Braniff Philosophy

The Master's Program in Philosophy intends to engage students in a serious and thorough study of the Western philosophic tradition. It is not expected, however, that students will acquire merely an extrinsic knowledge of historical authors and doctrines. Rather, they should hope to recover the best of the philosophic tradition in the light of persistent questions, old and new.If you are a student contemplating graduate studies in philosophy, you undoubtedly already realize that the philosophic world is in ferment, and that many of the most vibrant impulses are coming from outside departments of philosophy. The insight that philosophy should not be considered a single discipline isolated from others is the foundation of the doctoral program of the University's Institute of Philosophic Studies, and students in the Master's program benefit from the interdisciplinary activity that the Institute fosters. The faculty of the Department of Philosophy have diverse backgrounds and are interested not only in currents that presently animate philosophy, but also in its historical foundations. The dialogues of Plato, the treatises of Aristotle, the meditations of Descartes, the critical efforts of Kant, the "destruction" of metaphysics by Heidegger, as well as the ideal of sapientia Christiana and the speculative philosophy and theology of medievals like Thomas Aquinas and Duns Scotus are part of the everyday discourse of the Department. The faculty are all acutely aware that philosophy begins in the love of wisdom and is as much a spiritual as an intellectual quest. It is their intention to provide graduate students in philosophy a solid foundation in the history of Western philosophy by focusing on classic texts from all periods in light of modern questions and methods.

Degree Requirements

The Master of Arts in Philosophy requires the completion of eight graduate courses (24 credit hours) and a thesis (six credit hours) and passing a comprehensive examination based on a list of classic texts in the history of philosophy from Parmenides to Heidegger. A reading knowledge of one foreign language pertinent to the field of the thesis is required. Students are expected to take courses in the fields of metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics and to cover the major epochs of Western philosophy. Entering students should have an undergraduate background of at least 18 semester hours in philosophy; candidates who cannot present this preparation may be required to do additional course work. Students may pursue the M.A. degree either full-time or part-time. Scheduling of courses is flexible to accommodate the needs of part-time students. It is sometimes possible to take courses ordinarily offered only for Institute of Philosophic Studies students as well as courses in other departments, particularly the Departments of Politics and Literature.

Special Philosophic Events

Each year the Department of Philosophy offers a series of departmental colloquia for faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate majors. Recent topics have ranged from the notion of necessity in book seven of Plato's Republic to contemporary dilemmas in medical ethics. In the Aquinas lecture series, an annual event sponsored by the Department, distinguished philosophers address contemporary topics in the spirit of Thomas Aquinas. The list of Aquinas lecturers includes William Wallace, Joseph Owens, John Caputo, Edmund Pellegrino, Robert Sokolowski, Kenneth Schmitz, Benedict Ashley, Ralph McInerny, Alasdair MacIntyre, John Wippel, Louis Dupre, Alfred Freddoso, and Norris Clarke. The University's annual Eugene McDermott lecture series brings eminent scholars to campus to address the philosophical foundations of their disciplines.

Uses of Philosophy

Many people are under the false impression that graduate training in philosophy is exclusively aimed toward a career in teaching. On the contrary the study of philosophy helps one acquire conceptual, analytical, argumentative, and research skills that are valuable in management and industry. Philosophy students consistently score higher on standardized tests for professional schools than students in any other humanities discipline and most scientific disciplines. Many philosophy graduates go on to careers in government and law, and may find special opportunities in such fields as ethics counseling and consulting, and in legal, business, and medical ethics.

Applications and Financial Assistance

Entry into the program requires a bachelor's degree in Philosophy or a related field, unless determined otherwise by the Graduate Dean.Merit-based tuition scholarships are available for up to one-half of tuition.

Philosophy Faculty

Robert Wood, Professor
Ph.D., Marquette University

Dennis L. Sepper, Professor
Ph.D., University of Chicago

William A. Frank, Professor
Ph.D., Catholic University of America

James Lehrberger, O. Cist., Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Dallas

Lance Simmons, Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Notre Dame

Joshua Parens, Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Chicago

Philipp Rosemann, Associate Professor
D. Phil., Universite catholique de Louvain

Christopher Mirus, Assistant Professor
Ph.D., University of Notre Dame

Douglas Hadley, Visiting Assistant Professor
Ph.D., Boston University

The University of Dallas is a vibrant intellectual community drawing upon the resources of all its departments in an effort to bring its students an exceptional educational experience both in and outside the classroom. Each year visiting lecturers are invited to campus either by the departments or the Braniff Graduate School to promote interdisciplinary discussions on a wide range of topics. Past lecturers include Allan Bloom, Robert Sokolowski, Jean Luc Marion, Francis Fukuyama, Donald Kagan, Stanley Rosen, Leon Kass, Stephen Jay-Gould, Hans-Georg Gadamer, Michael Zuckert, Charles Kessler, Derek Walcott, and Stanley Fish.

Sample Courses

The Recovery of the Philosophic Tradition
The Ethics of Aquinas and Wojtyla
Aesthetics
Epistemology
Person and Society
Scholastic Tradition
Philosophy of God
Phenomenological Tradition
Philosophy of Language
Philosophy of Law
Philosophy of Religion
Formal Logic and Philosophy of Logic
Bioethics
Philosophy of History
Philosophy of Right
Christian Philosophy
Philosophy of Bonaventure and Duns Scotus
Neoplatonism
Locke, Leibniz, and Hume
Text seminars on Aristotle's Metaphysics and Ethics, Plato's Republic and Trilogy, St. Thomas Aquinas' commentaries on Aristotle, Descartes' Meditations, Kant's Critique of Pure Reason and his ethical writings, Hegel's Phenomenology, Encyclopedia, and Philosophy of Right, and Heidegger's Being and Time.

For information about tuition, financial assistance, application forms and registration, please write, call, or visit our website: Braniff Graduate School of Liberal Arts, University of Dallas, 1845 East Northgate Drive, Irving, Texas 75062-4736. Phone: (214) 721-5106. Toll Free: (877) 708-3247. E-mail: graduate@udallas.edu. Website: www.udallas.edu/braniff