MASTER OF ARTS IN PHILOSOPHY
Program Description
The Master of Arts in Philosophy Program is a master鈥檚 degree program under the academic track. It aims to provide a well-balanced approach to the study of philosophy in terms of the treatment of the discipline鈥檚 various branches and traditions. The program caters both to students who intend to pursue a teaching career in philosophy and therefore desire to intensify their knowledge of the basic areas of the discipline, and to students who intend to pursue other careers but who desire to explore and experience the vast intellectual horizon of the discipline and to learn the critical skills of philosophical analysis especially as they apply in the areas of decision-making, problem-solving, political advocacy, aesthetic appreciation, and ethical evaluation.
Academic Courses (See Appendix for Description of Courses)
Basic Courses
Philosophical Research (required), Philosophy of Language, Phenomenology and Existentialism, Philosophy of Mind, Postmodernism, Philosophy of Science, Filipino Philosophy, Eastern Philosophy (Or: Buddhist/Chinese/Indian Philosophy), Philosophical Problems
Major Courses
Analytic Philosophy, Continental Philosophy, Hermeneutics, Symbolic Logic, Ethics, Feminist
Philosophy, Metaphysics, Epistemology, Social and Political Philosophy, Aesthetics, Philosophy
of Education
Electives
Philosophy of Education, Philosophy of History, Process Philosophy, Critical Theory, Marxist Humanism, Classical Eastern Philosophy, Philosophy of Technology, Comparative East-West Philosophy, Metaethics, Philosophy of the Unconscious, Structuralism/Post-Structuralism, Philosophy of Action, Buddhist Philosophy, Chinese Philosophy, Indian Philosophy, Special Topics 1, 2, & 3, Individual Philosopher 1, 2, & 3
Cognate Courses
- Students may enroll in a 3-unit graduate course offered as a cognate course by any other
department in the College of Liberal Arts (CLA). Such course will be credited as an elective
course. - All graduate courses offered by the Department of Philosophy, being foundational and having
no prerequisite courses, may be taken as cognate courses by graduate students of other CLA
departments.
Course Repetition and Completion
A grade below 2.0 for courses taken under the master’s program would require repetition of such courses. A grade of “Incomplete” or “Deferred” incurred in a term automatically becomes a “W” (Withdrawn) if not completed within the succeeding term, and its highest possible completion grade is 3.5.
Financial Aid
Full and partial scholarships are available through the Office of Admissions and Scholarships (OAS).
Admission requirements
- The applicant must have a bachelor鈥檚 degree in philosophy or in any other field. If the latter,
the applicant, in his/her first term of enrollment, will be required to enroll in one or two
refresher courses to be determined by the Graduate Program Coordinator or the Chair of
the Philosophy Department. - A letter of application and two letters of recommendation from former professors or present employers.
- Passing a qualifying examination.
- An interview with the Graduate Program Coordinator or the Chair of the Philosophy Department.
Curriculum
Master of Arts in Philosophy
(1) 30 Units of Coursework
- At least 12 units of basic courses (which must include Philosophical Research)
- At least 9 units of major courses
- The rest may be basic, major, or elective courses.
(2) Written Comprehensive Examinations in Three (3) Areas of Study
- Such areas of study must include at least one (1) basic course and one (1) major course.
The other course may be a basic, major, or elective course.
(3) Thesis (6 units)
- Oral defense has two stages: proposal and final.
(4) One (1) Publication in a Refereed Journal or Juried Creative Work
- Publications may have single or multiple authors; and journals may be published
nationally or internationally. Additional supporting documents may be required.
APPENDIX: DESCRIPTIONS OF THE ACADEMIC COURSES
A. BASIC COURSES
Philosophical Research聽
3 units
This is a research course where the student is trained to use proper documentation, that is the proper use of parenthetical references (PR) and reference lists (RL). The parts of a paper or book or thesis are discussed. Students are trained how to use the library, how to write a book review, and related matters. In particular, they are trained to write an Introduction, a Theoretical or Conceptual Framework, and a Review of Related Literature.
Philosophy of Mind
3 units
A study of modern and contemporary trends in the philosophy of mind among European and Anglo-American thinkers.
Phenomenology and Existentialism聽
3 units
A thorough study of the views of Brentano and Husserl on the project of phenomenology and how existentialist philosophers such as Sartre, Heidegger, and Merleau-Ponty react to such views.
Philosophy of Language聽
3 units
A critical study of the nature of language, meaning and communication, including the theories of Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, Chomsky, Austin, Searle, and others. Open to students of Linguistics and Languages.
Postmodernism
3 units
An examination of a contemporary movement called postmodernism in terms of its philosophical and cultural roots, claims, scope and influences, and critical reactions to certain dominant ways of thinking that have characterized modernist thought, such as those described by Derrida as 鈥渓ogocentric,鈥 as expressed in various areas that include literature, art, architecture, film, and philosophy.
Philosophy of Science聽
3 units
A critical study of the philosophical problems related to science, including what the laws of nature are, causality, explanation, theories, models, the ontological status of theoretical entities, induction, probabilities, value judgment in science, and others.
Eastern Philosophy
3 units
A thorough and holistic approach to philosophies traditionally classified as Eastern which include Buddhist Philosophy, Indian Philosophy, Chinese Philosophy, and Islamic philosophy.
Filipino Philosophy
3 units
An in-depth review and analysis of available philosophical writings by Filipinos: cultural, traditional, and constitutional/national approaches to Filipino philosophy.
Philosophical Problems
3 units
The course aims to introduce students to the philosophical endeavor through examining some
of the significant and key issues in philosophy such as the problem of evil, the problem of value
and the problem of free will, and other problems that matter. As philosophers, we try to find
out whether our views on the above can be supported with rational arguments, or whether we
have to give them up in light of closer scrutiny.
