Core Requirements

In general, all students take one course in Ethics and one course in General Philosophy. Specific course requirements vary by school. Please consult the Undergraduate Bulletin for information about the requirements in your program.

Courses taught outside the Philosophy Department do not satisfy either of these requirements unless they are cross-listed in philosophy. Requests to cross-list courses can be made only by the faculty member teaching the course and must be made before the beginning of the semester. Courses taken at other institutions must be approved by the Dean’s office or the Department in order to count for credit toward the Core Requirements.

For all students outside the SFS, the first course in Philosophy will be PHIL 1100 (Introduction to Ethics) or PHIL 1500 (Introduction to Philosophy). SFS students will take PHIL 1900 (Social and Political Philosophy) for their first course. Students may not enroll in a 2000-level course without first having taken a course in the PHIL 1000-1999 range. The exception is seniors who have not yet taken any philosophy. Seniors cannot register for PHIL 1100 or 1500 and should enroll directly in a 2000-level course for their first philosophy course.

If a student’s first course is PHIL 1100, the second course must be a 2000-level course in General Philosophy (PHIL 2500-2999). If the first course is PHIL 1500, the second course must be a 2000-level course in Ethics (PHIL 2000-2499.) Students in the SFS may take any 2000-level course for their second philosophy course. For students in the MSB, STRT 2101 Ethical Values of Business fulfills the second-course requirement in Ethics.

Please note: students may not take two introductory-level courses. In other words, students may not take both PHIL 1100  and PHIL 1500, or both PHIL 1900 and PHIL 1100/PHIL 1500.

Paths through the Core Requirement will standardly be one of these:

1. PHIL 1100 and a course from PHIL 2500-2999
2. PHIL 1500 and a course from PHIL 2000-2499 (MSB: Ethical Values in Business)
3. PHIL 1900 and a course from PHIL 2000-2999 (for SFS students only)

Upper-Level Courses

No PHIL course numbered 3000 or 4000 fulfills the University Core Requirement in Philosophy.
Courses at the 3000-level have a prerequisite of two courses at the 1000-2999 level. Courses at the 4000-level (with the exception of PHIL 4000: Symbolic Logic) have a prerequisite of one 3000-level course.

Objectives of Core Courses

February 9, 1996
Revised May 16, 2011

As an expression of its Jesuit, Catholic identity, Georgetown University requires all undergraduate students to complete two courses in philosophy. In fulfilling what it understands to be the goals of this requirement, the Philosophy Department is committed to providing core courses that

• offer effective introductions to the discipline of philosophy, including the philosophical study of ethics;
• enhance students’ ability to enter imaginatively into rival viewpoints and diverse perspectives; and
• strengthen students’ development as responsible citizens of society.

Philosophy is an ancient discipline with an enormous variety of subject areas and methodologies. The Georgetown University Philosophy Department is deliberately pluralistic, representing many major approaches to philosophy. Introductory courses in philosophy reflect this pluralism, engaging students in the study of a range of philosophical theories and methods. While the specific philosophical topics individual students study will depend on the particular courses they take, all core courses in philosophy seek to engage students in the disciplined and thoughtful examination of perennial philosophical questions concerning fundamental issues such as the possibility of human freedom, the existence and transcendence of God, the nature of knowledge and rationality, the rational justification of moral commitments, and the demands of social justice. In supporting Georgetown’s tradition as a Catholic and Jesuit university, the Philosophy Department also ensures that the Catholic philosophical tradition is well-represented in its core offerings. After having completed their core requirements in philosophy, students will be familiar with diverse philosophical theories and methods and a broad range of philosophical issues, and they will have examined the contributions of important figures in the history of philosophy. They will also be able to:

1. Understand what philosophy is, how it differs from other academic disciplines, and what its primary areas of inquiry are.
2. Understand and construct arguments. Philosophy provides training in the construction of good argumentation (reasoning from premises to a conclusion). Students learn to articulate and defend their own views, to understand and appreciate competing views, and to indicate clearly and forcefully why their views are preferable to alternatives. They hone basic skills of reasoning – the ability to draw valid inferences and to recognize invalid ones, to identify and evaluate their own and others’ background assumptions, and to grasp the implications and practical conclusions that follow from a claim or viewpoint being considered. Fair-minded and careful argumentation can lead to valuable insight into the respective strengths and weaknesses of alternative, even opposing views, and sometimes to the discovery of common ground between them.
3. Describe and analyze complex problems. The study of philosophy develops and sharpens students’ problem-solving skills. Students learn to state problems clearly and precisely, break complex problems into manageable parts, formulate helpful questions, and assess the relevance of data or information to a case at hand. Students develop the ability to analyze how presuppositions, interpretive approaches, and conceptual or theoretical assumptions are shaping the problem-solving process, and to capture and explain the virtues of alternative approaches. Students are also encouraged to pursue open-minded and disciplined inquiry into difficult fundamental questions that admit of no ready answers or clear-cut solutions.
4. Read, write, and speak effectively. In studying philosophy, students develop the capacity to interpret, analyze, and understand challenging texts. They learn to formulate clear definitions, to work effectively with concepts, and to organize their ideas logically. Dialogue is central to the advancement of philosophical reasoning and reflection; thus, the ability to communicate effectively with others is crucial. In thinking philosophically, students develop their capacity to express their ideas, insights and questions, and to listen openly to others, seeking to understand perspectives different from their own. They learn to craft examples and draw analogies that can help illuminate general, abstract claims.
5. Engage critically and constructively with moral problems and decisions. Studying ethical problems philosophically provides essential clarity and insight into how they might be resolved. The tools of philosophy help students develop and articulate their own ethical views and the reasons supporting those views. By considering objections to their arguments and by listening to classmates who hold different ethical positions, students learn to identify points of agreement and disagreement and to engage in constructive dialogue about complicated moral issues.
6. Apply philosophical analysis, argumentation, and critical reflection to the study of other disciplines. In studying philosophy, students are exposed to philosophical examinations of other disciplines through philosophy of science, philosophy of law, political philosophy, bioethics and global health, philosophy of history, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, and other interdisciplinary subfields of philosophy.