Philosophy at Le Moyne

Why Philosophy?

The problems of philosophy are the questions we all face as creatures who find ourselves alive to the world, whether or not we choose to give our thinking over to them. The central problem is determining how one should live one's life. That problem gives way to related questions about the nature of the world, what we can and cannot know, the nature of language, our political relationships, our belief in and relation to God, and our interest in the things we value (each other, the natural environment, works of art, music, movies, . . .). Too often people will find themselves thinking about these questions anxiously late in life, wondering about the life they've led. Those who study philosophy believe that the solutions to these questions are central to their happiness, and they begin thinking about them as soon and as often as they can.

The goal of Le Moyne’s Department of Philosophy is to orient students in the development of critical and speculative thought, under conditions of intellectual and affective freedom, and with a sense of openness towards alternative visions of life-experience.

Why Philosophy at Le Moyne?

The study of philosophy at Le Moyne is pluralistic in approach. As such, it allows majors and non-majors alike to focus on those philosophical themes that best respond to their individual concerns and vocational aspirations. These include graduate study in philosophy or related disciplines (e.g., religious studies; women’s studies; critical, literary and film theory; etc.), professional studies (in law, medicine or the ministry), and other career studies (in civil rights, ecology, etc.).

At most colleges – and indeed at most graduate universities – philosophy departments are loyal to one of the two Western philosophical traditions of the past two hundred years: either continental philosophy (from the continent of Europe – chiefly Germany and France) or analytic philosophy (the dominant philosophical tradition in Great Britain and the U.S.). Le Moyne's Department of Philosophy is unique in being strongly represented in both traditions, so our students gain exposure to the full range of philosophical approaches practiced today.

We are also unique in that we're a relatively large department for a small college with a small number of majors. The ratio of philosophy majors to full-time faculty is typically about two to one. This means, for majors, a dozen full-time faculty from whom you can choose several to work with closely and get to know well. The department's areas of strength include social and political philosophy, aesthetics (i.e., philosophy of art), ethics, and the history of philosophy (particularly ancient and medieval philosophy).

Because of the prominence of philosophy in Le Moyne's core curriculum, our majors have a fairly open course of study compared to other majors, once their core requirements are out of the way. Thus, as a philosophy major, you have time to pursue interests related to philosophy – for example, in religious studies, political science, literature, or foreign languages – and to pursue other, possibly less-related interests – in theater arts or music, for example, or to satisfy the requirements for teacher certification.

Again, because of our relatively small number of majors, there are more enrichment opportunities, and dollars, to go around for each student. These opportunties include (1) travel to undergraduate philosophy conferences across the country, (2) study abroad and post-graduate fellowships, and (3) participation in Symposium, the student philosophy club.

Philosophy Major

The philosophy curriculum for majors emphasizes the study of the history of philosophy and provides the opportunity to reflect on principal philosophical areas. Philosophy electives are organized under five headings: (a) Logic, (b) History of Philosophy and Regional Philosophies, (c) Moral / Political / Social / Cultural Philosophy, (d) Metaphysics, Epistemology, Philosophy of Language and Philosophy of Science, and (e) Special Topics / Independent Study and Research.

A student who majors in philosophy must take (1) the requirements of the core, (2) a course in logic (PHL 310 or PHL 311 or PHL 312), (3) two courses in the history of philosophy (to be chosen from PHL 320, PHL 321, PHL 322, and PHL 323), (4) three semesters of the one-credit Philosophy Colloquium (PHL 376-79), and (5) five additional philosophy electives.

Core Requirements:	Hours:
PHL 101	3
PHL 201	3
PHL 301-303	3
PHL 400-419 or REL 400-419	3
REL 200, REL 300-399	6
ENG 102, 200 and 300	9
ENG 400-440 or HST 400-420	3
History	6
Social Science	3
Natural Science	3
Major Requirements:
History of Philosophy (two from the following: PHL 320, PHL 321, PHL 322, and PHL 323)	6
Logic (PHL 310 or PHL 311 or PHL 312)	3
Philosophy Colloquium (three semesters of PHL 376-379)	3
Major Electives	15
Major Support:
Foreign Language*	6
Mathematics or Computer Science	3
Natural Science (in addition to core)	3
Social Science (in addition to core)	3
Visual and Performing Arts	3
Electives:
Non-major Electives	12
Free Electives	21

*Intermediate level in a foreign language is required. For those students who require the introductory course, 12 hours will be necessary to achieve this level.