Philosophy
Division of Social Studies

Overview

The philosophy curriculum is designed to provide every student with the opportunity to obtain a general understanding of the nature and history of philosophical inquiry. Students concentrating in philosophy have extensive access to a more specialized curriculum, which can serve as the foundation for graduate study.

Areas of Study

The core of the program consists of history of philosophy courses and such traditional areas of philosophic study as ethics, metaphysics, epistemology, logic, the philosophy of language, and aesthetics. In addition, several seminars are offered each year that are devoted to the work of one philosopher, for example, Hegel, Heidegger, James, Kant, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Plato, Sartre, or Wittgenstein.

Requirements

Students moderating in philosophy are expected to have taken three courses in philosophy while in the Lower College. Although no specific courses are required prior to Moderation, students intending to major in philosophy generally take one of the Introduction to Philosophy courses, which provide an orientation to philosophic methodologies, styles of inquiry, and common themes of philosophic concern in texts ranging from Platonic dialogues to 20th-century works. A major in philosophy normally involves taking six to eight courses, of which at least half are in the Upper College. Juniors are required to take the seminar on The Philosophy of Kant (Philosophy 371). Students intending to apply to graduate schools in philosophy are strongly encouraged to take symbolic logic, at least one course in ancient philosophy, at least two courses in modern philosophy (17th through 19th centuries), at least one course in 20th-century philosophy, and at least one course in ethics. The student determines the topic of his or her Senior Project in consultation with an adviser.

Recent Senior Projects in Philosophy:

• “Conceptual Disparity and the Growth of Knowledge: Incommensurability, Indeterminacy, and Underdetermination”
• “Notion and Object: On the Method of Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit”
• “The Advertised Life: Consumer Culture and the Ideology of Need”
• “Unpacking and Defending ‘Sapir-Whorf’: An Integrative Exploration of Philosophy and Linguistics”

Courses

Introductory courses are numbered in the 100s. Courses numbered in the 200s, while more specialized in content, also are generally appropriate as first courses in philosophy. Courses numbered in the 300s are more advanced and require previous courses in philosophy and permission of the instructor for admission. Tutorials are also taught: recent subjects include Hegel, Heidegger, Hume, Kant’s second and third critiques, and Quine.

Website: http://philosophy.bard.edu

Director: Daniel Berthold
E-mail: berthold@bard.edu

Faculty:
Thomas Bartscherer
Daniel Berthold
William James Griffith
Garry L. Hagberg
Adam Rosen
Alan Sussman