Graduate Program Outline of Schedule:
FIRST YEAR:
SECOND YEAR:
-
Fall semester: 3 courses, plus teaching assignment (or a fourth course,
if there is no teaching assignment)
-
Spring semester: 3 courses, one of which is a master's Thesis course,
plus teaching assignment (or a fourth course,
if there is no teaching assignment); submission
and oral defense of the master's thesis; admission
to doctoral studies
THIRD YEAR:
-
Fall semester: 3 courses, one of which is a pre-dissertation seminar,
plus teaching assignment (or a third course or
approved equivalent if there is no teaching assignment);
preparation for written examination in the area
of specialization
-
Spring semester: 3 courses, one of which is a pre-dissertation seminar,
plus teaching assignment (or a third course or
approved equivalent if there is no teaching assignment);
written examination in the field of specialization
in February
FOURTH YEAR:
FIFTH YEAR:
DEGREE
REQUIREMENTS*
For
the M.A. in Philosophy:
For
the Ph.D. in Philosophy:
-
an additional 10 courses, of which two courses shall be the pre-dissertation
seminar and two shall consist of registration
for Ph.D. Dissertation Research (PHIL 994);
- satisfactory completion of a requirement in formal logic;
- satisfaction of the Ph.D. Distribution Requirements (see below);
-
satisfactory performance on the Examination in the field of specialization;
and
-
satisfactory completion and oral defense of a doctoral dissertation.
DISTRIBUTION REQUIREMENTS
To
ensure the scope and comprehensiveness of a student's
philosophical training, each student is required to
include in his or her program of studies courses distributed
as follows:
For
the M.A. Degree:
-
two courses in the History of Philosophy, including one course addressing
a significant figure, school, or movement in philosophy
prior to 1600 A.D. and one course addressing a
significant figure, school, or movement in philosophy
within the period 1600-1900 A.D.;
- one course within the area of Metaphysics and Epistemology; and
- one course within the area of Ethics and Value Theory.
For
the Ph.D. Degree:
Symbolic
Logic 455 and the Protoseminar are not counted toward
the satisfaction of these Distribution Requirements.
A student who has substituted a more advanced logic
course for Symbolic Logic may, however, count the
substituted course toward the satisfaction of these
requirements.
PROGRAM
FOR THE FIRST YEAR
Courses
for the First Term:
Prior
to registration for the first term, each student will
meet with his or her Advisor (or the Director of Graduate
Studies) in order to work out a program of studies.
The program should include four courses (12 hours)
during the first semester of the first year of studies.
One course in logic is normally required (see below).
The department further strongly advises, although
it does not require, that an entering student plan
from the outset to include courses in the history
of philosophy in his or her program. (See the formal
Distribution Requirements above.)
Courses
for the Second Term:
During
the second semester of the first year of studies,
a student should take four regular courses (12 hours).
One of these will be the Protoseminar, a special intensive
seminar for all and only first-year students. This
seminar aims to develop the student's skill in philosophical
thinking in both oral presentations and written essays.
Critical and constructive commentary and close faculty-student
contact are standard features of the course.
PROGRAM FOR THE SECOND YEAR
Courses
for the Third Term:
During
the first semester of the second year of studies,
a student should take three regular courses (9 hours)
in addition to his or her teaching assignment, or
four courses (12 hours) if there is no teaching assignment.
Courses should be selected in consultation with the
student's Academic Advisor, with an eye to the Distribution
Requirements outlined above.
Courses
for the Fourth Term:
During
the second semester of the second year, a student
should take one Master's Thesis course (3 hours) plus
two regular courses (6 hours) in addition to his or
her teaching assignment, or one Master's Thesis course
(3 hours) plus three regular courses (9 hours) if
there is no teaching assignment.
The
Master's Thesis: The department regards the writing
of a Master's thesis as a valuable part of a student's
preparation for doing professional, constructive,
and creative work in philosophy. The master's thesis
should be a substantive essay of 20 to 30 typewritten
pages. Two good models to keep in mind would be a
high-quality, revised and polished, well-defined term
paper and a sharply-focused, articulate essay in a
philosophical journal.
PROGRAM FOR THE THIRD YEAR
Courses
for the Fifth Term:
During
the first semester of the third year, the student
should take three courses (9 hours) in addition to
his or her teaching assignment, or four courses (12
hours) if there is no teaching assignment (or approved
equivalent). In either case, one course will be the
pre-dissertation seminar. The remaining courses should
be selected in consultation with the student's Academic
Advisor and should contribute to completion of the
departmental Distribution Requirements.
One
of these courses should be, to the extent possible,
a course relating in theme and orientation to the
student's field of specialized study and the contents
of its working Area Bibliography. The student's Academic
Advisor may wish to suggest a course outside the department
that is appropriate for this purpose, should no suitable
courses be available among the departmental offerings.
The
second course during this semester should be used
to further deepen or broaden the student's command
of some aspect of the discipline before embarking
on more narrowly-focused work during the seventh and
subsequent terms. In exceptional circumstances, the
student's second course during the fifth term may
be a PHIL 901 (Directed Readings) course, conducted
by a member of the relevant Area Subcommittee or some
other suitably qualified person, the course to be
devoted to study of the literature included in the
student's Area Bibliography. Students who have had
the relevant introductory course(s) in a research
area, however, should normally be able to complete
reading the remaining parts of the selected Area Bibliography
on their own. A Directed Readings course is appropriate
only when a student has not completed the relevant
introductory course(s), either because they have not
been available during the student's first five terms
or because the student is moving into a new area of
concentration.
Courses
for the Sixth Term:
During
the second semester of the third year, the student
should take three courses (9 hours) in addition to
his or her teaching assignment, or four courses (12
hours) if there is no teaching assignment (or approved
equivalent). In either case, one course will be the
pre-dissertation seminar.
Examination
in the Field of Specialization: In February of
the sixth term, the student will take a written examination
in the field of specialization (based on the appropriate
area bibliography).
Towards
the end of the sixth term, but before the end of the
semester, a student should jointly meet with the prospective
director of his or her PhD dissertation and at least
one other prospective member of the committee.
PROGRAM
FOR THE FOURTH YEAR
A
student's fourth year of study will be devoted largely
to the designing and then writing of the dissertation.
This should be done with the help and guidance of
the dissertation director and in close consultation
with the two principal readers. The student should
register for one Ph.D. Dissertation Research course
(3 hours) during each of the seventh and eight terms.
In addition, students are strongly encouraged to audit
at least one course each term and to participate actively
in the academic life of the department.
Dissertation
Proposal Oral Examination: In November, the student
will submit to the department a concise dissertation
proposal, including a description of the envisioned
research project and a brief bibliographic survey
of the principal relevant literature. An oral examination
will be administered to the student by the departmental
faculty as a whole.
PROGRAM
FOR THE FIFTH YEAR
A
student's fifth year of study will normally be largely
devoted to writing, revising, and then polishing the
dissertation. It is expected that the student will
register for one Ph.D. Dissertation Research course
(3 hours) during each of the ninth and tenth terms
in order to permit access to University resources.
Submission and final oral defense of Ph.D. dissertation
should normally be scheduled for the tenth term, although
students sometimes defer completion, submission, and
oral defense of the dissertation into a sixth year.
* A full and detailed
description of the program's requirements (including
a list of courses that meet various requirements)
descriptions of the areas specified in the distribution
requirements, add/drop policies, etc., can be found
in the Department's Graduate Program in Philosophy
document. For Graduate School requirements, see the
Graduate Handbook.
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