Philosophy

We encourage our students to read philosophical texts from an array of traditions, historical periods and genres, closely and critically, in order to develop an awareness of complexity and nuance, and we wish them to use those texts, orally and in writing, as sites for their own critical thinking, moral and intellectual exploration, and engagement with the world in which they live.

Accordingly, students who complete the major in philosophy should be able to:

• Understand and be familiar with major movements, authors, and philosophical traditions across the world.
• Understand philosophy in relation to historical frameworks, both diachronic (contemporary texts in relation to prior texts) and synchronic (texts in their own time, in relation to the contexts that shape an era’s thought and expression).
• Write clear, forceful interpretive arguments, which give voice to a complex understanding of philosophical texts, and marshal evidence carefully and persuasively.
• Conduct scholarly research in print and electronic formats, citing sources accurately and responsibly—and using that research to enter the critical debates and conversations that texts provoke.
• Make effective use of oral communication and presentation techniques.

Here is a small but representative sample of the kinds of questions raised in Smith philosophy classes which help students to achieve these goals:

• What does it mean to be a cosmopolitan person—a global citizen?
• In the United States and some other countries the gap between the super rich and everyone else has been growing in recent decades. Does this matter? Why (not)?
• Which (if any) of your behaviors can be explained by appeal to biology?
• What is the fundamental nature of reality? Is there one? Why should we care?
• Does privacy matter only if you “have something to hide”?
• A prison's warden has asked that you, a physician, participate in the execution of a death row prisoner by lethal injection. You are aware that the American Medical Association’s ethical guidelines prohibit doctors’ involvement in executions. You also know that if you decline to participate, the prisoner is at risk of greater suffering. What do you decide, and why?

Advisers: Members of the department
Study Abroad Adviser: Jay Garfield

Ten semester courses

1. At least two courses in the history of philosophy, one of which must be PHI 124 or PHI 125 

2. A least one course addressing non-Western philosophy

3. PHI 101 or PHI 102

4. PHI 200, usually taken in the sophomore year

5. Two 300-level courses 

6. Three 200-level courses (other than PHI 200), each from a different one of the following areas: 

Value Theory
Including: PHI 221, 222, 233, 238, 241, 242, 255

Social/Political Philosophy
Including: PHI 225, 231, 235, 237fn, 240, 242 

Culture and Material Life
Including: PHI 221, 233, 234ds, 240, 241, 254, 255

Metaphysics and Epistemology
Including: PHI 209, 211sr, 213, 225, 232ss, 234ts, 252, 254, 262

Language and Logic
Including: PHI 213, 220, 236, 262 

Science and Technology
Including: PHI 209, 211pn, 211sr, 224, 238

Note

• Topics courses may fall under different rubrics in different years
• Up to two courses in related departments may be included in the major program of ten courses with approval of the department; petitions for approval must be filed with the department at least one week before the beginning of the semester in which the course is offered

Students and their faculty advisers together will regularly assess the student’s progress in the major in light of the following desiderata:

• Skills and competencies: e.g., PHI 102, PHI 200, the ability to write papers of varying lengths (from 2 to 25 pages to honors theses), knowing how to locate and assess scholarly literature, being comfortable at presenting philosophical material orally. Philosophy majors are expected to master all of these; and
• Breadth and depth of understanding of texts, topics and themes, traditions and perspectives. Each of the following is a strong desideratum for a philosophy major:

1. systematic study of one or more major philosophical texts;
2. topics and themes: such as human beings’ relationship to technology, to the environment; the relationship between language and reality; the nature and functions of human cognition; human flourishing; the human body; the significance of race, gender and class; the meaning of work; the meaning of life; and end-of-life care;
3. traditions: tracing philosophical dialogues through time-ancient, medieval, and modern philosophy, continental philosophy, Indian philosophy, Buddhism, African philosophy, and so on;
4. perspectives: understanding the joining or clashing of perspectives across cultures or subcultures—courses such as The Meaning of Life, Cosmopolitanism, Hermeneutics, Meaning and Interpretation, and those that explore the significance of race, class, gender and nation;
5. extensive study of the philosophy of a single major figure;
6. an element of study in a related field or fields.

Advisers: Members of the department

The Philosophy department offers two minors, each of which involves at least five courses.

The minor in Philosophy accommodates a wide range of philosophical interests on the part of individual students who pursue it. This minor will typically include two PHI courses at the 100 level and three courses that focus on a particular area of interest, chosen by the student in close consultation with the adviser and with the approval of the department. One course can be a pertinent non-PHI course.  

The second minor offered by the Philosophy department is Ethics. PHI 222 (Ethics) is required. Of the remaining four courses, at least two must be PHI classes. Because ethics is interdisciplinary, and students pursuing this minor will likely come from a variety of majors, up to two of the four can be non-PHI courses that give a central role to ethics. The student’s courses besides PHI 222 are to be chosen by the student in close consultation with the student’s adviser and with the approval of the department.

Honors Director: Jeffry L. Ramsey

PHI 430D Honors Project
Credits: 8
Normally offered both fall and spring semesters

PHI 431 Honors Project
Credits: 8
Normally offered both fall and spring semesters

PHI 432D Honors Project
Credits: 12
Normally offered both fall and spring semesters

Please consult the director of honors for specific requirements and application procedures.

For up-to-date course schedule information for 2023 fall semester philosophy courses and courses cross listed in philosophy, use the Smith College Course Search.  The Five College Course Guide is a tool to search for courses throughout the Five Colleges.  The Smith College Course Catalog may also be a useful source of information.  

For more information about the department and the academic year 2022–23, please see the

Philosophy brochure 2022-23

Philosophy brochure 2022-23

As an inherently interdisciplinary field, the philosophy department is associated with a number of other departments and programs at Smith, including:

• Psychology
• Africana Studies
• Ancient Studies
• Buddhist Studies
• South Asian Studies
• Environmental Science & Policy Program
• Tibetan Studies in India