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Undergraduate and Graduate Programs 2024-2025


PHILOSOPHY

Simon Drummond Wigley, Ph.D., Chair

Academic Staff
Courses

The aim of the department is threefold: (i) by exploring influential philosophical arguments and ways of arguing, the department intends to impart upon the students the intellectual resources to discern lines of thought and courses of action that are defensible as opposed to ill-considered; (ii) the department aims to foster background capabilities---self-reliance, judging well when making decisions, creativity in problem-solving, adaptability, argumentative acumen and so forth---that complement and are essential to the good use of vocational skills; (iii) by investigating abstract problems and arguments in depth and by adopting an analytic stance the department aims to provide students with a solid platform from which to pursue graduate studies in philosophy.

The curriculum is broad based in that the students are required to complete courses in a number of academic fields other than philosophy, i.e., physics, biology, computers, mathematics, economics, languages, literature, arts and history. Because the curriculum provides each student with a substantive grounding in these fields, the student is able to constructively challenge the way they are practiced from a position of authority rather than from a position of hearsay. Besides, several of the courses (e.g. languages, statistics, computer programming, summer training) aim to develop specific skills that are essential to the workplace. In the meantime, the philosophy courses on their own provide a more than sufficient basis from which to pursue graduate work in philosophy. As a result, the critical mass of philosophical understanding is established whilst at the same time each student's future career options are not foreclosed due to unnecessary over-specialization at an early stage.

The department places a premium upon: (i) discussion-based class work, encouraging the students to be actively part of the learning experience; (ii) essay-based assessment (complemented by a drafting process and a series of essay tutorials); (iii) tutorials and ongoing feedback; (iv) trusting the students to come to terms with the original texts, rather than asking them to work from watered-down commentaries on those texts; (v) the development of each student's ability to pursue independent research (culminating in the fourth year where a thesis is completed on a chosen topic under the supervision of a faculty member).

The Philosophy Undergraduate Program, Minor Program, and Course Descriptions can be found at the following address: http://www.phil.bilkent.edu.tr.

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM

CURRICULUM

FIRST YEAR

Autumn Semester

Code Course Name Hours Credit ECTS
Credit
Lec. Other
CS 121  Introduction to Computer Applications and Programming  2  2  3  5
ENG 101  English and Composition I  5    3  5
GE 100  Orientation      1  2
MATH 105  Introduction to Calculus I  4    4  6.5
PHIL 101  Introduction to Logic  3    3  5
PHIL 103  Introduction to Philosophy I  3    3  5
TURK 101  Turkish I      2  3.5

Spring Semester

Code Course Name Hours Credit ECTS
Credit
Lec. Other
ECON 103  Principles of Economics  4    3  5
ENG 102  English and Composition II  5    3  5
MATH 106  Introduction to Calculus II  4    4  6.5
PHIL 102  Ancient Philosophy  3    3  5
PHIL 104  Introduction to Philosophy II  3    3  5
TURK 102  Turkish II      2  3.5

SECOND YEAR

Autumn Semester

Code Course Name Hours Credit ECTS
Credit
Lec. Other
GE 250  Collegiate Activities Program I      -  1
HCIV 101  History of Civilization I  3    3  5
HIST 200  History of Turkey  3    4  6.5
PHIL 201  Epistemology  3    3  5
PHIL 203  Rationalists  3    3  5
PHYS 180  Conceptual Physics  3    3  5
  Second Foreign Language Elective      3  -

Spring Semester

Code Course Name Hours Credit ECTS
Credit
Lec. Other
GE 251  Collegiate Activities Program II      1  2
HCIV 102  History of Civilization II  3    3  5
MBG 110  Introduction to Modern Biology  3    3  5
PHIL 202  Ethics  3    3  5
PHIL 204  Empiricists  3    3  5
PSYC 100  Introduction to Psychology  3    3  5
  Second Foreign Language Elective      3  -

THIRD YEAR

Autumn Semester

Code Course Name Hours Credit ECTS
Credit
Lec. Other
COMD 358  Professional Communication  3    3  5
PHIL 299  Summer Training I      -  7
PHIL 303  Kant  3    3  5
PHIL 307  Paradox and Infinity  3    3  5
PHIL 401  Metaphysics  3    3  5
  Second Foreign Language Elective      3  -

Spring Semester

Code Course Name Hours Credit ECTS
Credit
Lec. Other
PHIL 301  Political Philosophy  3    3  5
PHIL 306  Philosophy of Language  3    3  5
PHIL 308  Philosophy of Mind  3    3  5
  Arts Core Elective      3  -
  Second Foreign Language Elective      3  -

FOURTH YEAR

Autumn Semester

Code Course Name Hours Credit ECTS
Credit
Lec. Other
ECON 221  Probability and Statistical Distributions  3    3  5
PHIL 304  History and Philosophy of Science  3    3  5
PHIL 399  Summer Training II      -  7
PHIL 403  Senior Thesis I  3    3  5
  Computing Elective      3  -
  Electives (2)      6  -

Spring Semester

Code Course Name Hours Credit ECTS
Credit
Lec. Other
PHIL 302  Social and Legal Philosophy  3    3  5
PHIL 404  Senior Thesis II  3    3  5
  Elective      3  -
  Social Science Core Elective      3  -

MINOR PROGRAM

With a foundation in core introductory courses, and flexibility in course selection for more advanced courses, the Minor in Philosophy allows students to tailor their program to a particular interest, for example mind, language, natural or social science, history of ideas, social theory, value theory. Students from all departments are welcome to apply to the program.

