Mission and Outcomes

Mission

The ɫ��ɫ Philosophy Department sets out to awaken and nurture in students a curiosity for ultimate questions and a desire for an objective investigation into reality through critical, reflective, and imaginative processes. We strive to produce students with clear thinking abilities; good argumentative skills; tolerance of different beliefs, perspectives, and views, without thinking they need to be equally true; and sensitive to societal values, such as justice, tolerance, and rights - essential for a vibrant and flourishing democratic society.

Goals (What do we want to accomplish?)

To introduce students to some of the major philosophers and philosophies of the Western and non-Western philosophical tradition.
To cultivate students’ reasoning skills so that they can critically assess evidence, evaluate deductive and inductive arguments, and construct good evidentially based arguments.
To teach students how to write and express their ideas and arguments clearly and persuasively.
To teach students how to complete scholarly writings in philosophy.
To teach students to view issues from multifarious perspectives.

Student Learning Outcomes (What do we want our students to learn/do?)

To identify some of the most important philosophers of the Western and non-Western philosophical tradition and their corresponding philosophical views, doctrines, and theories.
To recognize the basic study of logic as an analysis of components of arguments and the structure of deductive and inductive arguments.
To distinguish between good deductive and inductive arguments, and fallacious arguments.
To recognize the relationship between truth, evidence, and justification and how the function of arguments to these central philosophical arguments.
To recognize the importance of considering various perspectives of a given philosophical or ethical issue.
To critically assess the frameworks through which one understands and evaluates philosophical issues.
To demonstrate good and clear writing skills.
For Majors and Minors Only
To accurately describe and critically analyze chief doctrines, theories, and ideas of prominent philosophers and philosophical views of the past and present.
To critically interpret and explain primary philosophical texts.
To construct good evidentially based deductive and inductive arguments to defend or refute philosophical views.
To critically assess and evaluate objections of your views, to consider different perspectives, and to fairly assess opposing views.