Philosophy
majors choose between three "tracks"--the General Track,
the Individually Designed Track, and the Honors Track. For the
first two tracks, you must take ten courses and make at least
a "C" in each of them. (Technically, you must complete
30 hours of courses. But courses are almost always 3 hours each.)
1. The General Track is for students with broad philosophic interests.
The major consists of any ten philosophy courses (30 hours), provided
that seven of them (21 hours) are at the 200 level or above.
2. The Individually Designed Track is for students interested
in philosophic training on a specific theme or set of ideas. The
student's program, which consists of at least ten courses (30
hours), is individually designed in consultation with a faculty
adviser.
3. The Honors Track (also known as the Philosophy Honors Program)
is designed for qualified, self-motivated students desiring the
extra challenge of an honors experience. Students graduating in
the honors track receive a certificate at the spring Honors Convocation,
and graduate "With Honors in Philosophy". The honors
track is suited for students contemplating graduate work in philosophy
or professional fields in which an honors degree is desired. It
is also suited for students in the University Honors Program (UHP)
who wish to complement UHP honors with disciplinary honors. For
more information about the Honors Track, see The Philosophy Honors
Program.
The General Track is especially appropriate for students undecided
about areas of specialization or post-graduate education. It is
also suited for part-time or late decision students and for students
with significant non-academic responsibilities, who wish maximal
flexibility for course selection within a major.
Philosophy majors initially are classified in the General Track
when they first declare a major in philosophy. Students remain
in this track unless they speak to the department chair about
an Individually Designed major or are admitted into the Philosophy
Honors Program.
Students who wish the Individually Designed Track must declare
their intent to enroll in the track to the department chair. This
is done by meeting with the chair and consulting with the him/her
in the selection of a faculty advisor. The advisor may be any
regular faculty member in the department including the chair him/herself,
as the student wishes. Collaboratively the student and advisor
develop an individualized plan of study which identifies a theme
to be pursued as focus of the major as well as selected courses
within the department. Plans may sometimes include suggested courses
outside the major in other subjects, though these do not count
toward fulfillment of the 30 hours requirement in philosophy.
Plans may periodically be revised. Representative sample themes
include: Applied Ethics, Bioethics, Cognitive Science, History
of Ideas, Law and Society, Religion, and Science and the Modern
World. If the student wishes or needs to return to the general
track from the individualized track, this is accomplished simply
by declaration to the chair.
Eligibility........................................................................................................................
Any UAB student who has been admitted as a regular student in
undergraduate programs is eligible to major in philosophy in the
General and Individually Designed Tracks.
Requirements................................................................................................................
For both the General and Individually Designed Tracks, a major
requires at least 30 hours in philosophy including at least 21
hours in courses above the elementary level. (Since courses are
normally 3 credit hours, this means you must take ten courses,
seven of which must be at the 200 level or above.) Elementary
level courses include all and only those offered at the 100 level
(such as PHL 100, PHL 115, and so on). No course in which a grade
below C has been earned may count towards the major requirement.
For students in the general track, these may be any 30 hours in
philosophy (including at least 21 hours in courses above the elementary
level).
Philosophy Faculty Advisor.............................................................................................
All majors are encouraged to meet with the department chair to
select a faculty advisor (who may be the chair him/herself) at
the start of their studies as a major. Students on the individualized
and honors tracks are required to have a faculty advisor.
Declaring a Major in Philosophy......................................................................................
Students may declare a major in philosophy by contacting Ms. Louise
Cecil, who is the academic adviser to students in the School of
Arts and Humanities. Her office is Humanities Building 302; telephone
(205) 934- 2290.
Evaluation of Transfer Credit............................................................................................
Students may have transfer credit evaluated by contacting Ms.
Louise Cecil, who is the academic adviser to students in the School
of Arts and Humanities. Her office is Humanities Building 302;
telephone (205) 934- 2290.
Frequency of Offerings....................................................................................................
Numerous sections of 100 and 115 typically are offered each term.
Popular post-100 level courses typically are offered once per
calendar year. The summer schedule normally consists of a few
sections of 100 or 115 and one post-100 level course. Mini-term
and weekend offerings are infrequent. Evening offerings are arranged
so as to make it possible for students who are restricted to evenings
to satisfy requirements for the major--at least on the general
track--within about two to three years.
Special notes for students in the Honors
Track:
* No course may simultaneously satisfy more than one distribution
requirement. For example, a student may not count the History
of Moral Philosophy (PHL 215) towards both Ethics/Value Theory
and the History of Philosophy.
* Topics (PHL 290, 291, 292) and Seminars (PHL 490, 491, 492)
have contents which vary from offering to offering. Depending
on the content, they may be taken more than once to fulfill different
requirements. For example, a student may take a 490 seminar on
Aristotle to fulfill part of the history requirement, and then
take a second 490 seminar on philosophy and cognitive science
to fulfill the seminar requirement itself.
* Departmental courses not mentioned above occasionally may help
to satisfy distribution requirements. Questions about such courses,
as well as requests for adjustments or substitutions, should be
addressed to the department chair.
