Advising

The Philosophy Department is committed to helping our students succeed academically, and advising is one very simple way to ensure that your academic career is on-track.  Your advisor can help you plan your course work, answer questions about graduation requirements, and make you aware of opportunities to enrich your educational experience at Boise State University.  Research shows that students who are in regular contact with an academic advisor are significantly more satisfied with their college experience than are those who are not and we strongly encourage you to stop in and meet with your advisor inthe near future.

Beginning Fall 2011, all new and new transfer students will be required to meet with an academic advisor prior to registration.  A hold, titled RAD (Required Advising) will be placed on your academic record that will not allow you to register until you have met with an advisor.  After you meet with your advisor, the registration hold will be removed and you will be allowed to register.

You’ll find useful information about the Philosophy degree requirements on our major and minor checklists. Contact Tricia Trofast at ttrofas@boisestate.edu, or 208-426-3304 for advisor assignment.

IMPORTANT CATALOG CHANGES

A number of changes have recently been made to the Philosophy offerings and degree, effective Fall 2012.  We have devised a set of policies that will minimize the effect of the changes on those of you who plan to graduate under the 2011-12 or earlier catalogs.  You can of course elect to graduate under the 2012-13 catalog if you wish.  (Those who choose to do so may substitute PHIL 304 for the new PHIL 209 PHIL major/ PHIL minor requirement.)  But in most cases, it would be inadvisable to do so, since students graduating under the 2012-13 catalog have to satisfy the requirements of the new foundational studies program.  Consult your advisor if you need help deciding under which catalog it makes most sense to graduate.

Immediately below is a summary of the most important changes to our program and the policies we have established to minimize their impact on those graduating under the 2011-12 and earlier catalogs.  Most of these policies will soon be implemented automatically by the Broncoweb system.  In the meantime, you can have the relevant policy applied to you by either (a) seeking a permission number from the instructor teaching the course into which you want to enroll (for policies listed under D, below) or (b) submitting a request for an Academic Adjustment to the Department Chair (for policies listed under B and C, below).  Do not hesitate to contact your advisor if you have any difficulty understanding what you need to do in order to satisfy your degree requirements.

CHANGES TO THE PHILOSOPHY CURRICULUM AND THEIR IMPACT ON RETURNING MAJORS/MINORS  

A.    Course title and number changes.

1. PHIL 101 Introduction to Philosophy has had its title changed to PHIL 101 Knowledge and Reality.
2. PHIL 406 Philosophy of Science has had its number changed to PHIL 306 Philosophy of Science
3. PHIL 413 Analytic Philosophy has had its number changed to PHIL 313 Analytic Philosophy
4. PHIL 433 Metaphysics has had its number changed to PHIL 333 Metaphysics
5. PHIL 435 Epistemology has had its number changed to PHIL 335 Epistemology

- None of these changes will affect you.  For example, the old requirement to take PHIL 433 can now be satisfied by taking PHIL 333.

 B.    Courses required for the Philosophy major and minor under 2011-12 and earlier catalogs that have been eliminated:

1. PHIL 201 Introduction to Logic:

- Returning students who have not satisfied this requirement prior to Fall 2012 must satisfy it by taking PHIL 209 Logic and Philosophy.

2. PHIL 211 Ethics:

- Returning students who have not satisfied this requirement prior to Fall 2012 must satisfy it by taking either PHIL 103 Moral Problems or PHIL 311 Moral Philosophy.  (Note that if the latter option is taken, PHIL 311 will not count towards the Upper Division Philosophy Elective requirement.)

C.    Additional courses required for the Philosophy major and/or minor under 2011-12 and earlier catalogs

1. PHIL 101 Introduction to Philosophy (now renamed PHIL 101 Knowledge and Reality):

- This course remains in the catalog (under a new title), but returning students who have not satisfied this requirement prior to Fall 2012 will have the option of satisfying it by taking either PHIL 102 Classics of Western Philosophy or PHIL 103 Moral Problems instead.  (Note, however, that if PHIL 103 used for this purpose, it cannot also be used to satisfy the PHIL 211 Ethics requirement.)

2. PHIL 433 Analytic Philosophy (now renumbered as PHIL 333):

- This course remains in the catalog (under a new number), but returning students who have not satisfied this requirement for the Major prior to Fall 2012 will have the option of satisfying it by taking PHIL 308 Philosophy of Language instead.

D.    Courses with new prerequisites (some, but not all of which are new courses):

1. Intellectual Foundations prerequisite for PHIL 210:

- Returning students who wish to enroll in this new course will have the Intellectual Foundations prerequisite waived.

2. PHIL 209 prerequisite for PHIL 304, 306, 308, 310, 311 , 313 (formerly 413), 331 , 333 (formerly 433), 335 (formerly 435), and 437:

- Returning students who wish to enroll in any of these courses will have the PHIL 209 prerequisite waived if they either (a) previously passed PHIL 201 or MATH 187 with a C- or better, or (b) are taking PHIL 201 in Spring 2012, or (c) have registered to take it Summer 2012.

3. PHIL 210 prerequisite for PHIL 306, 308, 310, 311 , 313 (formerly 413), 331 , 333 (formerly 433), 335 (formerly 435), and 437:

- Returning students who wish to enroll in any of these courses will have the PHIL 210 prerequisite waived if they either (a) previously passed PHIL 297 Special Topics: Writings and Methods with a grade of C- or better, or (b) previously passed any upper division Philosophy course with a grade of C-, or (c) are taking an upper division Philosophy course in Spring 2012, or (d) they have registered to take an upper division Philosophy course in Summer 2012).

4. PHIL 210 prerequisite for PHIL 305, 307, and 309:

- Returning students who wish to enroll in any of these courses will have the PHIL 210 prerequisite waived if they either (a) previously passed PHIL 297 Special Topics: Writings and Methods with a grade of C- or better, or (b) previously passed any upper division Philosophy course with a grade of C-, or (c) are taking an upper division Philosophy course in Spring 2012, or (d) they have registered to take an upper division Philosophy course in Summer 2012), or (e) concurrently enroll in PHIL 210.

5. “At least one CID course in any discipline” prerequisite for PHIL 315, 321, 327, and 337:

- Returning students who wish to take any of these will have the “At least one CID course in any discipline” prerequisite waived if they either (a) previously passed at least one Philosophy course with a grade of C- or better, or (b) are taking at least one Philosophy course in Spring 2012, or (c) have registered to take at least one Philosophy course Summer 2012.

Tables That Explain It All

Course Title and Number Changes

Satisfying Required Courses that Have Been Eliminated

Satisfying Old Requirements in New Ways