Philosophy

About the program

• Augustana College offers a major and minor in philosophy, with courses ranging from a variety of introductions to different areas of philosophy to more specific topical and historical subjects. The department offers expertise and course topics throughout the full spectrum of philosophical interests, from the history of science, to aesthetics, to phenomenology and existentialism.

The Philosophy Department is housed in Old Main.

• Five full-time faculty teach in the rapidly growing department, and all hold the Ph.D. -- three from universities considered to be among the nation's top ten graduate programs in philosophy. As philosophical subjects are essential to a strong liberal arts foundation, the faculty also tend to teach courses within the college's general education studies program.
• Augustana's program approaches the study of philosophy in three ways: by topics, texts and tools. Each of these ways provides philosophy students with a starting point for deeper investigation of the central aspects of philosophy -- the nature of reality, thought, experience and value -- and also promotes a broader and deeper perspective for any student of the liberal arts. All students, whether they are philosophy majors/minors or exploring philosophy to enhance their education, can become familiar with critical texts and develop their techniques of reasoning to serve them well in their liberal arts undergraduate studies, post-graduate work or professional programs.
• Many of the philosophy students at Augustana have double majors, combining their interests in the bigger and more abstract questions of human life with specialized studies in other disciplines such as the sciences, mathematics, studio arts or literature.

Outside the classroom

• Augustana College offers more than 150 various extra-curricular organizations and clubs, including the active Socratic Society of Augustana, for students to continue developing their interests outside of class.
• One of the faculty members has helped establish and directs Augustana's participation in the prestigious summer internship program with the Texas Medical Center -- one of the nation's top two cancer research hospitals-located at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Students in any field who are interested in any aspect of health care may apply for the internships; these can be established in clinical or research medicine, any area of allied health, human resources, pastoral care or clinical ethics.

Future goals

Students of philosophy often pursue graduate studies in philosophy or use their background as good preparation for careers in law, journalism, the ministry or education. Augustana's philosophy alumni have gone on to advanced study in some of the best institutions in the country, including Yale Law School, Harvard Law School, Notre Dame, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Indiana University and Princeton Theological Seminary.

Courses

Logic and Critical Reasoning

110 Critical Reasoning
310 Modern Formal Logic

Introduction to Philosophy

201 [PH] Knowledge and Values
203 [PS] Social Ethics
205 [PH] Life and Death

History of Philosophy

240 [PP] Classical Philosophy
242 [PP] Modern Philosophy
340 Classics of Western Philosophy
342 Contemporary Analytic Philosophy

Philosophy of Special Subjects

311 [PP] History and Philosophy of Science
312 [PS, Q] Decision & Game Theory
315 Studies in Epistemology
318 [PH] Philosophy of Language
321 [PA] Philosophy of Art
322 [PH] Political Philosophy
323 [PH] Moral Philosophy
329 [PH] Philosophy of Mind
331 [PH] Philosophy of Religion
341 [PH] Phenomenology and Existentialism

Individual and Advanced Studies

399 Directed Study
400 Independent Study
440 Advanced Seminar
441 Senior Inquiry
450 Senior Thesis

Major / Minor

Major

A Philosophy major must have:
27 Credits
Class selection must include:
110-Critical Reasoning
or
310-Modern Formal Logic
240-Classical Philosophy
242-Modern Philosophy
340-Classics of Western Philosophy
440-Advanced Seminar
Students proposing to do graduate work in philosophy are strongly advised to take:
310-Modern Formal Logic
342-Contemporary Analytic Philosophy
450-Senior Thesis

Minor

A Philosophy minor must have:
21 Credits
Class selection must include:
110-Critical Reasoning
or
310-Modern Formal Logic
240-Classical Philosophy
242-Modern Philosophy
6 Credits from the 300 or 400 Level