The Philosophy Department offers college-level transfer courses in the philosophical disciplines of Ethics, Logic, World Religions and Western Philosophy. These courses are designed to introduce students to the subject of philosophy while focusing on specific philosophical concepts such as morality, valid reasoning, the nature of God and the soul, happiness and other existential matters. Philosophy classes do not need to be taken sequentially and there are no prerequisites.
The Department of Philosophy mission is to acquaint students with a myriad of philosophical traditions, to present the chief philosophic problems and types of philosophy and to help students cultivate the art and skill of philosophical analysis as well as the intellectual, civic and mortal virtues of the discipline of Philosophy.
- Students should be able to reconstruct any given philosophical position from a written exposition.
- Students should be able to reconstruct a system of arguments offered in defense of a philosophical theory.
- Students should be able to critically evaluate merits of particular arguments and systems of such, identifying those that are invalid, those that are valid, and those that, while valid, rely on contentious premises.
- Students should be able to identify the open questions upon which a controversy depends, while taking into account a diversity of perspectives.
- Students should be able to construct extended argumentative essays in clear prose.
- Students should be familiar with a range of important contemporary theories in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and social and political philosophy.
- Students should be familiar with central philosophical theories in ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology in ancient philosophy, and the place of these theories in the history of ideas.
Recommended AA Transfer Curriculum for Philosophy
This is only a suggested transfer program and might not be appropriate for every student. Some four-year institutions accept more than 62 credit hours in transfer to fulfill requirements in philosophy. Consult the Transfer Center for help in selecting courses appropriate for the program at the college or university where you plan to transfer.
Faculty are available during scheduled office hours to advise students about their courses and program. Peruse some of the offerings in the Department of Communications and Humanities.
Physical and Life Science (7-8)
| Communications (9) | ||
|---|---|---|
| ENG 101 | Composition and Rhetoric | 3 |
| ENG 102 | Composition and Research | 3 |
| SPE 108 | Oral Communication | 3 |
| Humanities and Fine Arts (9) | ||
| ENG 206 | World Literature I | 3 |
| GROUP II | Select from Humanities and Fine Arts Electives Students earning an Associate degree must meet the requirement for coursework on improving human relations as defined in Public Act 87-581. |
6 |
| Social and Behavioral Science (9) | ||
| ANT 101 | Anthropology | 3 |
| GROUP III | Select from Social Science Electives Students earning an Associate degree must meet the requirement for coursework on improving human relations as defined in Public Act 87-581. |
9 |
| Mathematics (3) | ||
| MTH 115
MTH 126 |
General Education Mathematics OR Fundamentals of Statistics OR Select from Mathematics Elective |
3 |
| GROUP V | Select from Physical and Life Science Electives. (Must include one lab) | 7-8 |
Area of Concentration/Electives (24-25)
| PHL 101 | Introduction to Philosophy | 3 |
| PHL 102 | Ethics | 3 |
| PHL 103 | World Religions | 3 |
| PHL 105 | Logic | 3 |
| Suggested electives: | ||
|---|---|---|
| HFA 108 | Introduction to Film Appreciation | 3 |
| HFA 201 | General Humanities I | 3 |
| HFA 202 | General Humanities II | 3 |
| HFA 203 | Humanities of Eastern Asia | 3 |
| DRM 151 | Theatre Appreciation | 3 |
| Minimum for AS Degree | 62 | |
|---|---|---|
Inquiry Form
If you have questions about the Philosophy Transfer Program at SSC that weren’t answered above, fill out this form and someone will get in touch with you.