Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy

at State University of New York College at Brockport USA

The English Major Adolescent Education Inclusive Generalist Track will allow students to prepare for CSTs in English and SWD-Generalist certification. Students will complete a program of study to teach English in grades 5-12 and Students with Disabilities as a Generalist 7-12. The program allows every student who so chooses the option of preparing for a career as an English teacher and as a Generalist special education teacher. Students in this track may pursue either the Literature or Creative Writing concentrations.

The English major is designed for students who wish to pursue a passion for reading and writing, and for those who seek a versatile education as they prepare for careers in education, law, business administration, public relations, advertising, government, or any field where analytical excellence and effective use of the English language are essential. English majors choose between a literature or creative writing concentration, where their course work is designed to develop analytical, research, and creative skills.

The Major in English Adolescence Inclusive Education Generalist Track (EAIEG) is a 126-credit program. It includes 46 credits of EDI/PRO courses and 36 credits to complete the English Major Content Core. As with all other undergraduate degrees, students in the program will have to complete 32 credits of General Education courses. Because some General Education courses also count as content core or pedagogy core, there will be room for electives. This curriculum meets the requirements for initial certification as outlined by the State Education Department for Adolescence Education (grades 5 through 12). Students will have an assigned advisor in the English department who will work closely with colleagues in the Department of Education.

Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of the program,

Creative Writing Track students will be able to:

• Analyze the relationship between literary form and meaning, taking into consideration literary techniques and devices.
• Construct arguments about literary works using historical contexts.
• Apply basic elements of creative writing craft, including such elements as control of form and figurative language.
• Identify reputable and relevant sources, and incorporate the words and ideas of others without misrepresentation and with appropriate documentation practices.
• Write in conformity with standard usage and grammar.

Literature Track students will be able to:

• Analyze the relationship between literary form and meaning, taking into consideration literary techniques and devices.
• Construct arguments about literary works using historical contexts.
• Argue with a command of the rhetorical strategies, terms, and major interpretive methods characteristic of academic writing in the Humanities.
• Identify reputable and relevant sources, and incorporate the words and ideas of others without misrepresentation and with appropriate documentation practices.
• Write in conformity with standard usage and grammar.

The study of philosophy is excellent preparation for a career in any field that requires clear, analytical thinking, writing, and speaking, including law, government, teaching and education, the ministry, business and management, publishing, and many other fields. Philosophy is traditionally considered the premier major for those planning to apply to law school. Philosophy majors score on average significantly higher on the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) than do the majors in any of the humanities or social sciences, including political science, history, and English; and philosophy majors on average are accepted to law school at higher rates than are students majoring in many other popular pre-law fields. Philosophy is also an excellent double major.

The Department of Philosophy sponsors the College's chapter of Phi Sigma Tau, the International Honors Philosophy Society, which recognizes student academic excellence. The Department also operates the Center for Philosophic Exchange, which sponsors free public guest lectures on campus by distinguished philosophers and publishes the on-line journal, Philosophic Exchange.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Present a philosophical problem, by (1) concisely and precisely stating a philosophical problem to be resolved by an argument or essay, (2) explaining why the problem is significant, (3) explaining the scope of the problem, (4) defining any terms necessary for understanding the problem.
• Explicate the meaning of a philosophical theory by (1) correctly deducing the logical implications of that theory, (2) describing those implications in terms of specific examples, (3) recognizing when another statement or theory contradicts the relevant theory explicitly, (4) recognizing when another statement or theory contradicts the relevant theory implicitly.
• Demonstrate understanding of evidence by (1) correctly stating what counts as relevant evidence for a philosophical position, (2) correctly stating what counts as relevant evidence against the argument for a philosophical position and recognizing that evidence as such, (3) explaining why any cited evidence is relevant or irrelevant to a philosophical position, (4) distinguishing evidentiary claims about a philosophical position from rhetorically persuasive but specious claims about a philosophical position.
• Demonstrate knowledge of logic, by (1) recognizing arguments, (2) constructing good arguments, (3) evaluating arguments, (4) avoiding fallacies (e.g. begging the question).
• Demonstrate knowledge of dialectical method in philosophy, by (1) formulating possible objections to the thesis of an essay, (2) formulating possible objections to the argument for the essay's thesis, (3) responding to possible objections to the essay's thesis by showing that they are mistaken, (4) responding to possible objections to the argument for the essay's thesis by showing that they are mistaken.

