Mar 28, 2024  
2016-2017 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog 
    
2016-2017 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Department of Philosophy


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Mark Owen Webb, Ph.D., Chairperson

Professors: Curzer, Webb
Associate Professors: Di Poppa, Hom, Nathan, Ribeiro, Schaller
Assistant Professors: Grzankowski, Schwartz, Velasco

CONTACT INFORMATION: 251 English/Philosophy Building, Box 43092, Lubbock, TX 79409-3092, T 806.742.3275, F 806.742.0730, www.depts.ttu.edu/philosophy

About the Department

This department supervises the following degree programs and certificate:

  • Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy
  • Master of Arts in Philosophy
  • Graduate Certificate in Ethics

The department also participates in the humanities minor in the Honors College; the fine arts doctoral program in the College of Visual and Performing Arts; a minor in women’s studies; and minors in European studies, environmental studies, religious studies, Asian studies, and linguistics in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Undergraduate Program

Education in philosophy develops the ability to think critically, increases understanding of normative issues, provides a unique interdisciplinary perspective on the place of human beings in the universe, gives opportunities for critically examining methods of inquiry, yields a grasp of the development of human ideas in a crosscultural perspective, and increases one’s ability to understand and communicate with others effectively. Philosophy majors may qualify for graduate work in philosophy in preparation for college or university teaching careers, but a major in philosophy is also recognized by many professional schools and employers as fine preparation because students of philosophy are able to think for themselves in a critical and objective manner.

Evidence that a philosophy education has broad application to various fields can be seen in the remarkable performance of majors on graduate and professional school admission examinations and in their high rate of admission to professional schools. Over recent years, they have scored higher on average than business majors on admissions tests to business schools (GMAT), higher than any other humanities or social science areas on the graduate record examinations (GRE), and third out of 30 disciplines on the law school admission test (LSAT). Additionally, philosophy majors have been more likely than almost any other major to gain admission to medical schools. No other undergraduate discipline can match such a record of achievement across the entire range of professional and graduate schools.

The Department of Philosophy brings distinguished guest speakers to campus for public lectures, classroom discussions, and visits with philosophy majors and graduate students. These visits provide a unique chance to talk informally about philosophical topics with world famous scholars.

Ethics Concentration. Philosophy majors may pursue a concentration in ethics by completing six Philosophy courses that focus on ethics. PHIL 2320 , which is required for the major, is one of the six. The remaining Philosophy courses may be drawn from PHIL 3320 , Introduction to Political Philosophy; PHIL 3321 , Philosophy of Law; PHIL 3322 , Biomedical Ethics; PHIL 3323 , Business Ethics; PHIL 3325 , Environmental Ethics; PHIL 4320 , Ethics (Advanced); PHIL 4321 , Political Philosophy (Advanced); and any other Philosophy courses with topics that cover an aspect of ethics. The latter group of courses may be identified with the section number 061 or otherwise approved by the department chairperson.

Graduate Program

For information on graduate programs offered by the Department of Philosophy, visit the Graduate School  section of the catalog.

Program Offerings & Course Descriptions

Programs

    Bachelor’sUndergraduate Minor

    Courses

      Philosophy (Undergraduate Courses)

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