About Philosophy
	This Department
	Courses in Philosophy and Prerequisites
	For Philosophy Majors: Requirements And Options
	Available Programs
	Checklist For Philosophy Requirements
	Suggestions For Majors
	Suggested Courses By Year
	Philosophy Students Association
	New Scholarship For Master's Students
	Essay Prizes
	Philosophy In High School
	Specialized Honours BA Program In Cognitive Science
	Practical Ethics Certificate
	Academic Honesty

The study of philosophy is very old and very diverse. Philosophy encourages questioning, interpreting, analysing, criticizing and independent thinking. The Arts Philosophy Department at York University offers a wide variety of courses in the Western Philosophical Tradition, and a selection of courses from other traditions.

Western philosophy has traditionally been interested in certain general questions that have been thought about for thousands of years. Questions like: What is truth? What does it mean to do a good act? Is there something that all good arguments have in common? What does it mean to be a person? How is it that people acquire knowledge? Is that the same as being wise? Does God exist? We also study questions that have arisen more or less recently: Is cloning right or wrong? When is civil disobedience justified? Is democracy better than any other system of government? Why do we punish criminals by putting them in prison? Can computers think? Philosophers study these questions not only for their own sake, but also to sharpen their ability to think clearly, and to understand and interpret other points of view. So the goal of studying philosophy is to better understand important ideas, and to become a better thinker, debater, writer.

Please note that York University has three Philosophy Departments which work independently, but try to co-ordinate their efforts. This Philosophy Department is part of the Faculty of Arts at York University. The courses listed in this mini-calendar are organized and run by the Arts Philosophy Department and our professors and staff are able to answer questions about them. They are NOT necessarily able to answer questions about the courses offered by Atkinson or Glendon.

Philosophy courses offered through Atkinson Faculty of Liberal and Professional Studies are mainly evening courses and summer courses. Their offices are located in 625 Atkinson College and their phone number is 416-736-5900. Their website is: http://www.atkinson.yorku.ca/SAL/phil/

Philosophy courses are also offered through the Philosophy Department at Glendon College. Their offices are located in C221 York Hall and their phone number is 416-487-6733. http://www.glendon.yorku.ca/philosophy/index.html

Most, but not all, Atkinson courses can count towards the Arts major. If you are not sure about a particular Atkinson course, please contact the undergraduate programme director.

COURSES IN PHILOSOPHY AND PREREQUISITES

The undergraduate mini-calendar contains descriptions of the courses to be offered by the Department of Philosophy in the Faculty of Arts.

1000 Level courses: Introductory and general

PHIL 1000 6.0 Introduction to Philosophy provides an overview of several different areas within philosophy, and is recommended as a general introduction to the subject.

PHIL 1100 3.0 The Meaning of Life is also an introductory course for those not acquainted with philosophy, but the course introduces it through discussion of questions concerning the meaning of life and death. PHIL 1000 6.0 and PHIL 1100 3.0 are NOT prerequisites for further course work in philosophy, and both count towards fulfilling the degree requirements for course work in philosophy.

2000 Level courses: Introductory and focused

Courses at the 2000 level in philosophy serve as an introduction to a particular area or subject matter in philosophy. They do not require any previous training in philosophy, and they have no prerequisites. They may be taken by any student in the university. Some students may take these courses because they have had some previous acquaintance with the subject and want to pursue a university-level introduction to a particular aspect of philosophy. Others may find themselves curious about the subject matter discussed in a particular course and be drawn to it without any previous background in philosophy. These courses are designed to be of interest to philosophy majors and to those who may be pursuing philosophy as an elective subject. These courses may be taken at the same time as philosophy courses at the 1000 level.

3000 and 4000 Level Courses

Philosophy courses at the 3000 level have prerequisites on a course by course basis. In many cases there is a general requirement that the student has taken 6 credits in philosophy. This reflects the fact that students at the 3000 level are expected to have some familiarity with philosophical questions and argument, but are not expected to have studied any particular background for the course. Other courses have a more specific requirement at the 3000 level, and for these courses some specific background is presupposed.

