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Fall 2025 Undergraduate Catalog
Philosophy, BA
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Department of Philosophy, College of Arts and Sciences
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy
Chair: Anthony Steinbock
Director of Undergraduate Studies: Joseph Lemelin
Assistant to the Chair: Alissa Betz
Undergraduate Coordinator: Lisa-Beth Platania
Minors of particular interest to students majoring in Philosophy: Art History (ARH), Studio Art (ARS), Biology (BIO), Computer Science (CSE), English (EGL), History (HIS), Journalism (JRN), Linguistics (LIN), Mathematics (MAT), Physics (PHY), Political Science (POL), Religious Studies (RLS), Women’s and Gender Studies (WST)
Philosophy examines the presuppositions and the conceptual foundations of all human activities, whether practical or theoretical. It is concerned with forms of knowledge (science, belief, self-examination); forms of human interaction (society, political life, morality, religion, justice); our practical relation to the environment (nature, technology, economics); and our creative productivity (art, literature). It has been interdisciplinary from its inception. The study of philosophy provides the knowledge and skills to reflect upon, analyze, and examine ourselves and the world we inhabit, and is the record of humanity’s quest to understand itself. It also provides the skills that enable life-long learning and versatile professional development.
A major in philosophy gives students access to the fruits of 2,500 years of thought on matters of ultimate concern. It encourages and provides the means of thinking effectively about timeless questions through a study of important writings on these topics. A successful student of philosophy is equipped to engage in intellectual conversation on a range of topics of both classical and contemporary concern. The study of philosophy encourages breadth and depth of understanding and promotes the ability to think and write cogently and rigorously.
Philosophy majors prepare themselves for a wide range of professional and business occupations that value highly developed skills of analysis, comprehensive thinking, and communication. Students majoring in Philosophy commonly pursue careers in law, medicine, business, technology, public service, teaching, editing and publishing, and academia. In addition to its focus on the liberal art curriculum, the Department of Philosophy offers courses in feminism and gender studies, computation and consciousness, philosophy of science, technology and the environment, and non-Western Philosophies.
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Degree Requirements
The major in Philosophy leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree. Philosophy courses are distributed among three categories indicated, in parentheses after the title of the course. Courses offered for the major must be passed with a letter grade of C or higher. No more than two 100-level philosophy courses may be used to satisfy major requirements. Completion of the major requires 36 credits. Notes:
Philosophy majors must achieve an evaluation of S (Satisfactory) in PHI 458 - Speak Effectively Before an Audience and PHI 459 - Write Effectively in Philosophy , which separately may be taken in conjunction with PHI 395 - Junior Seminar and/or another 300-level philosophy course that calls for public speaking to satisfy the speaking requirement (SPK) or calls for intensive writing to satisfy the upper-division writing requirement (WRTD), respectively. Students who wish to satisfy these requirements must inform the instructor of their intention to do so no later than the third week of the semester. The student’s essays and public speaking will be appraised for the advanced writing and public speaking skills, respectively, appropriate to Philosophy majors in addition to the appraisal for the course. A student must satisfy the upper division speaking and writing requirements in order to register for PHI 401 - Individual Systems of the Great Philosophers (I) or PHI 402 - Analysis of Philosophic Texts (I) . Note: - No more than two 100-level philosophy courses may be used to satisfy major requirements.
