Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies
Ross Hall Rm. #223
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. #3392
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: 307-766-3204
Email: relstudies@uwyo.edu
Email: philosophy@uwyo.edu
A major in philosophy requires a minimum of 33 hours (11 courses) of philosophy.
At least 9 hours (3 courses) must be at or above the 4000-level.
At least 15 additional hours (5 courses) must be at or above the 3000-level. The remaining nine hours (3 courses) may be at any level.
Only those courses in which a grade of C or better has been earned may count toward the 33-hour requirement.
The department strongly recommends that prospective majors take PHIL 1000, Introduction to Philosophy, as their first course in philosophy.
Students must choose three of the four distribution areas and take at least 6 hours (2 courses) in each of the chosen areas, including at least one core course in each chosen area. The distribution areas, with core courses in bold type, are:
Special topics courses (for example, PHIL 3000, PHIL 4000) are assigned to the appropriate distribution area on a case by case basis. And some of the courses listed above, especially the graduate seminars in area 4, might count in other distribution areas. To work out a suitable program, please consult with the department’s undergraduate adviser.
The general level requirement and distribution requirement may be satisfied by the same courses. That is, a course may satisfy both of these requirements at the same time. No course may satisfy more than one distribution area, and no course may satisfy more than one general level requirement.
A minor in Philosophy requires a minimum of 18 hours (6 courses) of philosophy.
Only courses in which a grade of C or better has been earned count toward the 18-hour requirement.
Ethical questions and problems arise in virtually all aspects of life. It is vital for any educated person to know how to think clearly on their own about matters of ethics. That’s why the minor in ethics complements and enriches any major field of study, whether it is education, nursing, health, education, communications, business, or the sciences. The minor in ethics has enough flexibility that students can tailor their courses of study in ethics to match their other academic and career interests. For example, a student who majors in animal science and minors in ethics might explore questions about the use of animal subjects in experiments; a student who majors in computer science and minors in ethics could examine ethical issues in the use of computers, such as privacy, free speech, and intellectual property rights.
The minor in ethics helps students compete for jobs in the expanding area of professional ethics, as well as for more traditional jobs with their increasing stress on professional ethics. Nearly all professions now have codes of ethics and many businesses require employees to adhere to various standards of conduct. Thus a student who majors in business and minors in ethics might serve as a company’s ethics officer; a student who majors in nursing and minors in ethics could help organize and run a hospital ethics committee; and a student that opts for a career in education would be well qualified to help schools develop character education programs for pupils.
The minor in ethics requires 18 credit hours of course work, with 12 hours at the 3000 level or above. The courses are in three different areas:
In addition to taking one course in each of the three areas, students will be required to meet the following two additional requirements:
The capstone course is an independent study normally taken during a student’s senior year. The course integrates the student’s different areas of study in the ethics minor into a project or thesis. Any professor in any college can sponsor this independent study. Capstone topics must be approved by the ethics minor advisor.
The minor in ethics is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences and administered through the Philosophy Department. Any undergraduate student at the university can minor in ethics.
