Philosophy Major Mission Statement
The mission of the philosophy major is to engage students in the systematic study of philosophical questions in the Catholic intellectual tradition. Students become historically informed, independent thinkers who can critically and creatively engage in the discipline of philosophy and contemporary culture with a view to the common good.
Philosophy Major Student Learning Outcomes
Students who graduate from DeSales University with a major in philosophy demonstrate:
- competence in the basic techniques of logic;
- familiarity with major philosophers, texts, and arguments central to the Catholic intellectual tradition;
- the ability to philosophize clearly, knowledgeably, and cogently in speech and in writing;
- the ability to evaluate the values, beliefs, and assumptions of contemporary culture from a philosophical perspective.
Liberal arts education has traditionally placed strong emphasis on the importance of philosophical reflection for the formation of the human person. The philosophy program at DeSales University recognizes this fact and strongly promotes it. This program seeks to encourage the development of the intellectual and moral virtues, helping students not only to think clearly about reality and to know the greatest truths, but also to understand how to conform their practical activity to this knowledge; philosophy at DeSales regards the entire person in his or her humanity. This program is designed to enable students to see philosophy as a dialogue among persons seeking truth, and to promote personal participation in that search. The philosophical insights that result from this search should help students to discriminate and relate the different kinds of knowledge that make up the sum of human learning, and hence enable them to interpret their study of the sciences and the humanities in their significance for the human race. This training takes place within the Christian intellectual tradition and DeSales University’s dedication to Salesian spirituality and Christian Humanism.
To graduate with a BA degree in philosophy, students must complete a 12-course program, designed in conjunction with the philosophy faculty, so as to address the problems of the four major periods of philosophy in our Western tradition.
DeSales Institute of Philosophy and Religion, Bangalore, India
BA in philosophy at the DeSales Institute of Philosophy and Religion
In cooperation with the DeSales Institute of Philosophy and Religion in Bangalore, India, DeSales University offers a BA in philosophy for students enrolled at that institution. Students may not cross register between the program offered in the United States and that in India, since each is adapted to the culture of the individual institutions.
Degree Requirements
First Year - (30 credits)
SPH 01 Introduction to Philosophy (2 credits)
WPH 01 History of Ancient Western Philosophy (2 credits)
REL 01 Introduction to Bible (2 credits)
HSS 01 General Psychology (2 credits)
HSS 04 Applied Biology (2 credits)
LAN 10 Special English (3 credits)
IPH 01 Survey of Ancient Indian Thought (2 credits)
HSS 10 Public Speaking (1 credit)
WPH 02 History of Medieval Western Philosophy (2 credits)
SPH 11 Methodology (2 credits)
IPH 10 Darsanas (2 credits)
SPH 02 Logic (3 credits)
WPH 03 History of Modern Western Philosophy (3 credits)
REL 05 Catechetics (1 credit)
REL 02 Introduction to Christian Worship (1 credit)
Second Year - (28 credits)
Required Courses (18 credits)
SPH 04 Metaphysics (3 credits)
SPH 03 Epistemology (3 credits)
HHS 02 Theories of Personality (2 credits)
IPH 04 Jainism and Buddhism (2 credits)
IPH 02 Vedanta (2 credits)
WPH 04 History of Contemporary Western Philosophy (3 credits)
SPH 06 General and Special Ethics (3 credits)
Electives (10 credits)
Third Year - (19 credits)
Required Courses (12 credits)
SPH 05 Philosophical Anthropology (2 credits)
WPH 06 Marxian Philosophy (1 credit)
WPH 23 Postmodernism (1 credit)
IPH 07 Contemporary Indian Thought (2 credits)
IPH 06 Avatara and Bhakti Movement (1 credit)
SPH 07 Philosophical Theology (2 credits)
SPH 10 Theism and the Problem of Evil (1 credit)
SPH 13 Cosmology and Philosophy of Science (2 credits)
Electives (7 credits)