- Please note that Philosophy course descriptions are very general and that precise topics can vary even between sections. More detailed up to date information may be found at www.stonybrook.edu/philosophy
Philosophy Honors Program
To qualify for the honors program, a student must be a junior or a senior in the major with an overall g.p.a. of at least 3.00 and a g.p.a. in philosophy of 3.50. The student must maintain this average throughout participation in the honors program. To seek honors, a student must plan a program prior to the first semester of the senior year with a faculty advisor and the director of undergraduate studies. The program consists of three courses at the 300 level or higher, concentrated on related aspects of a central problem. At least one of the courses should be PHI 495 - Philosophy Honors Thesis course under the direction of the advisor and lead to the completion of an honors thesis. This paper is reviewed by the advisor and one other member of the Philosophy faculty and by a faculty member from outside the Department. The senior paper is then the focus of an oral examination. Honors are awarded upon passage of the examination. Undergraduate Research Tracks in Philosophy
Occasionally, Undergraduate Research tracks are offered in Philosophy. These tracks afford students special opportunities to do sophisticated and concentrated research on a particular topic in philosophy while still undergraduates. Seven courses are required over a three-year period. The first five courses provide important skills and background. In the third year, the research team, which consists of a faculty member and a small group of students, spends two semester-long research courses on a philosophical project of professional caliber, doing work that may even lead to publication. More specific information on available Under-graduate Research tracks, including particular topics and the courses designed for them, are available from the Undergraduate Office. Study Abroad
Philosophy majors and other interested students who would like to spend a semester two abroad should consult the Department’s director of undergraduate studies. With the permission of the Department, Philosophy majors may also use credits from other study abroad programs to satisfy major requirements. SBC Courses
This table illustrates major courses that can also be used to fulfill SBC requirements. (See Note 1 & Note 2) | SBC Category | Required Major Courses | Optional Major Courses (see Note 3) | | ARTS | | PHI 264 | | GLO | | PHI 111, PHI 200, PHI 206, PHI 312, PHI 340 | | HUM | | PHI 108, PHI 109, PHI 110, PHI 111, PHI 113, PHI 116, PHI 200, PHI 206, PHI 247, PHI 264, PHI 277, PHI 284 | | LANG (see Note 4) | | | | QPS | | PHI 220 | | SBS | | | | SNW | | | | TECH | | PHI 113, PHI 365 | | USA | | PHI 116, PHI 310, PHI 379 | | WRT | | | | STAS | | PHI 112, PHI 268, PHI 362, PHI 364, PHI 368, PHI 382 | | EXP+ | | PHI 444, PHI 475, PHI 476 | | HFA+ | PHI 300, PHI 306 | PHI 304, PHI 308, PHI 309, PHI 310, PHI 312, PHI 320, PHI 325, PHI 332, PHI 335, PHI 336, PHI 340, PHI 347, PHI 353, PHI 363, PHI 366, PHI 367, PHI 370, PHI 371, PHI 372, PHI 373, PHI 374, PHI 375, PHI 376, PHI 377, PHI 378, PHI 379, PHI 380, PHI 381, PHI 384, PHI 401, PHI 402, PHI 472, PHI 473 | | SBS+ | | PHI 312, PHI 363, PHI 370 | | STEM+ | | PHI 330, PHI 369 | | CER | PHI 300, PHI 306 | PHI 109, PHI 247, PHI 277, PHI 284, PHI 309, PHI 336, PHI 340, PHI 344, PHI 366, PHI 367, PHI 371, PHI 372, PHI 374, PHI 375, PHI 376, PHI 377, PHI 379 | | DIV (see Note 5) | | | | ESI | PHI 395 | PHI 108, PHI 347, PHI 353, PHI 472 | | SPK | PHI 458 | | | WRTD | PHI 459 | | Note 1: Some course information may be subject to change. Please contact your major advisor for additional consultation. Note 2: For majors that require study in a related area or completion of a minor, visit the respective program’s “Major SBC Courses” page to view expanded SBC options. Note 3: Denotes any course in which students can choose from more than one option. These may include, but are not limited to, major electives, concentration/track/specialization courses, or calculus/physics/chemistry sequences. Note 4: CEAS majors, the Athletic Training major, the Respiratory Care major, and the Clinical Laboratory Sciences major are exempt from the LANG learning objective. Students enrolled in the major in Social Work are exempt from the LANG learning objective, but are required to enroll in and pass with a letter grade of C or higher the first semester of an elementary foreign language course numbered 111, or satisfy through alternate methods. Note 5: Students are responsible for completing the general education requirements published in the Bulletin that was current as of the first semester of matriculation (or rematriculation). The following student groups must satisfy the DIV learning objective as part of their degree requirements: - Freshmen who matriculate in the Fall of 2019 or later
- Transfer students who matriculate in the Spring of 2020 or later
- Students who rematriculate in the Fall of 2019 or later
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