Areas of concentration:
Ethical Theory
Course # |
Course Name |
| INST 4375 | Transitional Justice |
| PHIL 3300 | Ethical Theory |
| PHIL 3250 | Global Justice |
| PHIL 3350 | History of Moral Philosophy |
| PHIL 3350 | Ethics with the Greats |
| PHIL 4270 | Buddhist Ethics |
Applications
Course # |
Course Name |
| AAST 1030 | Soc Justice 21st Century |
| AAST 4260 | Rhetoric and Social Justice |
| ACCT 4600 | Ethics & Professionalism |
| ACCT 5065 | Fraud Examination |
| COJO 4600 | Mass Media Ethics (Cross Listed COJO 5600) |
| CRMJ 4200 | Ethics and Adm Justice |
| MGT 3110 | Principle-Based Ethics |
| POLS 2330 | Environmental Ethics |
| SOWK 3645 | Ethical SOWK Practice |
| SOWK 4850 | Social Policy |
Scientific, Historical, and Social Analysis
Course # |
Course Name |
| AAST 4190 | Dimensions of Racism |
| ANTH 4145 | Origins of the State |
| ANTH 4300 | Anthro of Religion |
| COSC 3050 | Ethics Comput Pro |
| COMP 2000 | Computing and Society |
| CRMJ 2210 | Criminal Law |
| CRMJ 4110 | Const Law: Civil Lib/Rights |
| CRMJ 4200 | Ethics & Adm Justice |
| CRMJ 4540 | Gender and Crime |
| CRMJ 4860 | Social Inequality, Crime, and CJ |
| ENGL 4455 | Slavery and Freedom |
| GWST 2500 | Gender and Society |
| SOC 3640 | Social Inequality |
| SOC 4350 | Sociology of Law |
| MGT 1040 | Leval Env/Business |
| POLS 2460 | Intro Pol Phil |
| POLS 3600 | American Political Thought |
| PSYC 4380 | Death & Dying |
| PSYC 3150 | Moral Development |
| HLED 4020 | Food, Health & Justice |
The minor in Environmental Values may be added to any bachelor's program at UW. This
minor creates a vital link among the natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences
through exploration of aesthetics, culture, ethics, and policy.The minor requires
a total of 18 credit hours, including at least one course within each of four areas
of concentration. At least 12 of these credits must be outside the primary major,
and nine of these credits must be at or above the 3000-level. A three-hour, core course
(either Phil 2330 Environmental Ethics or Phil 2340 Natural Resource Ethics) is required
of all students.
Areas of concentration:
Aesthetics - Expressing ourselves through the performing, visual and literary arts.
Course # |
Course Name |
|---|---|
| AMST 3010 | African-American Aesthetics |
| ART 4640 | Art and Ecology <C3, W3> |
| ENG 4050 | Nature Writing |
| ENG 4240 | 19th Century English Literature: Romantic Period |
| G&R 4500 | American Landscape |
| G&R 4530 | Images of Wyoming and the West |
| THEA 2400 | Vertical Dance I |
| THEA 3400 | Vertical Dance II |
Culture - Viewing human meaning and purpose in historical and contemporary terms.
Course # |
Course Name |
|---|---|
| AIST 3000 | Plains Culture and History |
| AMST 3050 | Cultures of Nature |
| ANTH 1200 | Intro to Cultural Anthropology |
| ANTH 4310 | Environmental Anthropology |
| ENG 2400 | Introduction to Folklore |
| ENG 4480 | Regional Literature of the US: The West |
| ENR 2000 | Environment and Society <W2, C2, G1; G> |
| G&R 1050 | Introduction to Natural Resources <C2, G1> |
| HIST 4475 | American Environmental History <C2> |
| PHCY 4380 | Ethnopharmacology <C2, G1> |
Ethics - Considering right and wrong via critical and systematic thinking and doing.
Course # |
Course Name |
|---|---|
| PHIL 2330 | Environmental Ethics <C1; CH> |
| PHIL 2345 | Natural Resource Ethics |
| PHIL 3300 | Ethical Theory <C1> |
| PHIL 3350 | History of Moral Philosophy |
| PHIL 4340 | Topics in Environmental Ethics |
| RELI 2060 | Nature and Spirit <C1> |
Policy - Exploring laws, regulations, and public discourse in American society.
Course # |
Course Name |
|---|---|
| AGEC 4710 | Natural Resource Law and Policy <C2> |
| AIST 4340 | Natural Resource Management on Western Reservations |
| ECON 2400 | Economics of the Environment <C2, W2> |
| ECON 4400 | Environmental Economics |
| ENR 3620 | Environmental Justice |
| ENR 3950 | Environmental Sociology |
| ENR 4900 | Environment and Natural Resource Policy Practice <C2, W3; CS, WC> |
| GEOG 4013 | Political Geography |
| G&R 4040 | Conservation of Natural Resources <C2, G1; CS, G> |
| G&R 4400 | Public Land Management |
| INST 4385 | Environmental and Resource Conflict (Cross Listed POLS 4385) |
| INST 4555 | Political Ecology |
| MGT/BADM 4580 | Business, Environment, and Natural Resources |
| POLS 4051 | Environmental Politics <C2, W3; WC> |
| POLS 4052 | Federal Land Politics |
Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies
Ross Hall Rm. #223
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. #3392
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: 307-766-3204
Email: relstudies@uwyo.edu
Email: philosophy@uwyo.edu