The Law, Society, and Social Justice specialization will eventually replace the existing BA in Philosophy with Social Justice Emphasis. However, you can still currently enroll in the Social Justice Emphasis major, if you would like. See below for more information about this option.

The BA in Philosophy with social justice emphasis forms in our students the habit of critical and positive reflection on the questions that challenge humanity today. Within the discipline of philosophy there are many subdisciplines, of which Social Justice is one of the most ancient and yet most relevant to our own day and the University's Mission.

The social justice emphasis has a distinctive theoretical-plus-applied character. The philosophy department already offers a significant number of strong undergraduate courses in this area, including not only various foundational studies in the nature of justice, but also the workings of justice in contemporary social and political contexts. The courses for this program will be offered in a carefully planned sequence and the faculty who teach them will make a conscious effort to highlight the Social Justice dimensions of their respective subject matter. For example, the program will have as its anchor course a special section of PHIL 321 Ethics and Society, modified to include a service learning component along the lines of the Magis program, and offered primarily for philosophy students who have declared a major with this emphasis. Also, the scheduling of the capstone seminars required of all philosophy majors (PHIL 395, PHIL 396, PHIL 397, PHIL 398, or PHIL 399) will ensure that an appropriate number are devoted to justice issues, for philosophy majors specializing in Social Justice.

Curriculum

There are eleven (11) courses that make up the Philosophy Major with an Emphasis in Social Justice. The required courses for this program are the same as those for the regular Philosophy major, except that PHIL 321 Ethics and Society, and three upper-level electives and the capstone seminar must have a Social Justice orientation. Note that 300-level courses have a prerequisite of two philosophy courses.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Major Requirements
Ethics
Select one of the following:		3
PHIL 181	Ethics
PHIL 182	Social and Political Philosophy (strongly recommended)
PHIL 283	Business Ethics
PHIL 284	Health Care Ethics
PHIL 285	Contemporary Ethical Issues
PHIL 286	Ethics and Education
PHIL 287	Environmental Ethics
PHIL 288	Culture and Civilization
PHIL 289	Philosophy and Gender
300-level equivalent
Metaphysics/Epistemology
Select one of the following:		3
PHIL 130	Philosophy & Persons
PHIL 271	Philosophy of Religion
PHIL 272	Metaphysics
PHIL 273	Philosophy of Science
PHIL 275	Theory of Knowledge
PHIL 276	Philosophy of Mind
PHIL 277	Aesthetics
PHIL 279	Judgment and Decision-Making
300-level equivalent
Philosophy
PHIL 274	Logic	3
or PHIL 301	Symbolic Logic
PHIL 304	History of Ancient Philosophy	3
PHIL 309	Classical Modern Philosophy	3
PHIL 321	Ethics and Society (anchor course)	3
Electives
Select three 300-level social justice electives 1		9
Select one open philosophy elective (any philosophy course at any level)		3
Capstone
Select one capstone seminar with a social justice orientation		3
PHIL 395	Seminar in Ancient Philosophy
PHIL 396	Seminar in Medieval Philosophy
PHIL 397	Capstone Seminar in Classical Modern Philosophy
PHIL 398	Capstone Seminar in Contemporary Philosophy
PHIL 399	Capstone Seminar on a Topic in Philosophy
Total Hours		33

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Social-justice-oriented electives include: PHIL 323 Philosophy of Law, PHIL 326 Political Philosophy, PHIL 327 Topics in Political Philosophy, PHIL 375 Philosophy of Marxism, PHIL 388 History of Ethics. They may also include, depending on content, PHIL 322 Philosophical Perspectives on Woman, PHIL 324 Topics in Ethics, PHIL 389 Contemporary Issues and 300-level courses pertaining to Bioethics when they focus on justice issues. Such decisions about course content will be made by the Philosophy Undergraduate Program Director.

Suggested Sequence of Courses

The below sequence of courses is meant to be used as a suggested path for completing coursework.  An individual student’s completion of requirements depends on course offerings in a given term as well as the start term for a major or graduate study.  Students should consult their advisor for assistance with course selection.

• First year—two core courses—in metaphysics/epistemology and ethics/social political (27x, 18x)
• Second year—three courses—in logic, ancient philosophy, and classical modern philosophy (PHIL 274 Logic / PHIL 301 Symbolic Logic, PHIL 304 History of Ancient Philosophy, PHIL 309 Classical Modern Philosophy)
• Third year—three courses—the anchor course PHIL 321 Ethics and Society, and two 300-level social justice electives
• Fourth year—three courses—two electives (of which one is 300-level social justice), plus a capstone social justice seminar

For further information, please contact the Philosophy Undergraduate Program Director Richard Kim.

College of Arts and Sciences Graduation Requirements

All Undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences are required to take two Writing Intensive courses (6 credit hours) as well as complete a foreign language requirement at 102-level or higher (3 credit hours) or a language competency test.  More information can be found here.

Additional Undergraduate Graduation Requirements

All Undergraduate students are required to complete the University Core, at least one Engaged Learning course, and UNIV 101.  SCPS students are not required to take UNIV 101.  Nursing students in the Accelerated BSN program are not required to take core or UNIV 101.  You can find more information in the University Requirements area.

Learning Outcomes

1. Analyze major texts in the history of philosophy.
2. Articulate major philosophical problems and their solutions, such as questions concerning truth and knowledge, reality, moral values, and justice.
3. Distinguish and explain different philosophical methodologies or approaches.
4. Explain and apply ethical frameworks.
5. Evaluate or construct arguments