Philosophy courses at the 4000 level are small seminar courses in which student attendance and participation in discussions are an important part of the learning experience. These courses are intended for students who have studied philosophy at a lower level, and hence they have a general prerequisite of at least 9 credits in philosophy. In addition to that there may be specific prerequisites for individual courses. Phil 407x courses, all of which discuss topics in moral philosophy, have as a pre-requisite one of PHIL 3020, 3050, or 3110, all intermediate level courses concerned with ethics. This mini-calendar accurately gives all the information about what prerequisites the instructor wants the students to have. If after consulting the information in this booklet (under “Our Courses”) you still have questions about the prerequisites for a given course, please consult the course director or the Undergraduate Program Director for more information before the first day of the class.

So you're interested in being a philosophy major! We're glad to have you!

FORMS
In order to become a philosophy major you must complete a change of major form. The forms are available from the department office or on-line at the registrar’s website: http://www.registrar.yorku.ca/services/forms.htm . They are signed by the Undergraduate Program Director, and submitted to the Registrar’s Office in the Student Services Building. You may change your major at any time during the year except during the registration period, June to mid-September.

REQUIREMENTS
Unlike many disciplines, there are no required courses for philosophy majors. The degree requirements for philosophy consists of a certain total of completed and passed philosophy credits, and a certain total number of upper level courses.

The following are the degree programmes available to philosophy majors, with the major requirements listed just as they are in the York University Calendar.

SPECIALIZED HONOURS: Students will take at least 54 credits in Philosophy, including at least 30 credits at the 3000 or 4000 level including, with no fewer than 12 credits at the 4000 level.

HONOURS: Students will take at least 42 credits in Philosophy, including at least 18 credits at the 3000 or 4000 level, with no fewer than 12 at the 4000 level.

HONOURS (DOUBLE MAJOR): The Honours BA programme described above may be pursued jointly with any other Honours Bachelor’s degree programme in the Faculties of Arts, Environmental Studies, Fine Arts, or with a major in Earth and Atmospheric Science or Physics and Astronomy in the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

HONOURS (MAJOR/MINOR) BA PROGRAMME: The Honours BA programme described above may be pursued jointly with any Honours Minor Bachelor’s degree programme in the Faculties of Arts, Environmental Studies, Fine Arts, or with a Minor in Biology, Chemistry, or Physics and Astronomy in the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

HONOURS (MINOR) BA PROGRAMME: The Honours Minor must be pursued jointly with an Honours BA programme in the Faculty of Arts. The Honours Minor in Philosophy comprises at least 30 credits in Philosophy, of which, at least 6 credits must be at the 4000 level.

Note: Faculty of Arts legislation requires that, in order to obtain an Honours BA (120 credits), students must take a total of at least 18 credits at the 4000 level, including at least 12 credits at the 4000 level in each Honours Major or Specialized Honours Major.

HONOURS (DOUBLE MAJOR) BA Interdisciplinary Programmes: The Honours programme in Philosophy may also be linked in an Honours (Double Major) programme with the following interdisciplinary programmes: Communications Studies,Science and Society, or Social and Political Thought. Students must take 36 credits in Philosophy and 36 credits in the programme. Courses taken to meet philosophy requirements cannot also be used to meet the requirements of these programmes. Students in these interdisciplinary programmes must take a total of at least 18 credits at the 4000 level, including at least 6 credits in the programme and 6 credits in the departmental major subject. For further details of requirements, see the listings for specific interdisciplinary programmes.

BA PROGRAMME: Students must take at least 30 credits in philosophy with at least 12 credits at the 3000 or 4000 level.

CHECKLIST FOR PHILOSOPHY REQUIREMENTS

SUGGESTIONS FOR MAJORS

Although there are no required courses in philosophy there are three suggestions that the department would like you to follow:

1) Choose a variety of courses from different areas of philosophy at the 2000 level, as these will:
a) help you decide what areas of philosophy you would like to focus on at the upper levels, and
b) help to give you a wider sense of what philosophy is, and
c) give you the prerequisites you may need to take upper level philosophy courses.

2) The following courses are strongly recommended for students wanting to study philosophy at the graduate level:
PHIL 2100 An Introduction To Symbolic Logic
PHIL 2010 and 2015, courses in ancient philosophy
PHIL 2020 and 2025, courses in early modern history of philosophy

These courses are recommended because most graduate programs expect students to have studied logic and to have certain amount of history of philosophy.
3) The honours seminar, PHIL 4900 6.0 is offered every year, and it is recommended for honours philosophy majors who are in the last year of their degree. The topic and the course director change every year, but it is designed to be an in-depth treatment of an important philosophical topic. It is a chance for the best philosophy majors to work together!

