Philosophy

Department of Philosophy

General Information: Carleton Hall, Room 209
Mailing Address: Department of Philosophy,
University of New Brunswick, 
P.O. Box 4400,
Fredericton, N.B.,
Canada E3B 5A3 
Phone: (506) 453-4762
Fax:  (506) 447-3072
Email: phil@unb.ca
Website: //www.unb.ca/fredericton/arts/departments/philosophy/index.html
Chair: Dr. Robert A. Larmer

Faculty

  • Bell, Jason, BA (Oklahoma City), PhD (Vanderbilt), Assist Prof - 2016
  • Frooman, Jeffrey, BS, BA (Illinois), MBA (Michigan), MA, PhD (Pittsburgh), Prof - 2000
  • Larmer, Robert A., BA (Car), MA, PhD (Ott), Prof - 1986
  • Weed, Jennifer Hart, B.Sc (UWO), PhD (SLU), Assoc Prof - 2008
  • Weed, Ronald, BA (BC), MA (UT), MTS (Regis), PhD (SLU), Assoc Prof - 2008

General Information

Prerequisites

Any course in Philosophy may be taken in any year, provided that the prerequisites for the course have been met, and subject to the regulations of the student's degree program. The following list gives the general prerequisites for Philosophy courses at each level:

1000 Courses: General introductory courses. 

2000 Courses: Courses in specific areas of the subject. They have no formal prerequisites, and are often taken by students beginning with a subject, have a special interest, or other reasons for taking them. They may be taken by first year students.

3000 Courses: Open to students in the second year of their studies or above, or others with the permission of the instructor. 

4000 Courses: 6 ch in Philosophy, or the permission of the instructor, is prerequisite. 

Minors, Majors and Honours

Minors

The following Minors programs in Philosophy may be taken by students in any degree program. A grade of C or better is required in each course.

  1. A Minor in Philosophy will consist of two 1000 level courses and another 18 ch in Philosophy that must include at least 12 hours at the upper division level.
  2. A Minor in Ethics consists of two 1000- or 2000-level courses, an ethical theory course (e.g.,  PHIL 2201, PHIL 3205, or PHIL 3264), and 15 credit hours selected from PHIL 1201, PHIL 2201, PHIL 3204, PHIL 3205, PHIL 3207, PHIL 3208, PHIL 3209, PHIL 3261, PHIL 3262, PHIL 3264,  PHIL 3302, PHIL 3308, PHIL 3315, PHIL 3332, PHIL 3404. At least 12 ch must be taken at the upper level.
  3. A Minor in the History of Philosophy will consist of PHIL 1301, PHIL 1302, and 18 ch chosen from PHIL 3301, PHIL 3302, PHIL 3303, PHIL 3304, PHIL 3305, PHIL 3306, PHIL 3308, PHIL 3311, PHIL 3312, PHIL 3313, PHIL 3315, PHIL 3317, PHIL 3331. Certain courses in the Department of Philosophy at STU may also be included with the approval of this Department.

Minor in Ancient Philosophy

Students may minor in Ancient Philosophy by completing 24 ch of courses offered by the Department of Classics & Ancient History and the Department of Philosophy. For Classics (CLAS) departmental course descriptions, please consult that department’s calendar listing.

Students are required to complete 24 ch as follows:

a. 6 ch of introductory philosophy chosen from PHIL 1101, PHIL 1201, PHIL 1301, PHIL 1302, PHIL 1401.
b. 6 ch of ancient language: GRK 1203 / GRK 1213 or LAT 1103 / LAT 1113 or any other 6 ch of Greek and/or Latin.
c. 6 ch of advanced philosophy courses, including at least one of PHIL 3301, PHIL 3302 , PHIL 3306 , PHIL 3308, PHIL 3311.
d. 6 ch of advanced classics (CLAS) courses, including at least one of CLAS 3703, CLAS 3723 and CLAS 3733. 

Majors:

Students in the BA degree program who wish to take a Major in Philosophy, either singly or with some other subject, should consult with the Major/Honour advisor of the Philosophy Department. 

  • Single Major: A Major in Philosophy consists of 36 credit hours that include the following core courses: PHIL 1301, PHIL 1302, and either PHIL 1101 or PHIL 3101. These 36 credit hours must also include 24 credit hours of upper level courses (3000 and above), and 3 credit hours that may be taken at the 1000, 2000, 3000, or 4000 level. The upper level courses should include at least one course from each of the three streams of ethics, history of philosophy and metaphysics/epistemology. Students must earn an overall average of B- or above in those upper level courses that count towards the minimal requirements of the Major. Students may include no more than one course in applied ethics (e.g., PHIL 3204, PHIL 3209, PHIL 3208, PHIL 3207, PHIL 3261, PHIL 3262, or PHIL 3211) among the upper level Philosophy courses counting towards the Major, except with the approval of the undergraduate advisor or Department Chair.
  • Double Major: The requirements are as for the single Major, except the Double Major requires 33 credit hours, and it requires 21 credits of advanced courses (3000 and above).