B. MAJOR COURSES
Analytic Philosophy
3 units
A critical study of the works of analytic philosophers from Bertrand Russell and G. E. Moore to the present.
Continental Philosophy
3 units
An introductory course on continental philosophy with emphasis on the philosophers of existentialism, phenomenology, hermeneutics, and postmodernism.
Hermeneutics
3 units
An in-depth study of hermeneutics as culled from the writings of Dilthey, Gadamer, Ricoueur, Derrida et al.
Advanced Symbolic Logic聽
3 units
A survey of recent trends approaches in the study of modern (symbolic/mathematical) logic or of modern methods and principles used in distinguishing good (correct) from bad (incorrect) reasoning.
Ethics
3 units
A in-depth study of the classical and contemporary theories in moral philosophy covering both normative ethics and meta-ethics.
Feminist Philosophy
3 units
A critical examination of feminist perspectives on traditional philosophical methods or ways of doing philosophy in the areas of ethics, social philosophy, philosophy of science, and epistemology, among others, as advanced by the movement’s leading figures which include de Beauvoir, Kristeva, Gilligan, Smith, Collins, and Harding.
Advanced Metaphysics聽
3 units
A rigorious and formal analysis of the basic assumptions of classical methaphysical and their expressions in the history of philosophy, as well as their consequences for modern science and philosophy.
Advanced Epistemology聽
3 units
A critical in-depth discussion of the most significant theories of knowledge, including both the continental, pragmatic, and analytic traditions.
Social and Political Philosophy
3 units
An analytical study of the various theories on social justice as advanced by the Social Contractarians (Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau), Marx, Rawls, Nozick, Dworkin, and others.
Philosophy of Education聽
3 units
A critical survey of the philosophies of various education thinkers from the Sophists to the
present day but with emphasis on contemporary thinkers.
Advanced Aesthetics/Philosophy of Art聽
3 units
A critical examination of classical and contemporary theories that seek to explain the nature of
beauty and art.
C. ELECTIVES
Philosophy of History聽
3 units
A study of philosophies of history by ancient Greeks and Romans, Augustine, Vico, Voltaire,
Bossuet, Nietzsche, Dilthey, Hegel, Marx, Schleiermacher, von Herder, Croce, Collingwood,
Popper, Spengler, Dondeyn, Ricoeur, et al. open to students of History.
Introduction to Philosophy聽
3 units
A panoramic holistic survey of the divisions of philosophy with emphasis on the basic concepts and ideas of philosophy. The latest edition (15th ed) of the Encyclopedia Britannica listed seventeen (17) divisions of philosophy. This Introduction may include Filipino Philosophy and other Asian philosophies. This course is summarize courses in philosophy.
Process Philosophy
3 units
A study of the philosophies of Heraclitus, Whitehead, Hick, and Hartshorne, among others
Critical Theory聽
3 units
An in-depth study of the presuppositions and development of the fundamental views and claims of the philosophical movement called critical theory as put forward and argued for by its key figures (Habermas, Marcuse, Horkheimer, Adorno, et al.)
Marxist Humanism聽
3 units
An in-depth study of Marx’s theory of alienation as expounded in his work Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts and as analyzed and developed by other thinkers like Lukacs, Fromm, Marcuse, and Sartre, among others.
Asian/ Eastern Philosophy
3 units
An in-depth study of the major works of Confucius, Lao Tzu, Buddha, Hindu philosophers, and others.
Comparative East-West Philosophy聽
3 units
A comparative and dialogical analysis of Eastern and Western philosophical currents.
Metaethics
3 units
A study of contemporary analytic moral theories especially on moral discourse (referential theory, verificationist theory, causal theory, and meaning-as-use theory); the intuitionism of Moore, Pritchard, and Ross; the rejection of nonnaturalism; the emotivism of Stevenson; the prescriptivism of Hare; the descriptivism of Searle; and compatibility of freedom and determinism theory.
Philosophy of the Unconscious聽
3 units
A critical and reflective examination of the various philosophical views concerning the existence and nature of the unconscious, as well as the philosophical issues that it gives rise to.
Philosophy of Technology聽
3 units
A critical examination of the philosophical views concerning the nature of technology and its effects on society from the classic contrast in the views of Dewey and Heidegger to the contemporary approaches of Baudrillard, Borgmann, Feenberg, and Haraway, among others
Structuralism/Post Structuralism聽
3 units
A study of the philosophy of methods of structuralism and poststructuralism. This will explore the ideas of Claude Levi-Strauss, Noam Chomsky, Jacques Lacan, Roland Barthes, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucalt, Jacques Derrida, and others.
Buddhist Philosophy聽
3 units
A thorough study of the origin, basic teachings, and various branches of Buddhism
Chinese Philosophy聽
3 units
An in-depth study of the philosophies of Confucius, Mencius, LaoTzu, Han FeiTzu, Mo Tzu et al.
Indian Philosophy聽
3 units
An in-depth study of Indian though contained in the Vedas, Upanishads, Ramayana and Mahabharata, and Buddhist writings.
Any Individual Philosopher
3 units
An in-depth study of the seminal works of any individual philosopher.
Seminar in (any philosophical topic)
3 units
A critical analysis of the competing philosophical positions on a specific philosophical controversy
D. BRIDGING COURSES
Introduction to Philosophy for non-philosophy Majors
This course is a remedial course for non-philosophy majors who are taking up graduate studies in philosophy. It should provide a background of the study of philosophy and equip students with basic knowledge in undertaking its study. This course will introduce students to some of the main areas of research in contemporary philosophy such as epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, moral philosophy and others. Topics included: understanding what philosophy is, its characteristics, aims and methods, and how it differs from other subjects. This course is an introductory overview of several different areas of philosophy.