Goal 1: Through the study of Philosophy at IUS, students should be able to comprehend, interpret and evaluate the different philosophical positions to which they are exposed. Students should be able to understand and restate accurately positions or arguments, as well as make reasoned judgments and present cogent arguments to support their judgments.

1.A Students will evaluate arguments for validity and identify relevant fallacies.

1.B Students will restate and critique arguments/positions from philosophical texts.

1.C Students will present original cogent argumentation in support of a thesis/position.

Goal 2: Students should improve their skills in making responsible, rational judgments on issues of moral rightness and wrongness as well as on matters of moral character. Students should be able to make use of classical ethical theories in formulating these judgments.

2.A Students will explain and evaluate traditional ethical theories.

2.B Students will evaluate a moral problem utilizing a traditional ethical theory.

Goal 3: Students should develop the ability to present comprehensive interpretations and arguments clearly, accurately, and without prejudice in both written and oral forms.

3.A Students will present and analyze a philosophical issue in the context of a well written argumentative paper.

3.B Students will present orally an analysis of a philosophical problem and/or text.

3.C Students will present orally the results of an extended philosophical research project.

Goal 4: Students should increase their ability to reflect upon their own views and consider whether other positions are stronger. They should be able to make modifications when their own careful thinking indicates that this is appropriate. Such openness requires that students appreciate the variety of philosophical positions that have been developed both across different periods in Philosophy as well as within a given period. Given the impact that cognate fields such as social and political theory, science, and religion have had on the development of philosophical ideas, students should also reflect on relevant ideas from these fields as well. 

4.A Students will reflect on ways that the study of philosophy has caused them to reevaluate or change their views.

4.B Students will reflect on ways that their study of philosophy has informed and been informed by their study of other disciplines.

Goal 5: Students should have an awareness and understanding of issues and positions that have been prominent in the philosophical tradition. Students should have a strong grounding in the major philosophies of the ancient and modern periods of Western Philosophy, as well as exposure to non-Western schools of thought. 

5.A Students will explain issues and positions prominent in the ancient and modern periods of the western philosophical tradition.

5.B Students will explain issues and positions prominent in the modern period of the western philosophical tradition.