Students qualifying for a degree other than the BA, who meet the above requirements for a Major in Philosophy, may request the Registrar to note this fact on their transcript. 

Honours

Students in the BA degree program who wish to take Honours in Philosophy must consult with the Major/Honours advisor of the Philosophy Department.

  • Single Honours:Students taking Single Honours in Philosophy must complete 48 credit hours that include the following core courses: PHIL 1301, PHIL 1302, and either PHIL 1101 or PHIL 3101. (Honours students are strongly encouraged to take PHIL 3101). These 48 credit hours must also include 36 credit hours of upper-level courses (3000 and above), and 3 credit hours that may be taken at the 1000, 2000, 3000 or 4000 level. At least one course from each of the four streams of logic, ethics, history of philosophy, and metaphysics/epistemology must be taken. With the approval of the department, up to 12 credit hours in related courses in other departments may be counted as credit hours in Philosophy. Students must obtain an overall average of at least a B in the upper-level Philosophy courses counting towards their Honours requirements in Philosophy. Students may include no more than one course in applied ethics (e.g., PHIL 3204, PHIL 3209, PHIL 3208, PHIL 3207, PHIL 3261, PHIL 3262, or PHIL 3211) among the upper level Philosophy courses counting towards the Honours degree, except with the approval of the undergraduate advisor or Department Chair.  
  • Joint Honours: PHIL 1301 and PHIL 1302 and 24 credit hours in advanced courses in Philosophy. At least one course from each of the four streams of logic, ethics, history of philosophy and metaphysics/epistemology must be taken. With the approval of the Department, up to 12 ch in related courses in other departments may be counted as credit hours in Philosophy. 

a. Courses in Logic

PHIL 1101 Critical Thinking
PHIL 3101 Introduction to Symbolic Logic

b. Courses in Ethics or Social Philosophy

PHIL 1201 Ethics of Life and Death
PHIL 2201 Introduction to Ethics
PHIL 3204 Business Ethics 
PHIL 3208 Ecological Ethics
PHIL 2207 Ethics for Engineers Online Only
PHIL 3261 Military Ethics
PHIL 3209 Health Care Ethics in Canada
PHIL 3262 Applied Professional Ethics
PHIL 3205 Contemporary Ethical Theory
PHIL 3211 Cyber Ethics
PHIL 3264 Ethics

c. Courses in the History of Philosophy
PHIL 1301 Introduction to the History of Philosophy I
PHIL 1302 Introduction to the History of Philosophy II
PHIL 3301 Early Greek Philosophy
PHIL 3302 Later Greek Philosophy
PHIL 3303 Modern Philosophy I
PHIL 3304 Modern Philosophy II
PHIL 3305 Capitalism Vs. Communism
PHIL 3306 Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and the Roots of Postmodernism
PHIL 3308 Plato's Republic
PHIL 3311 Nietzsche on Socrates' Death-Wish
PHIL 3312 Infinity: Emmanuel Levinas' Encounter with the Other
PHIL 3313 Reason Vs. Faith: The Philosophy of Kierkegaard
PHIL 3315 Hannah Arendt and Simone de Beauvoir
PHIL 3317 Jean-Paul Sartre's Philosophy of Freedom
PHIL 3331 Michel Foucault's Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison

d. Courses in Metaphysics and Epistemology

PHIL 1401 God, Mind and Freedom
PHIL 3404 Aquinas and Dante
PHIL 3411-19 Selected Topics in Epistemology
PHIL 3421 Philosophy of Mind
PHIL 3422 Philosophy of Science
PHIL 3431 Philosophy of Religion
PHIL 3433 Models of Divine Agency
PHIL 3432 Evil: From Job to Leonard Cohen
PHIL 3501 Contemporary Metaphysics
PHIL 3401 Introduction to the Philosophy of Kant
PHIL 3402 Introduction to the Philosophy of Hegel
PHIL 3431 Direct Devine Agency and the World
PHIL 3435 Science vs God?
PHIL 3434 The Concept of Miracle
PHIL 3307 Edmund Husserl's Pure Phenomenology

e. Courses in Aesthetics

PHIL 1501 Monsters and Philosophy
PHIL 2501 Philosophy and Film

f. Courses in Political Philosophy

PHIL 1202 Tyranny, Violence and Liberty
PHIL 3332 Philosophers and Nazis
PHIL 3601 Liberalism and Its Critics

Honours students should also note the standards required for ranking Honours degrees. These are stated in the regulations for the Bachelor of Arts degree.

Credit Courses from Cognate Disciplines

The Department of Philosophy will accept as credit courses in ancient philosophy, CLAS 3703, CLAS 3723, or CLAS 3733. It will also accept for philosophy credit courses, KIN 3093 , KIN 4093, POLS 3410, or POLS 4483.

