welcome to the philosophy department...•bsu is host to the massachusetts eta chapter of phi sigma...
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Welcome to the
Philosophy
Department
Department Location & Phone
Main Office: 337 Tillinghast Hall
Phone: 508-531-1258
General Information
Why Philosophy?Philosophy offers the opportunity for careful consideration of the
fundamental questions of life. Since these are the hardest questions,
with no “right” answers, philosopher teaches you to be comfortable
with difficult topics, and better able to make sense of complex
problems. More practically, the study of philosophy prepares
graduates for a variety of careers. Are you considering pre-law?
Nationwide, philosophy majors do better than anyone else on the
LSAT. Planning on an MBA? Philosophy majors outperform business
majors on the GMAT. Whether you are interested in rigorous yet
flexible career preparation, or thoughtful analysis about reality, truth,
meaning, and justice, philosophy has something for you. Philosophy
majors sometimes pursue graduate study of philosophy and become
academics, but more often they go into law, medicine, business,
journalism, public policy, or government.
Programs and Concentrations
The Major and MinorThe Philosophy major requires 33 credits in Philosophy –
concentration is required
The minor in Philosophy requires 18 credits in Philosophy
Available optional concentrations: Applied Ethics, History of
Philosophy, Analytic Philosophy, Social and Political Philosophy
Co-Curricular Opportunities
Getting Involved with Philosophy•BSU Philosophy Club
•Bridgewater Journal of Philosophy
•BSU is host to the Massachusetts Eta chapter of Phi Sigma Tau, the
international Honor’s Society for Philosophy
•Pre-Law
•Directed Research Opportunities with internationally-recognized
scholars
How does advising work in this
department?
Individual Attention
You will be assigned an advisor to get things started, but as you get
to know our seven-member department, you will have the
opportunity to select your own advisor if you prefer. Because
Philosophy typically has a smaller number of majors than other
departments, our faculty have time to get to know you and spend
time learning about your current interests and future aspirations.
Recommended Courses for
New StudentsOptions
Besides being a required Core course for all Freshmen, PHIL111
Foundations of Logical Reasoning is either a prerequisite or co-
requisite for all other Philosophy classes (except 135/6 and 199), so
definitely try to take that first. PHIL151 Introduction to Philosophy
and PHIL 152 Contemporary Moral Problems are excellent places to
start, but you can also consider the 200-level courses as they match
your interests.
Recommendations for
Transfer Students
If you have taken Introduction to Philosophy or Ethics at your
previous institution, that will count towards your Philosophy major
here at BSU, but does not satisfy the Core requirement in
Foundations of Logical Reasoning, so you need to take PHIL111 as
soon as possible. See the Department Chair if you want to take that
concurrently with 200- or 300-level courses you are interested in.
Overriding a Prerequisite
If you want to
enroll in an upper-
level course
without having the
exact prerequisite,
you must complete
the following form,
allowing you to
enroll in the
course.
Make sure you have the correct CRN numbers for registration
(noted in the yellow box on the sample registration form )