SUGGESTED COURSES BY YEAR

What philosophy courses you take at the second year level does not rigidly determine what you can take at the upper levels. But for particular Aareas@ within philosophy there are prerequisites at the upper level that must be followed. Those areas are: Argumentation Theory, Ethics, Logic, and Philosophy of Mind/Cognitive Science. This is a suggested course selection for someone interested in ethics. It is given only as an example.

Notice!
1) You must take PHIL 2070 or another 2000 level ethics as a prerequisite for PHIL 3020. Also you must take PHIL 3020 or PHIL 3110 in order to take PHIL 407X. The suggestion above reflects this.

2) The faculty of arts requires you to take more upper level courses than are required by the philosophy major. In particular for the Honours BA, you must take a minimum of 36 credits at the 3000 or 4000 level, including a minimum of 18 credits at the 4000 level. The suggestions in the Other Courses column reflect this.

If you would like to discuss your philosophy course selection, please make an appointment to speak with the Undergraduate Programme Director for advising.

PRIZES

The Derek Hau Memorial Scholarship was established in 1992 to commemorate the death of Derek S. Hau, a philosophy major, who died in an automobile accident in May 1992. It is awarded to a philosophy essay in a 3rd or 4th year course that most displays excellence and insight. Total value of the award ranges from $200-$500 yearly.

Each year a Faculty of Arts Essay Prize is awarded to a 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 level essay in the Faculty of Arts. The Philosophy Department had several students win these prizes in the last few years.

NEW SCHOLARSHIP FOR MASTER'S STUDENTS

Please Note: This scholarship is for BA Philosophy Students who are graduating and wish to go into a Philosophy Master's Program.

The CGS Master’s program seeks to develop research skills and assist in the training of highly-qualified academic personnel by supporting students in the social sciences and humanities who demonstrate a high standard of achievement in undergraduate and early graduate studies.

This program, together with the SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships and Postdoctoral Fellowships programs, will help train Canada’s research leaders of tomorrow.

Description, Value and Duration
The CGS Master’s program offers twelve-month awards, valued at $17,500
and tenable at recognized Canadian universities, to students who intend
to pursue full-time studies at the master’s level in a discipline
supported by SSHRC.

For Further information visit:

http://www.sshrc.ca/web/apply/program_descriptions/fellowships/cgs_masters_e.asp

PHILOSOPHY STUDENTS ASSOCIATION:  Philosophia

Philosophia, York University’s undergraduate philosophical association, is an academic, student-run initiative that offers students a stimulating forum in which they may engage in philosophical inquiry beyond the classroom. We achieve this by practicing and offering philosophy in a variety of ways: We hold twice-monthly meetings, which feature academic and recreational activities; put together informative workshops; organize a philosophy conference; publish the Oracle: York University’s Undergraduate Philosophical Review; and maintain a listserv.

York’s undergraduate philosophy association is a student-run initiative intended to offer students a forum to engage in philosophical inquiry outside the classroom. We offer various resources and programming to students depending on their interests and needs.  As York is an interdisciplinary university, so too is Philosophia an interdisciplinary association. We encourage students from all majors and disciplines to join us in our meetings and activities. Our topics are geared towards our members and we welcome all perspectives.

Club Meetings:

We currently hold weekly meetings at 7pm in room 447 Ross South Building. Topics of discussion change from week to week.

Contact Information:

Main email: philclub@yorku.ca
Jonathan Payton (President): eclap_jon@hotmail.com
Geeta Raghunanan (Editor-in-Chief): geetaraghunanan@hotmail.com
Artour Rostorotski (Treasurer): therulesarebound@hotmail.com

Facebook: search for the Philosophia group or go to the following address:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8036781222

Office:

We currently do not have an office space, our office in Founders College is closed permanently.


To read the 2007 and 2008 issues of the Oracle online, please visit the following website:  www.the-oracle.net

Philosophia's Website is:  www.yorku.ca/philclub

GENERAL CERTIFICATE IN PRACTICAL ETHICS

Practical ethics is an exciting new area of interdisciplinary study and research providing the opportunity to apply ethical concepts and principles to contemporary social issues. The courses listed for the Practical Ethics General Certificate programme enables students to raise questions of applied ethics and public policy in the fields of anthropology, economics, humanities, philosophy, social science, and sociology. Further information is available at: http://www.yorku.ca/ycpe/

In addition, the sign up sheet and the list of designated courses for the programme is available for the Department of Philosophy.  For questions about this program please contact Professor S. Dimock

PHILOSOPHY IN HIGH SCHOOL

In 1994 the OAC (Grade 13) Philosophy course was introduced to Ontario high schools, making Ontario the first and only educational jurisdiction in North America to have philosophy as part of its official secondary school curriculum. In 2001-2002, with the introduction of the new secondary school curriculum in Ontario, two new philosophy courses were introduced to replace the OAC, one at the grade 12 level (“Philosophy: Questions and Theories”) and one at the grade 11 level (“Philosophy: The Big Questions”).

