The
Philosophy Curriculum
at the University of Wisconsin Colleges
{Derived from
"Philosophy: A Brief Guide for Undergraduates",
a publication of the
American Philosophical Association}
No brief definition can capture the diversity and richness of philosophy. It may be described in many ways: philosophy is the systematic study of ideas, the reasoned pursuit of fundamental truths, a quest for a comprehensive understanding of the world, the love of wisdom, and much more. Every aspect of human life raises philosophical questions; philosophical methods apply to every subject and to any vocation; and philosophical training enhances our ability to solve problems, understand abstract ideas and express our thoughts in a clear and convincing manner. Philosophy develops an understanding and appreciation of activities the absence of which would impoverish our lives: aesthetic, moral and religious experience, communication and conflict resolution with people whose basic assumptions diverge from our own, and the intellectual zest which arises out of a lively discussion of matters of the first importance. This diversity in content and application gives rise to a corresponding diversity in the content and methodology of the undergraduate philosophy courses both at the UW Colleges and in other liberal arts UW Colleges. The UW Colleges Philosophy Department, in concert with the American Philosophical Association, recognizes and encourages the variation in content and teaching technique in philosophy courses as offered by different instructors and by the same instructor at different times. We consciously choose not to impose a standard syllabus or other course format upon our curriculum. To do so would misrepresent the nature of philosophy to our students and betray our professional commitment to philosophy as the free and unfettered pursuit of excellence in the life of the mind.
Courses
Serving the Traditional Subfields of Philosophy
Philosophy as an academic discipline does have core content which can serve as the basis for an undergraduate philosophy curriculum. The broadest subfields of philosophy are logic, metaphysics, epistemology and ethics and the history of philosophy. Most UW Colleges Philosophy courses emphasize a particular subfield, although some courses, notably, Phi 101 Introduction to Philosophy, cut across these divisions.
Logic provides sound methods to distinguish good from bad reasoning, a means to assess the support premises provide for conclusions, a method to determine the hidden assumptions and unforeseen commitments of the conclusion of an argument and a way to avoid errors in reasoning and expose unfounded beliefs. All UW Colleges Philosophy Department courses train students to apply logic to the study of ideas, but two courses are specifically devoted to this task:
Metaphysics seeks to determine what is real. Are there mental subjects such as persons, spiritual entities such as Gods and souls, and abstract objects such a numbers which exist alongside physical objects and processes? Or are spiritual entities mere abstractions, abstract objects the product of the mind and the mind itself best understood as an aspect of complex physical systems such as the brains of human beings? How do the various aspects of reality relate to one another within an intelligible experienced world? Metaphysical questions are raised in every philosophy course, but two UW Colleges Philosophy courses are centrally concerned with such matters:
Epistemology is the theory of knowledge. What does it mean to know that something is true? What is the nature of truth itself? How can beliefs which extend beyond direct experience be justified? What are the bases of beliefs about the inner lives of others, how can one make claims about events in the distant past and the possible future and what are the limits of self-knowledge? These kinds of epistemological questions lurk within every discipline. Two UW Colleges Philosophy courses directly address epistemological issues:
Ethics is concerned with the meaning of moral concepts--such as right action, virtue and justice--and the formulation of principles and practices which can guide decision-making. Value judgements are an unavoidable aspect of both private and public life. A number of UW Colleges Philosophy courses focus upon the assessment of values:
The History of Philosophy studies major philosophers such as Plato and Kant, historical periods in the development of philosophy such as the Enlightenment and major schools and movements in philosophy such as Empiricism and Pragmatism. Although only the four year comprehensive UW System institutions offer the complete history of philosophy sequence, many UW Colleges Philosophy courses focus upon aspects of the history of philosophy:
Phi 101 Introduction to Philosophy is the core course of the UW Colleges Philosophy Department, both in terms of Student Credit Hours and the importance our faculty attaches to undergraduate education generally. This course is taught in several different ways, both in the UW Colleges and at other UW Colleges and universities in the United States. Introduction to Philosophy may focus upon important philosophical problems in metaphysics, epistemology and ethics; or Introduction to Philosophy may be built around major writings of great philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Kant and Lao Tse; or Introduction to Philosophy can be taught as single topic course in which a particular issue such as free will or the problem of evil is used as a bridge to a wider network of philosophical ideas. The Philosophy Department does not endorse any one approach to Introduction to Philosophy as intrinsically superior to the others.
Vocational
Uses of the UW Colleges Philosophy Curriculum
After taking their first philosophy courses, some UW Colleges students decide that they wish to pursue an undergraduate major in philosophy. The UW Colleges Philosophy Curriculum is designed to provide such students with a solid foundation for advanced work in philosophy in UWS and at other UW Colleges and universities. Many UW Colleges Philosophy courses are cross-listed with philosophy courses at UW-Madison and at the UWS baccalaureate institutions. It is in part for this reason that many UW Colleges Philosophy courses are listed as 200 level courses even though they provide an introduction to one of the traditional subfields of philosophy. Phi 211, Elementary Logic and Phi 241 Ethics, for example, are open to freshmen and sophomores and are among our most frequently offered courses, but receive Madison cross listed designations to make clear the equivalency of the courses and to promote ease of transfer for our students.
Other UW Colleges students take philosophy courses as part of their general undergraduate education while pursuing other kinds of vocational goals. Much of what is learned in philosophy can be applied to virtually any endeavor. The study of philosophy enhances in a ways no other activity does one’s problem solving capacities. It helps one to analyze concepts, definitions and arguments. It contributes to one’s capacity to organize ideas, deal with questions of value, uncover hidden assumptions, extract what is essential from masses of information and discover common ground between opposing positions. Writing is intensively taught in most UW Colleges philosophy courses. Philosophy teaches interpretative writing through its examination of challenging texts, comparative writing through an emphasis upon fairness to alternative positions and argumentative writing through developing students’ ability to establish their own views. These capacities and the self-confidence to use them also are developed though philosophical dialogue, inside and outside the classroom. Moreover, the content of particular philosophy courses may be directly relevant to other disciplines and vocations:
Some UW Colleges Philosophy
Courses Likely to be of Special Relevance for Selected Careers
THE ARTS
BUSINESS
COMPUTER SCIENCE ENGINEERING
ENGINEERING
GOVERNMENT SERVICE \PRE-LAW
HEALTH PROFESSIONS
SOCIAL WORK
CULTURAL DIVERSITY