
PHIL 3230	Philosophy of Law	3
Total Units		6

The Writing-Intensive Seminar

Majors are encouraged to fulfill their writing-intensive requirement by taking PHIL 3390 Philosophical Writing. A Philosophy major who does not take the Philosophy writing-intensive seminar must take a fourth core course from any of the three core areas. Students typically take Philosophical Writing during their junior year. 

The course is offered every fall and is limited to 15 students. However, registration priority is given to Philosophy majors and minors who have not yet completed their writing-intensive requirements. Significant attention is devoted to conceiving, researching, writing, revising, critiquing and presenting philosophical essays. 

Capstone Requirement

All philosophy majors are required to complete a capstone experience either by writing an honors thesis PHIL 4998 or by taking PHIL 3990 Philosophy Capstone Course. 

Capstone Course 

Please note that the capstone course is offered only in the spring semester. Students will need to plan their class schedules accordingly if they decide not to write an honors thesis. Only Philosophy majors with senior standing may take this course, and preference is given to students not pursuing Honors. The course will draw together a variety of different philosophical areas.