Program Learning Outcomes - Philosophy

Bachelor of Arts

Learning Goal I: Develop the skills necessary for working with philosophical arguments.

Goal Ia: Analyze philosophical arguments

Outcome Ia: Describe arguments and theories accurately.

Outcome Ib: Identify potential criticisms of arguments and theories.

Outcome Ic: Evaluate arguments in such a way as to make a case for the position the student finds best.

Outcome Id: Demonstrate competency working with formal logics.

Learning Goal II: Gain an understanding of important historical aspects of the Philosophical Conversation.

Goal IIa: Gain an understanding of representative philosophers, ideas, controversies, theories and problems from an historical period within the Western tradition and within a non-Western tradition.

Goal IIb: Gain the ability to interpret primary texts accurately and fairly.

Outcome IIa: Accurately describe and lucidly discuss philosophical problems, ideas, or theories from the history of philosophy in the Western tradition and in a non-Western tradition.

Outcome IIb: Interpret primary texts from the history of Western and non-Western Philosophy accurately and fairly.

Learning Goal III: Be able to understand philosophical ideas and arguments in debates concerning metaphysics/epistemology and ethics, and apply them to problems that face individuals, communities, or governments in the contemporary world.

Goal IIIa: Understand philosophical ideas and arguments in debates concerning metaphysics/epistemology and ethic

Goal IIIb: Apply ideas and arguments from philosophical discussions of metaphysics/epistemology and ethics to problems that face individuals, communities, or governments in the contemporary world.

Outcome IIIa: Accurately describe and lucidly discuss philosophical problems, ideas, or theories from debates in metaphysics/epistemology and ethics.

Outcome IIIb: Apply ideas and arguments from philosophical discussions of metaphysics/epistemology and ethics to problems that face individuals, communities, or governments in the contemporary world.

Learning outcomes for all graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences