Philosophy
Chair:John Kulvicki
Professors S. J. Brison, J. V. Kulvicki, S. S. Levey, P. Lewis, D. Plunkett, A. Thomasson; Associate Professors S. Hesni, T. Rosenkoetter, C. J. Thomas, K. Walden; Affiliated Assistant Professor J. S. Phillips (Cognitive Science); Senior Lecturers J. Binkoski, A. E. Bumpus.
To view Philosophy courses, click here.
For up-to-date Philosophy course schedules, topics course descriptions, syllabi, and Philosophy event listings, go to the Philosophy Department website, click here.
The Major
1. Prerequisites:
a. One course from: PHIL 1, PHIL 4, PHIL 5, PHIL 8, PHIL 9
b. PHIL 3 or PHIL 6
2. Requirements: Eight additional philosophy courses, at least seven of which are beyond the introductory level (i.e., courses numbered PHIL 11 or higher), including:
a. Two from: PHIL 11, PHIL 12, PHIL 13, PHIL 16, PHIL 19
b. One advanced seminar in Philosophy, PHIL 50
c. One culminating experience seminar in Philosophy, PHIL 80
The Modified Major: Eligible for Class Years 2025 and Earlier, only (those class years should review regulations in the archived ORC of the year they matriculated).
Students wishing to modify another major with philosophy, specifically of the Modified A variety, should note that this requires five philosophy courses: one prerequisite, and four more courses, chosen in consultation with the philosophy department, such that the resulting major constitutes “a unified, coherent whole.” (See also the ORC entry “Modified Major.”)
The Minor in Philosophy
1. Prerequisites:
a. One course from: PHIL 1, PHIL 3, PHIL 4, PHIL 5, PHIL 6, PHIL 8, PHIL 9
2. Requirements: Five additional philosophy courses, at least four of which are beyond the introductory level (i.e., courses numbered PHIL 11 or higher), including one advanced seminar, either PHIL 50 or PHIL 80.
Transfer Credit
At most, two transfer credits may be counted toward the major, modified major, or minor; subject to approval by the Chair and the Registrar. Transfer credit cannot be used to satisfy the advanced topics and culminating experience seminar requirements.
Foreign Study
The Department of Philosophy offers a biennial study abroad program in fall term (of even-numbered years) at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. While there, students will take a course in philosophy taught by a Dartmouth faculty member (PHIL 50). In addition, each student takes two university courses (PHIL 60, PHIL 61). Students will receive at most three course credits in this term. Students participating in the program must have completed two courses in philosophy prior to their participation, but not necessarily prior to their application for admission to the program. Preference will be given, however, to those students who have completed more philosophy courses. Application for admission to the program should be made during the fall term prior to the contemplated term in Edinburgh. There will be an opportunity for eligible students to participate in the Junior Honors Seminar while in Edinburgh.
Philosophy Honors Program
The Honors Program is designed for qualified students interested in doing intensive and individualized work in philosophy. Only those students who have successfully completed the Honors Program are eligible to receive major standings of Honors or High Honors.
The program is divided into three stages: the Junior Honors Seminar, preparation and submission of a thesis proposal, and thesis writing. All students who register for the Philosophy Major and who expect to have the necessary cumulative averages (3.50 in Philosophy and 3.33 overall) are invited to join the Junior Honors Seminars. In order to be accepted for thesis writing, a student must successfully complete a Junior Honors Seminar, maintain or attain by the end of the Junior year the required averages, and have a thesis proposal approved by the Philosophy Department.
Junior Honors Seminars. Honors students are required to complete a Junior Honors Seminar by the end of the winter term of their junior year and prior to submission of a thesis proposal for departmental approval. These small, not-for-credit seminars meet four or five times per term, during which students complete a draft thesis proposal. The proposal produced need not be the proposal ultimately submitted to the department. Students may take the seminar in the summer, fall, or winter term of their junior year.
Preparation, Submission, and Approval of Thesis Proposal. During the junior year, students should consult with faculty members who might serve as advisors in the preparation and submission of a thesis proposal. Senior thesis proposals must be submitted to the Chair of the department by the end of the fourth week of spring term in the junior year. These proposals may be the result of work in the Junior Honors Seminar, but they may also be on a different topic, or significantly modified versions of the junior honors work. In the spring term, the Department will approve requests, deny them, or ask for revisions. In the latter case, the Department will work with the student to establish a deadline for submission of a revised proposal. In any case, all proposals will be approved or denied before the start of fall term of senior year. Once proposals are approved by the Philosophy Department, the Chair of the department appoints a thesis supervisor for each student. Typically, this will be the faculty member with whom the student has been working to produce a proposal. In some cases, however, another supervisor may be appointed, especially if a single faculty member has been in consultation with multiple students.
Thesis Writing. Students writing a senior thesis are strongly encouraged to be in residence for the entirety of their senior year. Students writing theses are enrolled in PHIL 89 for the fall term and PHIL 90 for the winter term of their senior year (exceptions to this may be made for those students on the Philosophy FSP—see below*). Only one term of the Honors Program may count towards satisfying the major requirements.
*Students on the Philosophy FSP in Edinburgh will write a Winter-Spring thesis, enrolling in Phil 89 for the Winter term and Phil 90 for the Spring term of their senior year. Owing to the more compressed time frame, FSP students writing an honors thesis should begin their thesis work during the FSP, where support for workshopping ideas will be provided. During this time, students should also begin working (remotely) with their Dartmouth Thesis advisors, so that their work is significantly underway by the start of Winter term. In extraordinary cases, a student not on the FSP may be permitted to write a winter-spring or fall-spring thesis. In such cases, students are expected to consult with the Chair of the department during the junior year and to request special accommodations when submitting their senior thesis proposals.
Thesis students and their supervisors work together to prepare a research and writing plan, and meet regularly throughout the fall and winter terms.
Students must submit a full draft of the thesis by the sixth Monday of the winter term. This draft is read by two faculty members, appointed by the Chair, who are not the student's thesis supervisor. The student and these external readers meet by the ninth week of winter term to discuss the thesis. The external readers can insist on significant revisions before submission of the final product. Final versions of theses are submitted to the supervisor and external readers on the second Monday of spring term. Public defenses are scheduled for the last few weeks of the spring term. Thesis grades are determined by supervisors and external readers.
The final version of the thesis should be between 20,000 and 30,000 words long. Students must submit four bound copies of the thesis, one of which is printed on acid-free bond paper, to the department administrator by the last Monday of the spring term.