General Information for Philosophy Majors
Handbook for Undergraduate Concentrators (AY '12-'13)
The Study of Philosophy
Philosophy and Your Future
Concentration Requirements
Junior Seminars
Junior Papers
Early Concentration and Foreign Study
Senior Theses
Senior Departmental Exam
Graduation Prizes and Honors
Dean of the College - Grading Overview
Jim Pryor's Guidelines to Reading Philosophy
Jim Pryor's Guidelines to Writing Philosophy Papers
The Study of Philosophy
Philosophy is concerned with large, difficult, and controversial questions, many of which have been the subject of inquiry and debate since ancient times. Some pertain to what is. (What makes me what I am? How is my mind related to my body? Do all events, including the choices I make, have causes?) Others pertain to what ought to be. (If the choices I make have causes outside me, can they be judged right or wrong? Just what is rightness in an individual choice, or justice in a social institution? What is the relationship between rightness or justice and having good consequences?) Yet others pertain to what is knowable. (How can unperceived causes be legitimately inferred from perceived events? Does all knowledge require inference from perceptual experience? Are there truths that cannot be known at all?)
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Different branches of philosophy are distinguished by the kinds of questions they treat: Metaphysics is concerned with what is, ethics and philosophy of value with what ought to be, logic and philosophy of science with what is knowable. Since important contributions have been made since the earliest times, the history of philosophy constitutes a fourth branch of the subject alongside the three just named. What unites the different branches of philosophy is a common commitment to disciplined thinking, even or especially when treating questions whose every aspect is doubtful and disputed. Questions are addressed by appeal to reasoned argument and the evidence of experience, without asking that anyone take anything on authority or on faith.
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| Princeton's philosophy department has consistently been ranked one of the top few in the country, and counts many scholars of international reputation among its faculty. It offers a diverse selection of courses from different branches of philosophy each semester, teaching historical material from original works in translation, and other material mainly from recent and contemporary scholarly publications. Thus it is possible for the student to acquire both a thorough grounding in the classics and an introduction to on-going research at the forefront of the subject. For concentrators, the regular option combines an expectation of substantial work on a diverse range of questions (at least two courses in each of at least three of the four branches of philosophy) with considerable freedom to pursue individual interests in independent work with faculty advisors; special options in interdisciplinary areas, such as political philosophy and philosophy of science, add flexibility by permitting the substitution of work in a relevant outside field for one area of philosophy. |
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Philosophy and Your Future
Since the opening of the first schools of philosophy in antiquity, many students of the subject have put their training in the analysis of argument and evaluation of evidence to work in a subsequent legal career; law schools have long recognized the value of an undergraduate major in philosophy. Increasingly other professional schools and employers have come to recognize it as well, and many of our recent concentrators have gone on successfully to work in medicine, journalism, business, or government. A few concentrators go on to graduate study in philosophy; those who do so generally achieve admission to top-ranked schools, with good fellowships.
Skills acquired by concentrating in philosophy can thus be useful for a variety of careers. But the main benefit lies in learning to think in an organized way about confusing and controversial questions; to treat one's beliefs as serviceable as they are but capable of improvement; to react to criticism not with outrage or fear but with a willingness to state the grounds for one's views and to listen to and learn from the views of others. These are habits of thought useful not only in a career, but in life. |
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Concentration Requirements
For juniors and seniors, course selections are approved, and course cards and course change forms are signed, by the departmental representative, who can perform some of the functions of an academic advisor--juniors and seniors do not have academic advisors as such--and refer students to other department faculty for further advice if desired. All students are encouraged to see the departmental representative in person at course selection time, and the following are required to do so: Sophomores entering the department; fall seniors selecting spring senior courses; spring seniors dropping departmental courses.
Certain of a student's courses are designated departmentals, and the grades in courses so designated are the course grades used in computing the student's departmental average. The official designation of departmentals occurs during the fall of the senior year when selecting courses for spring of senior year: All designations before this time are provisional; after this time a designation cannot be changed merely in order to improve a student's average. All philosophy courses taken for letter grades junior or senior year must be designated departmentals, as must all courses used to fulfill departmental requirements. Designation of any other philosophy courses is optional.
The departmental course requirement is eight courses. Courses taken before fall semester junior year normally may be counted, including the prerequisite course; and up to two courses may be lower division (200-level or lower). Up to two courses in other departments may be counted as cognates, if approved as contributing significantly to the student's course of study; these must normally be courses completed before spring semester senior year. Further, six out of the eight courses must be so distributed that there are two in each of three out of the four areas (metaphysics; ethics & philosophy of value; logic & philosophy of science; history of philosophy) into which philosophy courses are divided; there is no such restriction on the remaining two out of the eight. The area classification of most courses is listed in the Undergraduate Announcement; for other courses the classification will be made by the departmental representative.
