C. F. Allen, S. W. Austin, R. Becka, R. W. Burch,
M. J. Cresswell, S. H. Daniel, T. D. George, H.Gert, M. R. Hand,
C. E. Harris, Jr., M. L. LeBuffe, H.J.McCann*, J. J. McDermott,
M. McGrath, C. P. Menzel, G. F. Pappas, L. Radzik, R. Sansom,
D. J. Self, R. A. Smith (Head), G. E. Varner*
* Graduate Advisor
The Department of Philosophy and Humanities
at Texas A&M University offers the degrees of Master of
Arts in philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy. Students may pursue
studies in any area of philosophy under these programs, both
of which have distinctive features. Applicants are asked to
specify the degree they wish to pursue.
The MA program is conceived as a terminal
program aimed at two purposes. First, to enable professionals
and advanced students from other disciplines to complement
their training with systematic study of the philosophical concepts
most relevant to their specialty. Second, to enable students
who may have come to the study of philosophy late in their
careers, or who are returning to academic pursuits after pursuing
other interests, to continue to enjoy the personal enrichment
of philosophy and/or to prepare themselves for doctoral studies
at Texas A&M or elsewhere.
Two options for obtaining the MA are
available: a non-thesis internship option and a thesis option.
Students interested in applying their philosophical skills
to other environments, such as education, medicine, law, the
military or business, may arrange a professional internship
in addition to taking 30 semester hours of course work (9 of
which may be in other disciplines). Individuals who choose
to write a master's thesis must take at least 24 semester hours
(6 of which may be in other disciplines) in addition to their
thesis research. Depending on their background, applicants
may be required to take particular undergraduate courses in
order to enhance their program of study.
The PhD program is unique in requiring
that the student earn, in addition to the PhD, a supporting
MA or MS in a field other than philosophy. Supporting degrees
may come from a host of fields. Students pursuing a PhD in
political philosophy may, for example, wish to earn an MA or
MS in political science; those interested in philosophy of
mind might consider a supporting degree in psychology. Applicants
who already hold a degree at the master's level may petition
to have it counted as the supporting degree. Such petitions
are approved only if the department judges the prior work to
fit the overall needs of the student's course of study. Other
applicants are expected to secure admission to a master's program
in another department during their first year of study.
The PhD program requires a minimum
of 96 semester hours beyond the baccalaureate. Students may
apply for admission to doctoral candidacy after completing
the supporting MA and formal course work in philosophy amounting
to 44 hours. Further information on the requirements for doctoral
candidacy may be obtained by contacing the Department of Philosophy
and Humanities.
(PHIL)
611. Ancient Philosophy. (3-0).
Credit 3.
Greek and Roman philosophy from
600 B.C. to 300A.D.; emphasis on Plato and Aristotle. Prerequisite:
Approval of instructor.
614. Medieval Philosophy. (3-0).
Credit 3.
Christian, Jewish and Islamic thought
from 300 to 1450; emphasis on Augustine and Aquinas. Prerequisite:
Approval of instructor.
616. Modern Philosophy. (3-0).
Credit 3.
Developments in philosophy from
the Renaissance through the Enlightenment: Renaissance humanism
and natural science, 17th- and 18th-century empiricism and
rationalism, idealism; major thinkers including Descartes,
Hume, Kant, Hegel. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
620. Contemporary Philosophy.
(3-0). Credit 3.
19th- and
20th-century philosophical movements: phenomenology, existentialism,
positivism, pragmatism, analysis, process thought. Prerequisite:
Approval of instructor.
623. American Philosophy. (3-0).
Credit 3.
The genesis of American philosophical
thought from the seventeenth century until the work of Emerson;
subsequent concentration on the philosophies of Pierce, James,
Royce, Dewey, Mead, Santayana and Whitehead. Prerequisite:
Approval of instructor.
630. Aesthetics. (3-0). Credit
3.
Metaphor, the ontology of artworks,
art and artifactuality, aesthetic attitudes, concepts of
aesthetic appraisal such as beauty and sublimity and theory
of tropes. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
631. Philosophy of Religion.
(3-0). Credit 3. II
Investigation of metaphysical and
epistemological issues concerning religious claims, beliefs
and experiences.
632. Social and Political Philosophy.
(3-0). Credit 3.
Theories of justice, equality,
liberty and authority in social and political institutions;
individualism and the social contract; political philosophy
of writers such as Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Locke,
Rousseau, Marx, Dewey and Rawls. Prerequisite: Approval of
instructor.
