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Critical thinking skills: The cornerstone of philosophy is the ability to reason and to think critically, logically
and come to conclusions based on reasoning. This skill is learned and practiced throughout
the entire program.
Understand concepts of right, wrong, good and bad; understand moral principles and
their application in everyday life: A practical understanding which grounds students and prepares them for applications
in professional and personal life.
Read and interpret philosophical texts: Reading texts and interpreting them is fundamental to all philosophy classes. Using
original texts by ancient and modern philosophers, combined with textbooks and other
literature as assigned, skill at accurate interpretation and analysis is developed.
Recognize, express and analyze arguments in philosophical texts: This is a critical skill to develop in all students, regardless of the program, but
is especially important for philosophy students. Students must be able to extract
arguments from philosophical texts and from the world around them.
Skill in summarizing and explaining difficult ideas and concepts: This goes hand in hand with the prior outcome. It is achieved through analysis and
critical thinking and student practice in class discussions, presentations and argumentation.
Furthermore, the ability to distill complicated information into a more easily digestible
form has applications in every field and profession.
Writing that reflects careful attention to language, logic and subtleties of reasoning: A writing-intensive major, students are taught skills as to how to write concisely
and clearly, as well as how to thoroughly analyze subject matter.
Write philosophical essays that have coherent theses and reasonable supporting arguments: The ability to craft arguments that are both logical and reasonably supported by
evidence is a crucial skill for the modern philosopher.
Learning to understand reality from different perspectives and thus understand that
different people will define issues in different ways: The ability to separate the self from one's frame of reference is a critical skill
in the modern world and encourages both empathy and the willingness to engage with
the world from different standpoints.
Skill in research methodology: Research methodology includes learning to utilize online resources as well as those
located at libraries for conducting philosophical research. It involves learning the
standards for citation and bibliographies, abstracts and prospectus writing. Most
importantly, research methodology teaches students how to pick an appropriate topic,
in subject and length, for various academic and professional projects.
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