• Arts & Sciences
• Philosophy
• Undergraduate Program
• Majoring
• Independent Study

Independent Study in Philosophy

PHIL 441, 442

Purpose

Independent Study in philosophy is designed to enable a student to pursue a subject matter that is not adequately covered in our regular course offerings. Moreover, this course provides students with an opportunity for independent study under the direction of a member of the department. The student must have a considerable background in philosophy that will enable him or her to profit from this unusual opportunity.

Prerequisites and Procedure

To accomplish the above-mentioned purposes, (1) the student must have exhausted the course offerings in the area he or she wishes to study; (2) normally the student must have attained senior standing or have completed eight courses in philosophy prior to registering for 441 or 442; (3) the student must submit a brief proposal (including suggested bibliography) to the department; (4) the student must submit a list of philosophy courses taken and currently being taken together with the grades received; (5) the proposal for the following semester should be submitted during the registration period for that semester.* In unusual circumstances, proposals may be submitted as late as the end of the first week of the semester in which the student intends to take the course. The later the date of application, however, the less likely the faculty will be able to accommodate the student; and (6) the department must approve the proposal prior to the student's registering for the course.

Course Requirements

The formal requirements of the course (degree of contact between the faculty member and the student, readings, examinations and/or papers, etc.) shall be determined by the instructor in consultation with the student. They shall be specified in the student's written application to the department. The amount of reading shall be considerably more than that of a comparable regular advanced course.

*Since the student's registration is not final until the department approves his or her application, the student should also register for some other course in case approval for Independent Study is not granted.