Philosophy BA

Overview

The benefits of an undergraduate education in philosophy are those Francis Bacon attributed to reading, conversation, and writing: reading gives us material for our own thought; conversation, facility at sharing and debating ideas; and writing, the ability to fix ideas with precision. A typical philosophy course involves reading: from the center and margins of the major world traditions, to modern thinkers framing today’s urgent issues. It also involves conversation, as philosophers like to test ideas out in company and learn from those who see things differently to them. The final test of a philosophical theory or argument is to submit it to the rigor of writing. Philosophical writing, in the ideal, is clear, exact, and free of the rhetoric that may be able to temporarily sway an opponent in the heat of conversation.

Learning Outcomes

Demonstrated solid foundation in logic, the history of philosophy (ancient, medieval, and modern), ethics and value theory, and metaphysics and epistemology

Critical analysis and evaluation of arguments in historical texts and the contemporary philosophical literature

Demonstrated ability to formulate and clearly present valid and sound arguments

Development of oral and written skills that display skill at argument and the ability to engage honestly with difficult and controversial topics

Entry to the Major

Transfer Students

Transfer applicants to the Philosophy major with 90 or more units must complete as many of the following introductory courses as possible prior to admission to UCLA: one philosophy of mind or skepticism and rationality course, one ethical theory course, one symbolic logic course, and one additional philosophy course.

Refer to the UCLA transfer admission guide for up-to-date information regarding transfer selection for admission.

Major Requirements

Preparation for the Major

The Major

Complete 13 upper-division (100 series) or graduate (200 series) philosophy courses (52 units) as follows:

Required Courses

Groups

Select seven courses distributed among the following groups as follows: two courses in each of three of the groups and one course in the remaining group.

Group I—History of Philosophy

Group II—Logic, Semantics, and Philosophy of Science

Group III—Ethics and Value Theory

Group IV—Metaphysics and Epistemology

Electives

Honors Program

Policies

The Major Policies

Honors Program

Admission

To be admitted to the honors program, students must have taken at least three upper-division philosophy lecture or seminar courses at UCLA with an overall grade-point average of 3.7.

Requirements

To be awarded honors in philosophy at graduation, Philosophy majors must (1) have a 3.7 grade-point average in UCLA philosophy courses and a 3.7 GPA in upper-division UCLA philosophy courses; (2) satisfy the honors directed study requirement; and (3) receive a grade of A– or better in each course applied toward satisfaction of the honors requirement.

Students may substitute Philosophy 191 for either course 198A or 198B or, alternatively, may complete up to two philosophy graduate seminars in lieu of courses 198A and/or 198B. For an undergraduate or graduate seminar to be applied toward the honors directed study requirement, the consent of both the seminar instructor and the faculty honors adviser is required in advance. Students may also substitute up to one 4-unit Philosophy 199 course in which they produce a substantial paper that represents an original piece of research or its equivalent.

Exceptional work done to satisfy the honors requirement may be submitted to the department chair for consideration for highest honors