Interest in these courses have grown rapidly since the early 1990's. In 2004-2005 according to the Ontario Ministry of Education statistics, over 30,000 secondary school students were enrolled in the courses, in over 300 high schools across the province. In 1999, the Ontario Philosophy Teachers’ Association was founded to serve and represent the interests of high school philosophy teachers at the local, provincial and national levels, as well as to host annual conferences for high school philosophy teachers. Two new high-school level philosophy textbooks have also recently been published: Philosophy: Questions and Theories, (McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2002), for the grade 12 course, and Philosophy: The Big Questions (Canadian Scholars Press, 2003), for the grade 11 course.

Any Philosophy Majors or Minors who are interested in becoming high school teachers, and who would be interested in teaching philosophy in high school or in joining the Ontario Philosophy Teacher's Associaton, should contact Professor David Jopling (Co-Chair of the Ontario Secondary School Philosophy Project) or click here for further information.

SPECIALIZED HONOURS BA PROGRAM IN COGNITIVE SCIENCE

Our interdisciplinary program in Cognitive Science offers you a challenging opportunity to study the mind and its processes. In this program you can combine courses from computer science, linguistics, philosophy, and psychology to gain an expansive knowledge of the cognitive processes we might find in humans, animals, and machines. Cognitive Science majors will examine the nature of thought, memory, perception, and language from a variety of different perspectives in order to acquire a rich knowledge of the mind. You will have the chance to study the different ways in which infants and non-human animals may be able to think and reason without language, how computers may be programmed to demonstrate intelligence, and the nature of the relationship between social interaction and cognition. Our faculty members are conducting research in such diverse areas as infant social cognition, human-computer interaction, cognitive ethology, and moral psychology. Your study will be enriched by your contact with energetic faculty and research groups who are engaged in groundbreaking work in the field of cognitive science.

Cognitive Science Degree Requirements
You can download a degree program checklist to help you plan your path through the program http://www.arts.yorku.ca/phil/cogs/course_requirements.html. The checklist also indicates the necessary prerequisites for each course in the program. Students will be responsible for making sure that all necessary prerequisites have been met for each course.

It is strongly recommended that students choose from the following courses to meet the 1000-level General Education/Foundations requirement.
• AS/SOSC1140 9.0 or AS/SOSC1440 9.0, and
• SC/NATS1690 6.0.

Specialized Honours BA Program
Students must complete the following:
• AS/LING1000 6.0; AS/PSYC1010 6.0; AS/CSE/PHIL3750 3.0; AS/PHIL3260 3.0; AS/PHIL3635 3.0; AS/PSYC3260 3.0; AS/COGS/PHIL4750 6.0;

• 6 credits chosen from the following: AS/COSC1020 3.0,
AS/CSE1030 3.0, AS/CSE2001 3.0, AS/LING2120 3.0, AS/LING2140 3.0, AS/PHIL2100 3.0, AS/PHIL3100 3.0, AS/PHIL3105 3.0, AS/PSYC2020 6.0 or AS/PSYC2021 3.0, or AS/PSYC2030 3.0;

• 9 credits chosen from the following, and including at least two different disciplines (departments): AS/CSE2011 3.0, AS/CSE3401 3.0, AS/AK/SC/SCE3402 3.0, AS/LING3120 3.0, AS/LING3140 3.0, AS/LING3210 3.0, AS/LING3220 3.0, AS/LING3800 3.0, AS/PSYC2110 3.0, AS/AK/SC/PSYC2120 3.0, AS/PSYC2220 3.0, AS/PSYC2240 3.0, AS/PSYC3250 3.0, AS/PSYC3265 3.0, AS/PSYC3280 3.0, or AS/PSYC3290 3.0;

• 3 credits chosen from the following: AS/PHIL2160 3.0, or AS/PHIL2240 3.0;

• 6 credits chosen from the following, and including at least two different disciplines (departments): AS/CSE4401 3.0, AS/CSE4421 3.0, AS/CSE4422 3.0, AS/CSE4441 3.0, AS/LING4120 3.0, AS/PHIL4080 3.0, AS/PHIL4081 3.0, AS/PHIL4082 3.0, AS/PHIL4084 3.0, AS/PSYC4010 6.0, AS/AK/SC/PSYC4020 3.0/6.0, AS/PSYC4080 6.0, AS/PSYC4120 3.0, AS/PSYC4180 3.0, AS/PSYC4230 3.0, AS/PSYC4270 3.0.