Students doing the senior thesis in certain interdisciplinary fields have the option of replacing the regular requirement of two courses in each of three philosophy areas by an alternative requirement. The political philosophy option involves using the quota of two cognates for courses listed under the Politics department as political theory courses and counting this in place of one philosophy area, and then doing two courses in the ethics & philosophy of value area, and two courses in some one other philosophy area. The philosophy of science option involves using the quota of two cognates for upper division courses in some one relevant science (e.g. mathematics, physics, biology, psychology, linguistics) and counting this in place of one philosophy area, and then doing two courses in the logic & philosophy of science area, and two courses in some one other philosophy area.
For students following the regular requirements, cognates require individual approval. Cognates may not be used for both courses in a distribution area (and standards for approval are generally more liberal for courses that are not used for distribution requirements than for courses that are, and again more liberal for a first cognate than for a second). In general courses considering means other than philosophical argument (e.g. appeal to religious revelation, tradition, authority, faith) have been used to answer questions of a kind considered in philosophy, and courses considering philosophical works from a non-philosophical standpoint (e.g. as literary texts, emphasizing rhetorical style, or as historical documents, emphasizing external influences) are considered valuable supplements but not substitutes for philosophy courses, and hence not suitable as cognates.
Courses that have been routinely approved as cognates in recent years include: all courses listed under the Politics department as courses in political theory; most courses listed under the History department as courses in history of science; and a few courses listed under area studies programs covering those aspects of the intellectual history of certain non-Western civilizations that invite comparison with the history of philosophy in the West. Other courses may be approved on a case-by-case basis. |
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Junior Seminars
Fall semester junior year, independent work normally involves participation in a seminar of up to five students under the supervision of an instructor from the faculty of the department. The junior seminar is intended to provide a transition from course work to fully independent work. A junior seminar meets weekly for an hour or biweekly for two hours to discuss readings selected by the instructor, and each student writes a final paper of at least 5,000 words (about 20 pages) usually on a topic chosen by the student from a list provided by the instructor in the area defined by those readings. The student's grade for fall semester independent work will be mainly based on this paper but is usually partly based also on shorter papers and/or oral presentations in the seminar earlier in the term. (Most commonly the split is about 75%-25%).
A listing of the junior seminar offerings available will be posted by the first day of fall semester. Note that there is no requirement for the junior independent work of a student intending to elect a special option (Philosophy of Science, Political Philosophy) to be on a topic relevant to that area; on the contrary, students are encouraged to do at least one semester's independent work outside that area. While the department undertakes to make a variety of junior seminar topics available each year, it does not undertake to provide one directly relevant to each special option each year.
Students will have a few days to report their preferences among the offerings and their schedules to the departmental representative. By the middle of the first week of classes, the placement of students in seminars will be posted by the departmental representative, and notice of the hour, day, and place (usually the instructor's office) of the first, organizational meeting of each seminar will be posted by the seminar instructors. Since this is when the regular meeting time for the seminar will be fixed, it is important to attend this first meeting, especially if the hour is one that would not be convenient as a regular meeting time.
Final papers for junior seminars are due the second day of reading period. This is a University deadline. Late work cannot be accepted for grading by the department unless permission to do so is granted by the student's academic dean. There is a grade penalty of 1 point per weekday to a maximum of 10 (= a full letter grade) for lateness, unless a waiver is granted. Waivers require approval of the seminar instructor and the departmental representative. |
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Junior Papers
Spring semester junior year, independent work consists of writing a junior paper, an essay on a philosophical topic, normally amounting to at least 5,000 words (about 20 pages), written under the supervision of a faculty advisor.
On the one hand, any member of the department faculty is eligible to advise a junior paper if willing to do so, except that a student may not have the same advisor for both semesters' junior independent work (fall seminar and spring paper). Students may find advisors on their own, by agreement with some member of the faculty. On the other hand, certain faculty are assigned by the chair of the department special responsibility for supervision of undergraduate independent work and constitute the Senior Thesis/Junior Paper Advising Panel. Students who do not find advisors on their own are assigned advisors from this panel by the departmental representative. By the end of the second week of classes spring semester, every junior should submit to the departmental representative either confirmation of an agreement about advising with some one member of the faculty, or else a list of several members of the panel by whom the student would be willing to be advised. Notice of advisor assignments will be posted early the next week of classes.
