Graduate Program in Social, Political, Ethical and Legal Philosophy

The graduate program in Social, Political, Ethical, and Legal Philosophy (SPEL) offers graduate students advanced coursework and individual research in classical, modern, and contemporary social and political philosophy, ethics, and the philosophy of law. SPEL recognizes and respects work in both the Anglo-American (analytic) and the Continental (European) traditions, as well as in various non-Western traditions, in feminist philosophy and critical race theory, and in other emerging areas of philosophy. As a program that specializes in a cluster of subfields of philosophy (namely social, political, ethical and legal philosophy), SPEL gives students some background in the field of philosophy as a whole, a solid grounding in the history of Western philosophy, a good deal of knowledge in SPEL areas, and—particularly for students who earn a Ph.D.—in-depth training and guidance for original research in the student’s chosen area of specialization. The SPEL program also helps students gain the skills and experience necessary to become excellent teachers of philosophy, and prepares students for other aspects of a career in philosophy. The SPEL faculty understands the primary professional goal of Ph.D. students in philosophy to be placement in academic positions. Professional development and placement, therefore, are central to the SPEL program. For students who earn a terminal masters in SPEL and intend to go on to other careers or other graduate work such as law school, the program can be tailored towards these ends.

The SPEL faculty offer both graduate seminars and individualized instruction in their sub-fields. Areas include:

Contemporary Anglo-American Social and Political Philosophy
Contemporary Continental Social and Political Philosophy
History of Social and Political Philosophy
Democratic Theory
Marxism
Feminist Social and Political Philosophy
Critical Race Theory
Violence
Globalization
Critical Theory

Analytic Metaethics
Continental Ethics
Normative Ethics
History of Ethics
Comparative Ethics
Virtue Ethics
Feminist Ethics
Buddhist Ethics
Environmental Ethics
Business Ethics / Ethics and Economics
Medical Ethics

Ancient Greek Philosophy
Modern Western Philosophy
19th Century Continental Philosophy
Indian Philosophy
Buddhist Philosophy

Epistemology
Analytic Metaphysics
Buddhist Metaphysics
Philosophy of Mind
Philosophical Psychology
Cognitive Science

Qualified students with a bachelor's degree or equivalent and students with a master’s degree are eligible for admission. An undergraduate or masters level specialization in philosophy is not required for admission; a broad background in the humanities or social sciences, as well as philosophy, can constitute a proper preparation for this graduate program. However, students without an undergraduate background in philosophy may need to do some extra coursework once enrolled in the program in order to meet proficiency requirements that most undergraduate philosophy majors will have already fulfilled. Students with a variety of philosophical interests should feel welcome to apply to the SPEL program. Please look to the faculty list for information about faculty members’ particular interests.

Students may pursue the M.A. either as a preparation for entrance into the Ph.D. part of the graduate program or as a terminal degree. A terminal philosophy M.A. through SPEL is an excellent preparation for further professional development in public policy, law, government service, medicine, or business.

The M.A. degree may be earned by completing the following requirements (for which students may request waivers based on their particular circumstances):

Required course work (any one course may simultaneously fulfill more than one of these requirements):

• A minimum of 32 credits (eight seminars, seven of which must be SPEL seminars and one of which may be chosen from other Philosophy graduate courses or in consultation with the student's adviser from among courses offered by other departments) with a cumulative grade point average of at least a B.

• One first year SPEL seminar in Social and Political Philosophy and one first year SPEL seminar in Ethics, to be taken during the first year of residency (one in the fall, the other in the spring).

• At least two SPEL seminars emphasizing the history of philosophy. This is broadly construed ranging from the ancient world to the 17th, 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and may be in Western or non-Western philosophy.

• One SPEL seminar that draws mainly from the Anglo-American tradition, and one SPEL seminar that draws mainly from the Continental European tradition.

• One SPEL seminar in metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of language, philosophy of science or philosophy of mind.

• During each semester of their first two years in the program, all students (including those entering with an M.A. degree) are required to enroll in the SPEL colloquium.

• A grade of at least B in an undergraduate course on formal logic, or completion of the final examination in (undergraduate) Elementary Logic (PHIL 122) with a grade of at least B.

• A grade of at least B in undergraduate courses in ancient Greek philosophy and modern philosophy, or completion of the final examinations in (undergraduate) Plato and Aristotle (PHIL 201) and Descartes, Hume and Kant (PHIL 202) with grades of at least B.

• All students earning an M.A. and seeking acceptance into the Ph.D. program must pass the M.A. comprehensive exams, which consist of two written exams, one in Social and Political Philosophy, and the other in Ethics. Reading lists are provided to assist students in preparing for these exams. Exams must be taken during the first week of classes in the spring semester of a student’s second year in the program. Students who do not pass either or both of the comprehensive exams may be given the opportunity to retake the exam(s) once, in April of their second year in the program.

• Students seeking a terminal M.A. may either take the comprehensive exams described above, by April of their second year in the program, or may write a Masters thesis. The thesis must be passed by April of a student’s second year in the program.

Acceptance into the Ph.D. program requires satisfactory completion of the M.A. requirements described above or their equivalent (such as an appropriate M.A. degree from another institution). Under normal conditions, students accepted with an M.A. in Philosophy from another institution are exempt from all M.A. requirements other than the first year SPEL seminar and the colloquium. However, students who did not study Social and Political Philosophy and Ethics as part of their M.A. work will be asked to take the M.A. comprehensive exams as described above.

• Students entering with an M.A. from another institution must take the first year SPEL seminars during the first year of residency, and must enroll in the SPEL colloquium every semester for their first two years of residency.

• A minimum of 24 additional course credit hours (six seminars) that may, when applicable, be chosen from departments other than the Philosophy Department in consultation with the student's adviser. Students must also complete the appropriate number of dissertation credits required by the Graduate School.

• Demonstration of proficiency in either one more language (other than English) or intermediate logic (which can be satisfied by taking a graduate level class in intermediate logic and passing the class with at least a B).

• Acceptance of a dissertation prospectus and satisfactory performance on a Ph.D. qualifying examination given by the student's fourth semester of full time residence in the Ph.D. program. A committee of three faculty members the majority of whom are members of the Philosophy Department approve the prospectus and administer the exam which includes both a written and an oral component.

• Satisfactory completion of a dissertation under the direction of a dissertation committee chosen by the student in consultation with her or his faculty adviser. The committee is composed of at least three faculty members the majority of whom must be members of the Philosophy Department, as well as an outside examiner who is approved by the Graduate School. The dissertation must be accepted by the dissertation committee and defended in an oral examination.

It is possible for students to write a dissertation on a topic in philosophy that is not in Social, Political, Ethical or Legal Philosophy. If you choose to work on such a topic and have the agreement of an advisor, you may substitute an exam on your area of research for one of the SPEL MA Comprehensive exams. You may also substitute one philosophy course for any required course, except for the first year SPEL seminars.