Honours (Double Major) BA Program
The program described above may be pursued jointly with any other Honours Bachelor's degree program in the Faculties of Arts, Environmental Studies, or Fine Arts, or with a major in Earth and Atmospheric Science or Physics and Astronomy in the Faculty of Pure and Applied Science.

Honours (Double Major) Interdisciplinary BA Programs
The program described above may be linked with any Honours (Double Major) Interdisciplinary BA program in the Faculty of Arts. Courses taken to meet Cognitive Science requirements cannot also be used to meet the requirements of the interdisciplinary program. Students in these interdisciplinary programs must take a total of at least 18 credits at the 4000-level. For further details of requirements, see the listings for specific Honours (Double Major) Interdisciplinary BA Programs.

Major/Minor (with Cognitive Science as the Major) BA Program
The program described above may be pursued jointly with any Honours Minor Bachelor's degree program in the Faculties of Arts, Environmental Studies, Fine Arts, or with a Minor in Biology, Chemistry, or Physics and Astronomy in the Faculty of Pure and Applied Science.

Contacts:
Program Director: Professor Verena Gottschling, Department of Philosophy, S444 Ross Building, Tel: 416-736-5113, Fax: 416-736-5114, E-mail: vgott@yorku.ca
Undergraduate Office: S428 Ross Building, Tel: 416-736-5113,
Fax: 416-736-5114.
Counter Hours: 8:30 - 4:30 p.m.; Friday 8:30 - 3:30 p.m. (June, July and August)
Web Site:  http://www.arts.yorku.ca/phil/cogs/

COGNITIVE SCIENCE STUDENTS' ASSOCIATION OF YORK

Hello from (COSSA) the Cognitive Science Students' Association!

COSSA's main mandate is to provide students with an environment outside of their academic responsibilities. Being an interdisciplinary program of study, Cognitive Science students often have trouble finding each other and may never know that the student a few seats down share their interests. We aim to provide a link for students who wish to find like minded individuals to learn and share their experiences.

We hold a variety of social activities including but not limited to: movie nights, pub nights and debates with a keen ear to open-minded and analytic conversation. By getting to know others in Cognitive Science,
students also gain access to the experience of upper year students and professors to help them tackle the intricacies of carving out their academic path.

University is a place to learn, but not only from lectures and books, learning from the mind's of others is how we grow as people.

For more information, please contact <cossapresident@gmail.com>

We at COSSA look forward to meeting and learning with you.

Best wishes,
The Cognitive Science Students' Association

Web: http://www.yorku.ca/cossa/blog/blog.html

ACADEMIC HONESTY

Philosophy is concerned with teaching students to argue well, as opposed to arguing to the conclusion that the professor agrees with, or one that is famous. Philosophy also insists that its students do their own thinking, and their own writing! While it is sometimes (but not usually) necessary to read or quote from other authors about a philosophical subject, such references or quotations must always be clearly acknowledged in any philosophy essay. The Philosophy Department is very concerned about the problem of student plagiarism. If you have any questions about how to refer to other sources you are using, you should consult your course director and/or your teaching assistant. For more information on what academic dishonesty is and what the university’s policies concerning it are, consult:

http://www.arts.yorku.ca/honesty/ .

The Philosophy Department would like to add a special caution regarding material found on the world wide web. Students must treat material found on the web exactly the same as they would material found in a book or article. That material must be clearly cited (using the web site address) if it is quoted or paraphrased, just as any other reference would be. This has been a source of many disciplinary actions in the past few years, and students are asked to discuss it with their professor if they feel they are unclear about it.

The Philosophy Department has adopted a policy of having a mandatory in-class written component for all courses below the fourth year level. This written work may be kept by the instructor so that it may be compared with essay work handed in later. Please note that it is impossible to pass the course without completing this component.