635. Ethical Theory. (3-0).
Credit 3.
Theories of moral value and conduct,
moral language and argumentation; consequentialist and deontological
approaches to ethics; ethical naturalism; theories of virtue.
Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
640. Epistemology. (3-0). Credit
3.
Nature and origin of knowledge,
skepticism, belief, truth, rationality, justification and
reliability and knowledge of necessary truths. Prerequisite:
Approval of instructor.
642. Mathematical Logic. (3-0).
Credit 3.
Axiomatic formal theories and their
models; model theory in propositional logic; modal logic
and its philosophical bases; metatheorems and the Lowenheim-Skolem
Theorem. Prerequisite: PHIL 341 or approval of instructor.
643. History and Philosophy
of Logic. (3-0). Credit 3.
Selected topics on the historical
development of logic; philosophical views of the nature of
logical theory; the role of logical metatheory in the development
of logic. Prerequisite: PHIL 240 or equivalent or approval
of instructor.
645. Philosophy of Science.
(3-0). Credit 3.
Philosophy of the natural and social
sciences, including the nature of theories and laws, the
notion of causation, probability and determinism and the
nature of theoretical change. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
646. Philosophy of a Particular
Science. (3-0). Credit 3.
Focus on methodology epistemological
and ontological issues in physics, or one of the special
sciences, such as biology, psychology, cognitive science,
economics. Application of philosophical methods to theoretical
issues in the particular science. Relationships between theories
and explanations of the particular science more basic sciences
or other special sciences. May be repeated for credit for
courses focusing on different sciences. Prerequisite: Consent
of instructor.
650. Metaphysics. (3-0). Credit
3.
Classical and contemporary treatments
of the nature of reality, God, the existence of universals,
space, time, causality; realism and antirealism, the existence
and nature of abstract entities, the nature of events, the
nature and logic of time and modality, freedom and determinism,
and personal identity. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
655. Philosophy of Mind. (3-0).
Credit 3.
The mind-body
problem, personal identity, thought and intentionality,
action and responsibility; materialism, behaviorism, functionalism.
Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
658. Philosophy of Language.
(3-0). Credit 3.
The nature of language, the various
uses of language and their philosophical import, the nature
of meaning, truth, reference and issues surrounding formal
representations of natural languages. Prerequisite: Approval
of instructor.
661. Seminar in the History
of Philosophy. (3-0). Credit 3.
Intensive study of a current issue
in the history of philosophy. May be repeated for credit
with variation in topic. Prerequisites: 12-hours graduate
work in Philosophy plus instructor approval.
662. Seminar in Ethics and
Value Theory. (3-0). Credit 3.
Intensive study of current issue
in ethics, ethical theory, applied ethics, aesthetics, or
the work of particular philosophers in one of these areas.
May be repeated for credit with variation in topic. Prerequisites:
12 hours of graduate work in Philosophy plus instructor approval.
663. Seminar in Metaphysics
and Epistemology. (3-0). Credit 3.
Intensive study of a current issue
in metaphysics, epistemology, or other core areas of philosophy.
May be repeated for credit with variation in topic. Prerequisites:
12 hours of graduate work plus instructor approval.
664. Seminar in Applied Philosophy.
(3-0). Credit 3.
Intensive study of a topic involving
the application of philosophical concepts and theories to
an issue arising in another scientific or academic field.
May be repeated for credit with variation to topic. Prerequisites:
12 hours of graduate work plus instructor approval.
671. Ethics for the Professional.
(3-0). Credit 3.
Basic concepts and theories underlying
major contemporary ethical codes with application to ethical
problems encountered in professions such as engineering,
law, business and teaching.
682. Philosophical Authors.
(3-0). Credit 3.
Intensive study of works of an
individual important philosopher, their historical context,
and criticisms and interpretations of them. May be repeated
for credit with different authors. Prerequisites: Appropriate
background in history of philosophy plus instructor approval.
684. Professional Internship.
Credit 1 to 6.
Practical experience in an institutional
or organizational setting appropriate to analysis and understanding
of issues in some area of applied philosophy. Prerequisite:
Approval of committee chair and department head.
685. Directed Studies. Credit
1 to 6.
Directed studies in specific problem
areas in philosophy.
689. Special Topics in... Credit
1 to 4.
Selected topics in an identified
area of philosophy. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite:
Approval of instructor.
691. Research. Credit 1 to
6.
Research for thesis. Prerequisites:
Approval of department head and committee chair.