This dual certification major is designed to prepare students for initial certification to teach both Chemistry and Student with Disabilities (SWD) as a Generalist in grades 7 to 12, with an extension to teach Chemistry in grades 5 and 6. In addition, this major prepares students for the Content Specialty Tests (CSTs) required for the dual certification.

This major includes 55 credits in the Chemistry Content Core and 43 credits of Pedagogy Content offered by the Department of Education and Human Development (EHD).  It also includes a series of specific General Education courses to prepare for the multi-subject CST that is required to certify as a SWD Generalist. Because of the large number of required credits in this major, students must plan their time at Brockport carefully and consult with advisors in both Chemistry and EHD.

The Chemistry Adolescence Inclusive Education major leads to the following initial certifications (see 'Certification' below for all requirements) as outlined by the New York State Education Department (NYSED):

• Adolescence Chemistry, 7-12
• Adolescence Chemistry, 5-6 Extension
• Students with Disabilities, 7-12, Generalist

Student Learning Outcomes
Chemistry Student Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to demonstrate understanding and apply the principles of:

• Chemical nomenclature.
• Atomic structure and quantum theory.
• Molecular structure and reactivity.
• Stoichiometric calculations based upon chemical formulae and balanced chemical equations including oxidation-reduction reactions.
• Chemical energetics and thermodynamics including chemical equilibrium.
• Reaction dynamics (kinetics and mechanisms).
• Descriptive chemistry of the elements, compounds, and trends in the periodic table.

Water resources majors must earn a minimum of 42 credits in required core courses. Additional requirements are two semesters each of calculus, college chemistry with lab, and college physics with lab. This major prepares students for careers in hydrology, resource management, and pollution control; the course of study includes courses recommended for federal employment as a hydrologist. The major is offered to meet the growing demand for hydrologists and other water resources professionals by federal, state and local government agencies; private sector environmental and consulting firms; and industrial and educational institutions.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Explain the manner with which variables and data, relevant for water resources, are properly collected using discipline appropriate methodology (fieldwork, instrumentation, remote sensing, or derived products from models).
• Properly interpret water resources data using discipline-accepted qualitative analysis.
• Properly interpret water resources data using discipline-accepted quantitative analysis.
• Define a scientific question and develop a methodology for answering it.
• Locate, evaluate and interpret primary source scientific literature.
• Effectively express water resources concepts and research results following the accepted written format for the discipline
• Explain water resources concepts and communicate research results following the accepted oral format for the discipline.

An in-depth understanding of mathematics is of great importance to many careers in our technologically complex society. Moreover, the study of mathematics promotes analytical and critical thinking skills, and therefore is a valuable part of any program of study. The major in mathematics is designed to provide the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue graduate study or to support career goals in a range of professions. Recent graduates who have majored in mathematics have found rewarding careers in business, teaching, computing, government, law, engineering, actuarial science and medicine. A study of mathematics is a natural complement to the study of physics, chemistry, biochemistry, biology, earth science, business, economics, computer science, philosophy, and the social sciences. Mathematics is also a fitting major for pre-law and pre-med students.

To complete a major in mathematics, students take 10 required courses that provide a thorough foundation in several central areas of mathematics, a computer science course that emphasizes the design of algorithms, and a minimum of three advanced courses chosen to give special depth in at least one area.

More details concerning the mathematics major, including sample programs of study and information on advisement for majors, student awards, computing facilities, library holdings, and the Mathematics Club, can be found in the department website.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Discuss and utilize mathematics as an intellectual discipline, including its problems, algorithms, and applications.
• Carry out the creative and explorative processes of mathematics, including conjecture, generalization, and the construction of mathematically rigorous proofs.
• Use mathematics to model and analyze real world problems, and utilize technology as appropriate to help solve mathematical problems and judge the reasonableness of results.
• Communicate mathematics effectively.
• Actively engage with mathematics beyond the classroom.

The Biology major is designed for students with an interest in aspects of the life sciences, to provide excellent preparation for postgraduate education and careers in biomedicine, health and secondary education, as well as other fields that require an understanding and practice of scientific reasoning and methods.

Students build a scientific foundation for understanding how biological systems function through courses taken during the freshman and sophomore years. In the junior and senior years, students may concentrate in areas such as: pre-professional health, biotechnology, secondary education, or an individualized program. Research opportunities with departmental faculty as well as internships and cooperative programs with public and private organizations afford students the opportunity to apply their skills outside the classroom. Due to the complex biological issues that face modern society, the department also encourages non-majors to take selected courses in the biological sciences.

