Undergraduate Program

Chairperson: Brian Steverson

Professors: M. Alfino, C. Kossel, S.J. (Emeritus), W. Pomerleau, T. Rukavina (Emeritus), R. Spitzer, S.J.

Associate Professors: D. Calhoun, B.Clayton, T. Jeannot, D. Kries, Q. Liu, R. McClelland, W. Ryan, S.J.,

B. Steverson, M. Tkacz, R. M. Volbrecht, J. Wagner

Assistant Professor: K. Besmer, T. Clancy, S.J., T. Di Maria, D. Hutchins, E. Maccarone, E. Schmidt


      Philosophy has played a central role in Jesuit education since its inception, a tradition that is reflected by the place of philosophy in the Gonzaga University core curriculum. Philosophy courses required as part of the University core curriculum for all undergraduate programs aid students in developing skills of thought and logical analysis (PHIL 101), introduce students to sustained reflection on basic questions of human nature and personhood (PHIL 201), and examine the practical and theoretical considerations relevant to human morality and value (PHIL 301). The 400-level elective requirement vitally contributes to a liberal arts education by giving the student critical distance, through philosophical reflection, from immediate involvement in career, professional, academic, and human concerns.

      The Philosophy Department also offers courses leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree with a major or minor in philosophy. Beyond courses required by the university core, students must complete an additional nine credits of upper-division course work for a philosophy minor, and twenty-six additional upper-division hours for the philosophy major. Two special features of the philosophy major curriculum are the Philosophy Major Proseminar, which orients new philosophy majors to the main issues and problems in philosophy and offers practice in philosophical writing, and the Senior Seminar. Philosophy majors should register for the Proseminar as soon as possible after declaring a philosophy major, normally in the spring of their sophomore year; the Senior Seminar is a capstone course in the spring of the senior year.

      An undergraduate major in philosophy is useful preparation for a variety of careers. The focus on logic, argumentation, and moral theory is valuable to students with career plans in law. Students with interests in business, public policy, or government service can benefit from the many courses which provide reflective analysis on the ways in which political, moral, and social values are embedded in social institutions. A degree in philosophy can be valuable when applying to a variety of professional schools which actively look for liberal arts majors, and employers who do the same.

      Transfer students who have taken philosophy courses at other institutions may have some or all of the core courses substituted if, in the judgment of the Department, they are equivalent to those courses required at Gonzaga and if a grade of "C" or better was earned.

*      With the permission of the Honors Program Director, philosophy majors may take PHIL 102H, 201H, and 301H instead of PHIL 101, 201, and 301. These special classes are ordinarily reserved for Honors students. No substitution authorization is required.

**     Majors in philosophy should choose their electives carefully in consultation with their advisors and in the light of their philosophical interests and academic objectives. PHIL 402 and 412 will not count for elective credit for philosophy majors.