The Programs for Majoring in Philosophy in the School of Arts and Sciences

Goals and Outcomes Assessment

1. Stated goals of the program

Study of philosophy in the undergraduate program aims to give the student 1) an understanding of major philosophical disciplines, e.g. logic, metaphysics, and ethics, 2) articulate knowledge of the actual course or historical development of philosophy, and 3) an ability to discuss in detail the philosophical ideas and commitments of major figures in each period of the history of philosophy. This endeavor is pursued against the background of a broad consensus on the definitive importance of two perennial questions: What is the human good? What are the ultimate principles of being and knowledge? Study of the possible answers to these questions is the context in which instruction concentrates on the careful reading of primary sources in the history of philosophy. In spite of great achievements, modern philosophy has been characterized by a skeptical approach to the meaning of human life and the possibility of gaining knowledge. The program in philosophy aims to foster an intellectual awareness adequate to this modern situation from the standpoint of a well-informed confidence in the powers of human reason.

2. Principal instruments for assessing achievement of the goals

Assessment of these goals takes place throughout the courses contributing to the major. 1) There are courses that present philosophy in a systematic way, e.g. Philosophy of Knowledge, Philosophy of Human Nature. 2) Of special importance are the courses of the History of Philosophy sequence: History of Ancient Philosophy, History of Medieval Philosophy, History of Modern Philosophy, Contemporary Philosophy (353, 354, 453, and 454). 3) Unique to our program is a two-course sequence in Metaphysics (355/356), required of all majors. This part of philosophy is foundational to systematic philosophy. The principal means of evaluating achievement in all these courses are term papers and exams. 4) Of particular significance in evaluating outcome is a) the two course sequence called the Senior Seminar (557/558), which is taught as preparation for b) the senior comprehensive exams.

3. Why these tools serve the stated goals

Outcomes for individual courses in 1)-3) are monitored through the usual course requirements and grading. Concerning the Senior Seminar (4a), different members of the faculty teach the Senior Seminar each semester and each year. The topics for the Seminar are chosen according to the special interests of the faculty. This provides an opportunity to treat material different from the usual courses, often contemporary essays or less well-known gems from the history of philosophy. These texts are chosen because they are revealing of key philosophical issues. The faculty member teaching the seminar elicits the active participation of the students in analyzing the texts read and relating the underlying philosophical issues to material covered in the regular philosophy curriculum. Usually a number of short papers are required, as well as a term paper for each semester of the Seminar. The term paper requires the student to choose his or her own topic within the less conventional intellectual context of the Seminar. The three days of the comprehensive exams (4b) focus on 1) history of philosophy, 2) systematic development of a philosophical issue, and 3) analysis of a text the student has not encountered before. Topics for each day are open enough that the student can exhibit the philosophical outlook he or she has developed as well as integrate and interpret particular knowledge of philosophers studied.

Jean De Groot

September 26, 2004