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Philosophy

The Philosophy minor is designed to give students interested in philosophy the opportunity to do intensive work in the field and have that work recognized. Philosophy — a term derived from the ancient Greek philosophia — means “love of wisdom.” As a discipline, philosophy strives to seek thoughtful and rigorous responses to the most fundamental “Why?” questions about ourselves, the universe and our place in the universe. Areas of study include being or existence, knowledge, ethics, political philosophy and various “philosophy of . . .” issues (e.g., philosophy of law, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, etc.). Some core questions that philosophers ask range from “What is the nature of justice?” and “How should I live my life?” to “Do humans have free will?” and “What sort of justification is required for me to have knowledge?”

Learning objectives for philosophy minors include the development and mastery of the following skills and competencies.

Students will be able to:

  • Recognize and reconstruct arguments
  • Critically evaluate arguments
  • Appreciate different responses to a given philosophical question
  • Offer a thoughtfully defended thesis on a given philosophical question
  • Entertain and respond to challenges to one’s thesis


A Philosophy minor, which is noted on the student's final transcript, is extremely beneficial for students planning careers in law school or various graduate programs. A liberal arts and humanities education, according to some of the top law schools, is the best preparation for understanding, synthesizing, and evaluating the legal theory and moral reasoning employed in legal judgments. Both law schools and graduate schools place a premium on the sort of critical thinking and conceptual analysis that philosophy uniquely provides. In addition, there is statistical evidence that those who major in philosophy consistently score higher than those in nearly every other major on standardized exams such as the LSAT and the GRE.

Minor coordinator. Professor Tanya Rodriguez, Department of Philosophy (212.237.8338, sascott@jjay.cuny.edu)

Requirements:

  • A student must complete 18 credits (six courses) in philosophy.
  • Philosophy 231 is required (also fulfills the general education requirement for philosophy).
  • At least two courses must be at the 300-level or higher.
  • Independent study courses, arranged between the student and a supervising faculty member, and experimental courses can be used to fill the 18-credit requirement. For details on independent study courses, see Chapter 6, Academic Standards.

Philosophy courses satisfying the requirements of the minor include the following:

Subtotal: 18 credits

Philosophy 102 Introduction to Ethics
Philosophy 105 Critical Thinking and Informal Logic
Philosophy 201 Philosophy of Art
Philosophy 202 American Philosophy
Philosophy 203 Political Philosophy
Philosophy 204 Logic
Philosophy 205 Philosophy of Religion
Philosophy 224/Anthropology 224/Psychology 224/Sociology 224 Death, Dying and Society: A Life Crises Management Issue
Philosophy 231 Knowing, Being and Doing (the College's required general education philosophy course)
Philosophy 302 Philosophical Issues of Rights
Philosophy 304 Philosophy of the Mind
Philosophy 310/Law 310 Ethics and the Law
Philosophy 315 Philosophy of the Rule of Law
Philosophy 321/Criminal Justice 321 Police Ethics
Philosophy 322/Criminal Justice 322 Judicial and Correctional Ethics
Philosophy 326 Topics in the History of Modern Thought
Philosophy 327 19th- Century European and American Philosophy
Philosophy 340 Utopian Thought
Philosophy 343 Existentialism
Philosophy 351 Classical Chinese Philosophy
Philosophy 374 Epistemology
Philosophy 377 Reality, Truth and Being: Metaphysics
Philosophy 423/Government 423 Selected Topics in Justice
Philosophy 333/Gender Studies 333 Theories of Gender and Sexuality
Philosophy 354/African American Studies 354 Africana Philosophy

The following course may also be applied toward the minor:
Humanities and Justice Studies 250 Justice in the Western Traditions

Total: 18 credits

Note: Credit toward the minor may be given for courses taken elsewhere at the College if they include substantial philosophical content. Please contact the Philosophy minor advisor.