Philosophy, Bachelor of Arts Concentration in Philosophy of Brains, Minds and Machines

Program Overview

The Philosophy: Concentration in Philosophy of Brains, Minds, and Machines program is a 30-credit hour undergraduate program. It delves into the interdisciplinary exploration of philosophy, cognitive psychology, and computer science. The program requires a minimum of 120 credit hours and emphasizes critical thinking and philosophical reasoning skills. Graduates can pursue careers in various fields that value analytical and problem-solving abilities.

Program Outline

Outline:

The Philosophy, Bachelor of Arts Concentration in Philosophy of Brains, Minds and Machines program requires 30 credit hours, with 21 hours being upper-level (3000-4000) in philosophy.

Required Core Courses:

• PHIL 1210 CRITICAL REASONING (3 credits) or PHIL 2010 SYMBOLIC LOGIC (3 credits)
• PHIL 2020 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY OF MIND (3 credits) or PHIL 3650 PHILOSOPHY OF MIND (3 credits)
• PHIL 2030 INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS (3 credits)
• PHIL 4250 LIMITS OF CONSCIOUSNESS (3 credits) or PSYC 4250 LIMITS OF CONSCIOUSNESS (3 credits)

Required Elective Courses:

• At least 6 credit hours from upper-level (3000- and 4000-) courses on List A, "Approved Courses in Philosophy of Brains, Minds, and Machines" (see below).
• At least 6 additional credit hours from EITHER courses on List A, "Approved courses in Philosophy of Brains, Minds, and Machines" OR List B, "Approved Courses in Neuroscience, Psychology, and Computer Science" (see below).
• At least 3 additional credit hours from any upper-level (3000 and 4000) PHIL course.

List A: Approved courses in Philosophy of Brains, Minds, and Machines

• PHIL 1030 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY: BRAINS, MINDS, AND MACHINES (3 credits)
• PHIL 1050 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY: PHILOSOPHY, TECHNOLOGY, AND SCIENCE FICTION (3 credits)
• PHIL 1210 CRITICAL REASONING (3 credits)
• PHIL 2010 SYMBOLIC LOGIC (3 credits)
• PHIL 2020 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY OF MIND (3 credits)
• PHIL 3130 HISTORY OF MODERN PHILOSOPHY (3 credits)
• PHIL 3410 PHILOSOPHY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE (3 credits)
• PHIL 3500 PROBLEMS IN PHILOSOPHY (Special Topic: Rationality, Judgement, and Decision Making) (3 credits)
• PHIL 3500 PROBLEMS IN PHILOSOPHY (Special Topic: Special Topics in Philosophy related to Brains, Minds, and Machines - approved topics only) (3 credits)
• PHIL 3600 EPISTEMOLOGY (3 credits)
• PHIL 3650 PHILOSOPHY OF MIND (3 credits)
• PHIL 3700 SPACE, TIME, AND REALITY (3 credits)
• PHIL 3960 READINGS IN PHILOSOPHY (approved topics only) (3 credits)
• PHIL 4220 NEUROETHICS (3 credits)
• PHIL 4240 PHILOSOPHY OF EMOTION (3 credits)
• PHIL 4260 MORAL PSYCHOLOGY (3 credits)
• PHIL 4610 PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE (3 credits)

List B: Approved courses in Neuroscience, Psychology, and Computer Science

• PSYC 4070 COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY (3 credits)
• PSYC 4090 COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE (3 credits)
• PSYC 4210 SENSATION AND PERCEPTION (3 credits)
• PSYC 4230 BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE (3 credits)
• PSYC 4520 PSYCHOLOGY OF LANGUAGE (3 credits)
• NEUR 1540 INTRODUCTION TO NEUROSCIENCE II (3 credits)
• NEUR 4330 SOCIAL NEUROSCIENCE (3 credits)
• NEUR 4890 GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR (3 credits)

Plan of Study Grid:

The program provides a suggested four-year plan of study, outlining courses for each semester. This plan includes:

• Freshman Year:
• Fall: ENGL 1150, MATH 1120/1130/1220/1300/STAT 1100/1530, PHIL 1030, Elective 1, Foreign Language Course 1110
• Spring: ENGL 1160, PHIL 2030, Foreign Language Course 1120, Natural/Physical Science Gen Ed with Lab
• Sophomore Year:
• Fall: CMST 1110/2120, PHIL 2010, PHIL/PSYC 4250, Foreign Language Course 2110, Social Science
• Spring: PHIL 3000, PHIL 3650, Foreign Language Course 2120, Natural/Physical Science, Social Science + U.S. Diversity
• Junior Year:
• Fall: Philosophy of Brain, Minds, and Machines List A 3000-4000 Level Course, Additional Humanities/Fine Arts for A&S or Minor/2nd Major Course, Social Science, Elective or Minor/2nd Major Course, Elective
• Spring: Philosophy of Brains, Minds, and Machines List A 3000-4000 Level Course, PHIL Elective from List A or List B, Elective or Minor/2nd Major Course, Additional Natural/Physical Science with Lab for A&S or Course for Minor/2nd Major, Additional Social Science Course for A&S or Course for Minor/2nd Major
• Senior Year:
• Fall: HIST 1000 or Minor/2nd Major Course, PHIL Elective from List A or List B, Elective or Minor/2nd Major Course, Elective or Minor/2nd Major Course, Elective
• Spring: HIST 1010 or Minor/2nd Major Course, PHIL Upper-Level (3000/4000) Elective of choice, Elective or Minor/2nd Major Course, Elective or Minor/2nd Major Course, Elective or Minor/2nd Major Course

Other:

• The program requires a minimum of 120 credit hours for graduation.
• Students need at least 21 upper-level (3000-4000) PHIL credits.
• Placement exams may be required for Math, English, and Foreign Language.
• Transfer credit or placement exam scores may change the suggested plan of study.
• A GPA of 2.0 is required.