Certificate in Ethics

The Certificate in Ethics will provide students with the opportunity to gain a university-level credential in theoretical and applied ethics. The Certificate is comprised of eighteen (18) credit hours and offered in the following five areas of concentration: Ethical Theory, Health Ethics, Business Ethics, Military Ethics, and Environmental Ethics.

  1. Required Courses
    The Certificate will require the successful completion (with a grade of B-or higher) of six (6) courses, totalling eighteen credit hours, which shall include the following:
    a. three (3) core courses, including PHIL 1101 Critical Thinking, a 2000-level or 3000-level course in Ethical Theory, and a breadth of requirements drawn from a Certificate area of concentration in applied ethics that is NOT being pursued by the student.
    b. three (3) elective courses in the student's area of concentration, including one (1) 3000-level course.
    (For a list of possible courses see below).
    Students cannot take more than two (2) elective courses from the student's own home department.

    Students must have their course choices approved by the Department of Philosophy. 

    To be awarded the Certificate, a minimum of nine (9) credit hours must be completed at UNB. Subject to approval by the Dean of Arts, a maximum of nine (9) credit hours (or the equivalent) of comparable coursework may be transferred from other recognized post-secondary institutions. Credit will not normally be awarded for those courses completed more than five years prior to the student’s return to university study, in accordance with the norms already in place by the Registrar’s Office.

  2. Electives
    ADM 3875 Labour Relations
    ANTH 4024 Anthropology and Ethics
    CCS 3063 Literature of the Holocaust
    CCS 3064 The Holocaust: East European Representations and Responses
    CLAS 3063 Ancient Greek Warfare
    CLAS 3513 The Trojan War: Myth and History
    ECON 3203 Public Finance Analysis
    ENGG 4013 Law and Ethics for Engineers
    ENVM 1002 Resource Management Issues, Ethics and Communications 
    ENVM 2021 Natural Resource Management, Institutions, Policy and Governance
    ENVM 2023 Climate Change
    FOR 2946 Bioethics, Emotional Intelligence, and the Nature of Spirituality
    HIST 1009 Epidemic Disease from the Middle Ages to the Present
    HIST 1625 The Spy in History
    HIST 3825 That Nature and Limits of Military Power, 1500-2000
    HIST 4851 Law and War
    HIST 5275 Health and Medicine in Early Modern England
    KIN 3093 Ethics and Kinesiology
    KIN 4093 Seminar on Health Care Ethics
    PHIL 1201 Ethics of Life and Death
    PHIL 2201 Introduction to Ethics
    PHIL 3204 Business Ethics
    PHIL 3205 Contemporary Ethical Theory 
    PHIL 3206 Environmental Ethics (only one of PHIL 2206, PHIL 3206 or PHIL 3208 for credit)
    PHIL 3208 Ecological Ethics (cannot take both PHIL 2206 and PHIL 3208 for credit)
    PHIL 3209 Health Care Ethics in Canada (cannot take both PHIL 2009 and PHIL 3209 for credit)
    PHIL 3211 Cyber Ethics
    PHIL 3261 Military Ethics
    PHIL 3262 Applied Professional Ethics
    PHIL 3264 Ethics
    PHIL 3302 Later Greek Philosophy
    PHIL 3306 Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and the Roots of Postmodern
    PHIL 3308 Plato's Republic
    PHIL 3312 Infinity: Emmanuel Levinas' Encounter with the Other
    PHIL 3315 Hannah Arendt and Simone de Beauvoir
    POLS 1503 Law, Power and Politics
    POLS 1603 Politics of Globalization
    POLS 2503 Women & Politics
    POLS 3103 Right in Conflict in North America
    POLS 3415 Liberalism
    POLS 3433 Late Modern Political Thought
    POLS 3715 Work in the World Economy
    POLS 3718 International Security in Theory and Practice
    POLS 4463 Eros & Leadership
    POLS 4495 Gender and War: History and Contemporary Perspectives
    POLS 4496 Thucydides: War and Empire
    SOCI 2365 Sociology of Death and Dying
    SOCI 3004 Theoretical Foundations of Sociology
    SOCI 3371 The Institution of Health Care
    SOCI 3533 Social Inequality
    SOCI 3623 White Collar Crime
    SOCI 3635 Conflict Resolution
    SOCI 3636 Restorative Justice
    SOCI 4264 Health Care in International Context
    SOCI 4513 Inequality and Social Justice

Graduate Study in Philosophy at UNB

To be accepted as a candidate for the degree of MA in Philosophy, applicants will normally be expected to have a letter grade average of at least B in a minimum of 42 credit hours in Philosophy (or equivalent, e.g. a 70% average in seven full courses in Philosophy). Applicants with an average of less than B or fewer than 42 credit hours in Philosophy may be admitted conditionally as graduate students for a qualifying year. Further details may be found in the Calendar of the School of Graduate Studies.