The Department of Women and Gender Studies works to make the diversity of women’s and gendered perspectives visible and to promote student success within an academic, professional, and personal context. The major curriculum seeks to provide students with the occasion to investigate the intersections of sex, gender, race, ethnicity, class, age, sexuality, and ability as dimensions of social identity, and as considered at local, national, and transnational levels.

This interdisciplinary major offers students a well-rounded undergraduate education leading to expertise in a wide variety of skills that prepare students for career and graduate school success. Students have an opportunity to understand themselves and their society within an inclusive view of the human experience.

Recent Women and Gender Studies graduates have gone on to highly competitive masters and doctorate programs in law, sociology, gender studies, history, social work, communications, public health, and English at nationally recognized research universities. Graduates stepping into the workforce have assumed careers as crisis counselors, government officials, librarians, human rights activists, and Peace Corps/AmeriCorps volunteers.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Describe why centering anti-racist and decolonizing work is essential to effective social justice work and feminist thinking.
• Explain how patriarchy and other sex/gender systems of power intersect with other systems of power.
• Theorize ways in which bodies and social identities are culturally and historically constructed and shaped.
• Identify and critically evaluate research and scholarly arguments within the field of Women and Gender Studies.
• Identify and analyze language, media representation, and dominant forms of communication to produce an original argument about how power and privilege operate in society.
• Apply collaborative strategies and knowledge of Women and Gender to imagine and create transformative feminist futures.

The undergraduate Interdisciplinary Arts for Children major is committed to teaching, scholarship, creative expression, and service related to the education of children in and through the arts. This interdisciplinary major is unique to the SUNY system and the nation. It fulfills a major need in providing substantive arts-in-education training to prospective classroom teachers and others interested in the arts. Research shows that arts integration has perhaps the greatest potential to positively affect learning across academic disciplines. An interdisciplinary approach to learning helps students leverage new understandings that could not be obtained through singular discipline studies alone. 

This major is designed to prepare students for initial certification (single certification) as a Spanish teacher for grades 7-12 with extension to teach in grades 5 and 6. As with all other undergraduate degrees, students in this major must also complete the General Education program requirements. Students who plan their schedules carefully and take courses that count for general education as well as the major or teacher certification requirements may be able to also pursue a minor or participate in a study abroad program in a Spanish-speaking country. Students may have the opportunity to student teach in Alaska or abroad.

What You’ll Learn

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Narrate and describe using a variety of time frames, extended discourse, and specialized vocabulary.
• Deliver oral presentations on a wide variety of topics, using a variety of strategies to tailor the presentation to the needs of their audience.
• Narrate and describe in all major time frames with good control of aspect and a range of general vocabulary in writing for personal and professional needs.
• Identify the main facts and many supporting details in conventional narrative and descriptive oral texts.
• Identify some of the essential points of argumentative texts in areas of special interest or knowledge.
• Explain key perspectives of some Spanish-speaking cultures within a comparative framework and connect them to cultural products and practices.
• Interpret and synthesize ideas and critical issues from a wide range of historical and contemporary cultural artifacts

The MA in English, Creative Writing and Literature tracks, introduces graduate students to advanced study in the art of language. Courses provide an opportunity for deep and sustained analysis of a variety of literary texts, emphasizing advanced critical and theoretical approaches. The program encourages students to work closely with faculty mentors and culminates in a substantial (and potentially publishable) independent project focusing on an area of the student’s interest and emerging expertise. Graduate students additionally have the opportunity to meet with nationally and internationally recognized authors through Brockport's visiting writers series, The Writers Forum.

For accepted students exhibiting superior promise, the department has a limited number of assistantships available that provide a stipend and a tuition scholarship for up to nine graduate credits per semester. They are awarded on a competitive basis with an April 15 application deadline. Further information on assistantships may be obtained from The Center for Graduate Studies.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, all students will be able to:

• Construct an advanced scholarly argument about a subject situated within at least one period of English Literature
• Construct an advanced scholarly argument about a subject situated within at least one period of American literature
• Construct an advanced scholarly argument about a subject situated within at least one area of World literature

Literature Track students will be able to:

• Participate in the literary-critical conversation
• Practice standards and techniques of advanced academic research and writing
• Discuss and respond appropriately to questions about their advanced project argument.

Creative Writing Track students will be able to:

• Employ professional standards in constructive critical commentary on peer writing and in revising their own work in required workshop courses
• Practice forms and techniques in the genres of poetry and prose.
• Articulate the place of their own work in contemporary literary practices