Mission and Learning Outcomes

Mission Statement

1. To advance an understanding of and appreciation for the importance and value of well-founded knowledge and rigorous intellectual inquiry.

2. To develop and promote argumentative and analytic skills essential for good reasoning, efficient communication, and the preservation of high standards for knowledge claims.

3. To examine and critically assess normative standards governing social relations, practices, and institutions, including a wide range of human activities dependent upon value judgments.

4. To deepen and encourage students’ understanding and life-long pursuit of the uniquely reflective activity of philosophical inquiry.

Learning Outcomes

I. Critical Thinking Outcome
Goal: The student demonstrates thorough and competent understanding of original texts. The student uses sound arguments and strong reasoning to support assertions. The student makes careful selection and presentation of evidence and argument to support assertions, and (when applicable) includes carefully constructed refutations of the opposing view.

II. Critical Writing Outcome
Goal: The student’s paper demonstrates good structure, succinct expression of ideas and superb writing skills. The paper contains no ambiguous, vague, or superfluous expressions. The paper also contains few grammatical or spelling errors.

III. The Knowledge Outcome
Goal: Students shall be knowledgeable of specific periods of historical philosophy, specific major currents of twentieth century philosophical investigation, and some specific methodologies employed by philosophers.

IV. Social/Global Awareness Outcome
Goal: All students will be exposed to issues of culture, ethnicity, and gender.  They will be able to cultivate a global perspective. Students shall have the ability to examine and critically assess normative standards governing social relations, practices, and institutions, including a wide range of human activities dependent upon value judgments.