Department of Philosophy
Philosophy B.A. graduates of the University of Portland will be able to:
- Engage with significant philosophical problems.
- Clearly explain, to a broad audience, the significance of a philosophical problem.
- Take a position and defend it with sustained, well-focused, and coherent arguments in writing.
- Anticipate an objection to the position defended and reply to it.
- Engage in reasoning in context.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the historical or cultural context of a philosophical text.
- Identify and critically evaluate presuppositions that arise from the historical or cultural context of a primary text.
- Demonstrate proficiency in the basic concepts of logic.
- Distinguish between arguments and non-arguments.
- Distinguish between deductive and inductive arguments.
- Evaluate arguments in terms of their soundness or cogency.
- Identify common formal and informal fallacies.
