Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Religion Roadmap
120 Total Units Required
Minimum Number of Units in the Major: 41
This roadmap is a suggested plan of study and does not replace meeting with an advisor. Please note that students may need to adjust the actual sequence of courses based on course availability. Please consult an advisor in your major program for further guidance.
| First Semester | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| ENG 114 | Writing the First Year: Finding Your Voice (A2) 1 | 3 |
| GE Area A (PHIL 110 Recommended) 2 | 3 | |
| GE Area B: Quantitative Reasoning (B4) 3 | 3 | |
| GE Area C | 3 | |
| Complementary Studies or SF State Studies or University Elective 4 | 3 | |
| Units | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| GE Area A | 3 | |
| GE Area B: Physical Science (B1) and Laboratory Science (B3) 5 | 3-4 | |
| GE Area D | 3 | |
| GE Area E | 3 | |
| Complementary Studies or SF State Studies or University Elective 4 | 3 | |
| Units | 15-16 | |
| Third Semester | ||
| GE Area B: Life Science (B2) and Laboratory Science (B3) 5 | 3-4 | |
| GE Area C | 3 | |
| GE Area D | 3 | |
| Complementary Studies or SF State Studies or University Elective - Take Two 4 | 6 | |
| Units | 15-16 | |
| Fourth Semester | ||
| PHIL 450 | Ethics (Major Core, UD-C, SJ) | 3 |
| PHIL/PRSN 502 | World Religions (Major Core, UD-C, GP) | 3 |
| GE Area C | 3 | |
| Complementary Studies or SF State Studies or University Elective - Take Two 4 | 6 | |
| Units | 15 | |
| Fifth Semester | ||
| PHIL 300 | Academic and Professional Pathways in Philosophy (Major Core) | 1 |
| PHIL 303 | Modern Philosophy (Major Core UD-C) | 3 |
| PHIL 320GW | Philosophical Analysis - GWAR (Major Core) 6 | 3 |
| Comparative Thought (6 units) - Take One 7 | 3 | |
| GE Area UD-B: Upper-Division Physical and/or Life Sciences | 3 | |
| Complementary Studies or SF State Studies or University Elective 4 | 3 | |
| Units | 16 | |
| Sixth Semester | ||
| PHIL 525/RELS 300 | The Nature of Religious Experience (Major Core, UD-C, GP) | 3 |
| History (6 units) - Take One 8 | 3 | |
| Comparative Thought (6 units) - Take One 6 | 3 | |
| GE Area F ± | 3 | |
| U.S. and California Government | 3 | |
| Units | 15 | |
| Seventh Semester | ||
| PHIL 500 | Philosophy of Religion (Major Core, UD-C) | 3 |
| History (6 units) - Take One 8 | 3 | |
| Metaphysics and Epistemology (3 units) - Take One 9 | 3 | |
| Elective Units from Related Fields (6 units) - Take One | 3 | |
| GE Area UD-D: Upper-Division Social Sciences | 3 | |
| Units | 15 | |
| Eighth Semester | ||
| PHIL 696 | Directed Reading: Learning Outcomes (Major Culmination) | 1 |
| Elective Units from Related Fields (6 units) - Take One | 3 | |
| Complementary Studies or SF State Studies or University Elective – Take Three 4 | 10 | |
| Units | 14 | |
| Total Units | 120-122 | |
- 1
ENG 114 can only be taken if you complete Directed Self-Placement (DSP) and select ENG 114; if you choose ENG 104/ENG 105 through DSP you will satisfy A2 upon successful completion of ENG 105 in the second semester; multilingual students may be advised into alternative English courses.
- 2
To avoid taking additional units, it is recommended that you meet the SF State Studies (AERM, GP, ES, SJ) requirements within your GE or major.
- 3
To determine the best B4 course option, students should complete the online advising activity at mathadvising.sfsu.edu. Questions? Contact Gator Smart Start.
- 4
Complementary Studies for the Philosophy Major
12 units of Complementary Studies are required of all candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degrees in Philosophy and Religion. These units must come from courses bearing a prefix other than PHIL, and not cross-listed with PHIL. Philosophy and Religion majors are given a multitude of pathways toward completing this requirement, each of which is designed to facilitate graduation in a timely manner and deepen the student’s knowledge and appreciation of a set of relevant issues in a multi-disciplinary way. Philosophy and Religion majors may, with the approval of a department advisor, elect to apply 12 units in a single foreign language of their choosing or courses taken in an approved study abroad program (e.g., CSU Study Abroad). Otherwise, with the approval of a department advisor, the student may take 12 units of courses that complement the study of philosophy and religion. The study of philosophy and religion is enhanced by learning drawn from complementary areas, such as history and culture of Africa, American Indian studies, the arts, alternative medicine, history and culture of ancient religions, history and culture of Asian religions, bioethics/medical ethics and healing professions, business ethics, cinema studies, counseling, environmental studies, global history and culture, history and culture of Islam, Jewish studies, holistic medicine, the human sciences, oral and written communication, legal studies, literary studies, European studies, history and culture of Latina/Latino peoples, music, justice studies, LGBTQ studies, religious studies, sexuality studies, social justice, the social sciences, under-represented groups, and women and gender studies. To accommodate emerging areas of philosophical study, students are encouraged to design 12-unit modules for the review and approal of the department advisor.
Students who have earned AA-T or AS-T degrees and are pursuing a similar B.A. degree at SF State are required to fulfill the Complementary Studies requirement as defined by the major department. Students should consult with a major advisor about how transfer units and/or SF State units can best be applied to this requirement in order to ensure degree completion within 60 units.
- 5
Consider taking a class combined with a laboratory or a separate lab to fulfill B3 if not already satisfied.
- 6
PHIL 320GW satisfies the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR). Students who have satisfied GWAR in a discipline other than philosophy will still be required to complete PHIL 320GW as a requirement of the major.
- 7
Comparative Thought (6 units)
PHIL 436 Islamic Political Philosophy (3 units) (UD-C, GP, SJ)
PHIL 494 Philosophy and Personal Development (3 units) (UD-C)
PHIL 501/HUM 501/JS 501 Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (3 units) (UD-C, GP)
PHIL 509/PRSN 509 The Buddhist Tradition (3 units) (UD-C, GP)
PHIL 511 Chinese Philosophy and Religion (3 units) (UD-C, GP)
PHIL 514/JS 410 Kabbalah, Jewish Mysticism, and Literature (3 units) (UD-C)
PHIL 520 Philosophy and Mysticism (3 units) (UD-C, GP, SJ)
- 8
History (3 units)
PHIL 301 Ancient Philosophy (3 units) (UD-C)
PHIL 302 Medieval Philosophy (3 units) (UD-C)
PHIL 410 Topics in the History of Philosophy (3 units)
PHIL 516 Islamic Philosophy (3 units) (UD-C, GP)
- 9
Metaphysics & Epistemology (3 units)
PHIL 321 Being and Knowing (3 units)
PHIL 350 Philosophy of Science (3 units) (UD-B)
PHIL 351 Philosophy of Risk (3 units) (UD-B, ES)
PHIL 605 Metaphysics (3 units)
PHIL 610 Theory of Knowledge (3 units)
PHIL 620 Philosophy of Mind (3 units)
PHIL 621 Minds, Brains, and Computers (3 units) (UD-B)
PHIL 630 Philosophy of Language (3 units)
- ±
Given catalog rights, fall 2023 transfer students do not need to complete an Area F course.