Junior papers are due the second day of reading period. This is a University deadline. Late work cannot be accepted for grading by the department unless permission to do so is granted by the student's academic dean. There is a grade penalty of 1 point per weekday to a maximum of 10 (= a full letter grade) for lateness, unless a waiver is granted. Waivers require approval of the seminar instructor and the departmental representative. |
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Early Concentration and Foreign Study
A student who has satisfied the prerequisite by the end of fall semester sophomore year may apply to become an early concentrator spring semester and begin independent work then. This option is especially recommended for students planning to be away on foreign study for either or both semesters junior year.
Students who, owing to absence on foreign study or late change of concentration, do not participate in a junior seminar fall semester junior year also make up that semester's junior independent work by writing an additional junior paper, usually over the summer. |
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Senior Theses
Assignment of Advisors. Senior year independent work consists of preparation for a departmental examination (see below) and writing the senior thesis, an essay or group of related essays on a philosophical topic or group of related topics, totalling 10,000 to 15,000 words, prepared under the supervision of faculty advisor.
On the one hand, any member of the regular, visiting, or associated faculty of the department faculty is eligible to advise a senior thesis if willing to do so. (Advising by outside faculty is also possible, subject to approval by the departmental representative.) Students may find advisors on their own, by agreement with some member of the faculty. On the other hand, certain faculty are assigned by the chair of the department special responsibility for supervision of undergraduate independent work, and constitute the Senior Thesis / Junior Paper Advising Panel. Students who do not find advisors on their own are assigned advisors from this panel by the departmental representative.
By the end of the second full week of classes fall semester, every senior should submit to the departmental representative either confirmation of an agreement about advising signed by a member of the faculty, or else a list of several members of the panel by whom the student would be willing to be advised, along with an indication of the general area in which the student wishes to work. Students who have very specific ideas about the thesis project they wish to pursue should begin early seeking a faculty member willing to advise them on their preferred topic. For students who leave their advisor assignment to the department, the specific topic pursued within the general area indicated by the student will be subject to negotiation between the student and the advisor. Notice of advisor assignments will be posted early the next week of classes after the arrangement forms are due. In rare cases where the most suitable faculty member will be available for advising only for one semester, a student may be assigned a preliminary advisor for fall semester and another, final advisor for spring semester.
Format and Word Limits. There is a recommended format for the thesis title page, of which samples will be available well in advance of the due date. By University rules, every thesis must contain at the end the statement "This paper represents my own work in accordance with University regulations" followed by the student's signature. Note the exact wording. (There is no mention of the honor code, which applies only to in-class examinations, not written assignments.) The regulations in question can be found in the University document "Rights, Rules, and Responsibilities".
Any word-processing program now in common use will have a command for making an automatic word count, which the student should employ as writing proceeds. Advance approval of the advisor is required if the thesis will go outside the above-indicated 10,000-to-15,000 word limits in either direction. Such approval should be sought at the latest by the Tuesday after winter recess (when thesis drafts as described below are due). Cases where modifications of the usual limits may be appropriate include but are not limited to the following three special situations.
(1) Some students writing on philosophy of science, political philosophy, or other areas where philosophy interacts with another discipline may find it necessary or desirable to include some background exposition of material from the other discipline involved, though students must be aware that the thesis will be evaluated primarily for its merits as a philosophical essay, and not for its merits as exposition or popularization of non-philosophical material. Up to an additional 5000 words may be allowed for such purposes.
(2) Some students, especially among those working towards a certificate in certain programs, may consider the idea of a creative thesis or thesis otherwise outside the normal essay form. Any plans of this sort require advance approval both of the individual advisor and of the departmental representative. An essay, though a shorter one than a typical thesis, will normally be required in addition to any creative work, in order to make the philosophical content explicit. Approval should be sought at the latest by the Tuesday after fall recess (when thesis proposals as described below are due). Appropriate word limits will be set as part of the approval process.
(3) Some students may wish to make their thesis project a further development of one of their junior papers, or less often, of a paper written for some course. Any plans of this sort require advance approval both of the individual advisor and of the departmental representative. Such approval should be sought at the latest by the Tuesday after fall recess (when thesis proposals as described below are due). Students must carefully review University regulations pertaining to multiple submissions as set forth in the University document "Rights, Rules, and Responsibilities". Copies of any pertinent earlier work must be supplied to both readers of the thesis, who will be evaluating the thesis for its new contributions only. If it is found necessary or desirable to reproduce any earlier work within the thesis itself, such material must be clearly labeled and set off from new material, for instance by placing it in an appendix. It will not count towards the thesis word limit.