Prerequisite Courses: None

CURRICULUM

Courses

Code Course Name Hours Credit ECTS
Credit
Lec. Other
PHIL 103  Introduction to Philosophy I  3    3  5
PHIL 104  Introduction to Philosophy II  3    3  5
PHIL 201  Epistemology  3    3  5
  Electives (3)      9  -

GRADUATE PROGRAM

Master of Arts in Philosophy

The M.A. degree in philosophy is designed to develop an advanced understanding of philosophical problems, especially those in contemporary analytic philosophy and the history of philosophy. It provides students with an understanding of key philosophical debates and problems, and encourages them to develop and defend their own argumentative position. Coursework will often have an interdisciplinary character. Many courses will explore the impact of empirical and theoretical developments in other disciplines on contemporary philosophical debates.

Admission: All applicants are required to have a bachelor's degree. Evaluation of applicants is based on their ALES scores, past academic records, reference letters, writing sample, entrance exam, and interview. Applicants who are not Turkish citizens and Turkish citizens who are residents of another country may take GRE instead of ALES. All non-native speakers of English are required to submit proof that they have a sufficient level of English.

Degree Requirements: The program requires students to complete a minimum of 21 units of course work. By the end of the second year the student will complete and defend a master's thesis in a specialized field of study.

CURRICULUM

Courses

Code Course Name Hours Credit ECTS
Credit
Lec. Other
GE 500  Research Methods and Academic Publication Ethics      -  1
GE 590  Academic Practices      -  12
PHIL 501  Research Preparation in Philosophy I  3    3  5
PHIL 502  Research Preparation in Philosophy II  3    3  5
PHIL 591  Thesis Seminar I  2    -  1
PHIL 599  M.A.Dissertation      -  71
  Electives (2)      6  -
  Expanded Restricted Electives (2)      6  -
  Restricted Elective      3  -

Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy

The Ph.D. degree in philosophy is designed to develop an advanced understanding of philosophical problems, especially those in contemporary analytic philosophy and the history of philosophy. In addition, the degree prepares and guides each candidate through the writing of a thesis, which represents a substantial and original scholarly contribution to philosophy.

Admission: All applicants are required to have a bachelor's degree. Evaluation of applicants is based on their ALES scores, past academic records, reference letters, writing sample, entrance exam, and interview. Applicants who are not Turkish citizens and Turkish citizens who are residents of another country may take GRE instead of ALES. All non-native speakers of English are required to submit proof that they have a sufficient level of English.

Degree Requirements: 21 credit units of course work beyond the master's level or 42 credits of course work beyond the bachelor's level is required. Ph.D. candidates must pass a qualifying exam and then must prepare a thesis proposal. Preparing and defending a dissertation based on original research represents the core of the program. A paper must be accepted or published in a reputable journal before the dissertation can be defended. The expected duration to complete the Ph.D. program is eight semesters for students who enter the program after a master's degree, and ten semesters for those who enter after a bachelor's degree.

Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy

CURRICULUM

Courses

Code Course Name Hours Credit ECTS
Credit
Lec. Other
GE 500  Research Methods and Academic Publication Ethics      -  1
GE 690  Academic Practices      -  24
PHIL 501  Research Preparation in Philosophy I  3    3  5
PHIL 502  Research Preparation in Philosophy II  3    3  5
PHIL 691  Thesis Seminar II  2    -  1
PHIL 699  Ph.D. Dissertation      -  203
  Electives (2)      6  -
  Expanded Restricted Electives (2)      6  -
  Restricted Elective      3  -

Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy (After a Bachelor's Degree)

CURRICULUM

Courses

Code Course Name Hours Credit ECTS
Credit
Lec. Other
GE 500  Research Methods and Academic Publication Ethics      -  1
GE 690  Academic Practices      -  24
PHIL 501  Research Preparation in Philosophy I  3    3  5
PHIL 502  Research Preparation in Philosophy II  3    3  5
PHIL 591  Thesis Seminar I  2    -  1
PHIL 691  Thesis Seminar II  2    -  1
PHIL 699  Ph.D. Dissertation      -  203
  Electives (5)      15  -
  Expanded Restricted Electives (5)      15  -
  Restricted Electives (2)      6  -

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