Core Curriculum
The Philosophy Program plays a vital role in the mission, goals, and objectives of Marywood University. As part of the university's core curriculum, students are required to take two courses in Philosophy, namely, Introduction to Philosophy (Phil 113) and any one additional course. Consequently, as soon as students satisfactorily complete Phil 113, they can take any additional departmental course offering to fulfill their undergraduate core curriculum requirement in Philosophy.
The overall undergraduate curricular purpose of "living responsibly in an interdependent world" requires students to examine those fundamental questions and issues that confront human beings as they struggle to understand themselves and the nature of the universe. Based on the information about Philosophy as found on our Homepage, Philosophy consists of the pursuit of wisdom, a pursuit into such diverse arenas as ethics (what defines good and bad human behavior?), politics (what makes for a good and just state?), metaphysics (what constitutes the ultimate nature of reality?), and epistemology (what counts for genuine knowledge?), to name only a few.
The wide variety of courses offered by the Program attest to its commitment to provide students substantive opportunities not only to fulfill their two-course core curriculum requirement but also to explore, through their electives, numerous opportunities for self-reflection.
The Philosophy and Religious Studies Department comprises Category II of the Undergraduate Core Curriculum: The Human Condition in Its Ultimate Relationships. As noted in the university catalog, in Category II "students examine the accumulated human wisdom about God, nature and humanity, and evaluate their own life position and choices. They develop their thinking skills, explore the religious dimension of life and experience the free and responsible pursuit of truth, as they examine the ultimate questions that have always engaged human beings. Studies in this category supply students with a theoretical basis and a cognitive process for making ethical decisions in promotion of justice, peace and compassion in the contemporary world."
Two required courses in Philosophy begin students on their road to self-discovery and self-knowledge. We encourage you to take additional courses as electives and time allow.