Deadlines and Grading. A thesis proposal of at least 300 words, indicating some of the principal issues to be pursued and works to be discussed in the projected thesis, is due on the Tuesday immediately after fall recess (the second day of the seventh full week of classes, fall semester). Two copies should be submitted by 4:00 p.m. to the undergraduate administrator in the department office.
A thesis draft of at least 3000 words, consisting of a chapter or two in nearly finished form, or a fairly detailed outline of the whole thesis, or some combination, is due on the Tuesday immediately after winter recess (the second day of reading period, fall semester). Two copies should be submitted by 4:00 p.m. to the undergraduate administrator in the department office.
Any student who gets the thesis proposal in on time will be allowed a one-day grace period (waiver of lateness penalty) on the completed thesis. Any student who gets the thesis draft in on time will be allowed a two-day grace period (waiver of lateness penalty) on the completed thesis (for a total of three days if both preliminary deadlines are met). Students entitled to such grace periods should nonetheless think of the official final thesis due date as their target, with the grace period available in case of unanticipated last-minute delays.
The official final thesis due date is Monday the eighth week of classes spring semester. Two copies should be submitted by 4:00 p.m. to the undergraduate administrator in the department office. One copy, for eventual microfilming by the library, must be unbound (loose pages in a labeled envelope). The other copy, which will eventually be returned to the student, may be bound, though it is not required to be. Submission of the thesis should not be delayed on account of binding; the binding can always be done afterwards.
There is a grade penalty of 1 point per weekday to a maximum of 10 (= a full letter grade) for lateness, unless a waiver is granted. Waivers require approval of the thesis advisor and the departmental representative. Requests for extensions on medical grounds must be supported by a note from University Health Services. Theses late past the University deadline (first day of reading period) cannot be accepted for grading by the department unless permission to do so is granted by the student's academic dean, which approval is to be sought before the University deadline passes. (If the deadline has passed and the dean's approval has not yet been secured, the student may and should leave copies of the thesis with the undergraduate administrator in the department office for safe-keeping and recording of date received, but the student should be aware that the thesis will not be sent out to readers for grading until approval has been granted by the dean.)
The thesis is read and graded by the student's advisor together with the student's departmental examination coordinator (appointed as described below in connection with the senior departmental examination). The thesis grade (like the examination grade) is reported to the student, along with oral comments by the readers, and the student's copy of the thesis is returned, immediately after the student's departmental examination. Written comments should generally not be expected.
A student who fails to submit a thesis, or who receives a grade of F on the thesis is ineligible for graduation with his or her class. If an acceptable thesis is subsequently submitted, the F will be joined on the transcript by another grade for "senior thesis, late submission". The University may assess a special fee for processing a late thesis.
Under University rules, changes of grade, whether on courses or independent work, can be made only by the University Faculty Committee on Examinations and Standing. Not only is this committee the only body to which a student may make formal appeal over the heads of individual faculty and/or departments, but also in cases where the relevant faculty and/or department themselves agree that a change of grade is warranted, the change-of-grade form then filed is formally only a petition to the committee, requiring the committee's approval. Such approval is usually granted, but not absolutely invariably.
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Senior Departmental Examinations
Format and Syllabus. Senior year independent work consists of writing the senior thesis and preparing for the departmental examination, an oral of an hour to ninety minutes duration examination on an area of philosophy including the topic of the thesis, defined by a syllabus of readings. A student who feels that an oral examination will not sufficiently reveal his or her knowledge and abilities may take a written examination in addition to, but not instead of, the oral examination. The examination is conducted by a member of the department faculty assigned as the student's examination coordinator, together with the student's thesis advisor. In case the advisor is a new or visiting or outside faculty member, the examination coordinator will also serve as an informal source of information for the advisor about department expectations for the thesis.
Departmental examination coordinators are assigned by the departmental representative during the latter part of fall semester, based on the information provided in the student's senior thesis proposal (as described above). It is therefore very much in the student's interest to be as specific as possible in formulating that proposal.
The examination is in part an oral defense of the thesis, and will usually begin with the student giving a concise summary of the thesis project (with the emphasis on "concise"). The examination is not, however, merely an oral defense of the thesis, and the syllabus will generally include, in addition to items culled from the thesis bibliography, at least a couple of items not on that bibliography, so as to broaden the area somewhat beyond the immediate topic of the thesis. The coordinator assists the student in developing an acceptable syllabus. This typically consists in all of about a dozen philosophical papers or book chapters, a short enough list that the student should be able to be prepared to answer questions about any of them, though in practice examiners will probably not have time to get around to all of them.
A completed examination syllabus, already discussed with the coordinator and ready for final approval by the examiners, is due Monday of the twelfth and last week of spring classes, or four weeks after the due date for the thesis. Two copies should be submitted by 4:00 p.m. to the undergraduate administrator in the department office. Any requests for a written component in addition to the oral component of the examination are also due at this time. If a student fails to submit a syllabus, the examiners may question the student at the examination about any material that seems to them pertinent, including but not limited to any item on the thesis bibliography.
Time and Place. The examination itself is normally held during the two-day of the period towards the end of spring semester (just after reading period, at the beginning of examination period) set aside in the University academic calendar for departmental examinations. It may be held earlier if all three parties agree, but not earlier than a week after the submission of the thesis. It may not be held later, except with the permission of the student's academic dean, which is only granted in extraordinary circumstances.
It is the student's responsibility to confer with both examiners and reach agreement on the hour, day, and place of the examination. (The place is usually the examination coordinator's office, unless the advisor is from outside the department, in which case as a courtesy the examination may be held in the advisor's office if that is more convenient for the advisor.) These agreed arrangements are to be reported to the undergraduate administrator at the same time the examination syllabus is due. If arrangements are not completed by the student by that date, the examination coordinator will to confer with the thesis advisor and reach agreement on the hour, day during the period set aside in the University calendar for departmental examinations, and place of the examination, and report these agreed arrangements to the undergraduate administrator in the department office, who will notify the student by e-mail and campus mail. It is the student's responsibility to check e-mail and campus mail regularly for such a notification.
Grading. The examination grade (like the thesis grade) is reported to the student, along with oral comments by the readers, immediately after the examination.
A student who fails to appear at the designated time and place for the examination receives a grade of F. A student who receives a grade of F on the examination after receiving a grade of D on the thesis is ineligible for graduation, unless the department faculty, on consideration of the student's overall academic record, votes to make an exception.
A student who fails to submit a thesis, or who receives a grade of F on the thesis is ineligible to take the departmental examination, and receives a grade of I (incomplete) for it. If an acceptable thesis is subsequently submitted, a departmental examination must then be scheduled and held before the student can be granted a late degree.
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Graduation Prizes and Honors
Course grades and junior independent work grades are reported as letter grades, converted to number grades for purposes of computing averages:
A+ = 98
A = 95
A- = 92
B+ = 88
B = 85
B- = 82
C+ = 78
C = 75
C- = 72
D = 65
F = 55
Senior independent work grades are reported as number grades, converted to letter grades for recording on the student's transcript:
down through 97.5 = A+
92.5 = A
90 = A-
87.5 = B+
82.5 = B
80 = B-
77.5 = C+
72.5 = C
70 = C-
60 = D
anything lower = F
The departmental average is computed according to the following formula:
Departmental Courses count 40% (=5% per course in the usual case of 8 courses).
Jr. Independent Work counts 20% (=10% fall seminar + 10% spring paper).
Sr. Independent Work counts 40% (=35% thesis + 5% departmental examination).
A student with a departmental average of D (i.e. below 70) is ineligible to graduate, unless the faculty of the department, on consideration of the student's overall academic record, votes to make an exception.
Graduation honors (cum laude), high honors (magna cum laude), and highest honors (summa cum laude) are awarded on the basis of departmental averages. The faculty decides each year the conversion of averages to honors for that year, in such a way as to avoid so far as possible making a distinction as to honors between students whose averages are very close. In recent years the lower bound for honors has been set somewhat above 92, resulting in about half of the department's graduating seniors receiving some class of honors, which is close to average among departments in the University as a whole.
Thesis prizes are awarded by vote of the department faculty. All senior theses are automatically considered for prizes; no formal nomination is required. A single prize may be divided among two or more winners. The larger prizes (whose exact value varies from year to year, but has been over $1000 in recent years) are: - McCosh prize for theses in any area of philosophy
Class of 1869 prize for theses in moral or social philosophy
Old Warbeke prize for theses in aesthetics
New Warbeke prize for theses in any area of philosophy except moral or social philosophy or aesthetics. The smaller prizes are the Tomb for a thesis on philosophy of time ($100), and the Dickinson for a thesis in logic or theory of knowledge (a medal or $60 cash, but since this is far less than the value of the medal, unless the student has indicated at the time the thesis was submitted that he or she would prefer the cash, it will be assumed that the student will prefer the medal, and the department will proceed to have it engraved with his or her name).
In addition, there are some thesis prizes awarded by other departments for which seniors in the philosophy department may be eligible. The Honors List is posted shortly after the last faculty meeting of the term; prizes are announced and awarded at the Class Day reception for parents. |
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