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1. Overview 
2. Objectives
3. MAPS Admission Requirements
4. MAPS Tuition (2009-1- Acadmeic Year)
5. Application Process
6. Degree Completion Requirements
7. Transfer of Graduate Credits
8. MAPS Course Descriptions
9. MAPS Programs Faculty

OVERVIEW

The Master of Arts in Philosophical Studies (MAPS) is an opportunity for advanced study of philosophy. It places emphasis on both the history and major topical areas of philosophical inquiry, with attention to how these inform and are informed by the Catholic intellectual tradition.

The MAPS program is designed to be compatible with the philosophical education included in the pre-theology program of the Mount’s seminary, but the program is not intended only for seminary students. Any student who meets the eligibility requirements may enroll.

The Mount’s philosophy faculty are committed to developing students’ appreciation of the Catholic intellectual tradition, and they share a common vision of the compatibility of faith and reason and the integrity of philosophy as a truth-seeking discipline distinct from theology.

The Master of Arts in Philosophical Studies degree requires evidence of competence in logic and one foreign language, and successful completion of 32 credit hours comprising 30 credit hours in course work and one credit each for a comprehensive exam and a qualifying paper.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

Students who complete the MAPS program should:

• Have a substantial grasp of the history and major areas of philosophical inquiry
• Understand the relationship of philosophy to theology and appreciate the role of philosophy in the Catholic intellectual tradition
• Be competent in a major philosophical language other than English
• Be competent in philosophical logic
• Be able to interpret, analyze, criticize, and synthesize advanced philosophical texts
• Display skill in philosophical research and sustained written and oral argument

MAPS ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Candidates for admission into the MAPS program must satisfy the following criteria:

1. Possess a Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent from an accredited college.
2. Give evidence of academic ability. This requirement is normally but not necessarily met by anundergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Seminary students, in addition to the above criteria, must have the permission of the seminary academic dean, who will confirm the approval of the student’s formation advisor and the permission of his diocese.

MAPS Tuition (2009-10 Academic Year)

MAP $377 per credit

Application Process

Application forms are available from the Philosophy Department. Completed forms should be submitted to the MAPS program director. An application may be submitted at any time.

DEGREE COMPLETION REQUIREMENTS

Students are responsible for ensuring that all of the following graduation requirements have been
satisfied:

• Completion of all undergraduate prerequisites and a minimum of 32 (30 + 2) graduate hours
comprising required core courses, electives and independent research
• A cumulative GPA of at least 3.00
• Completion of course work within the five-year time limit

Requests for time extensions must be submitted in writing and may be granted at the sole discretion
of the program director.

Logic Proficiency

This requirement is ordinarily met with a grade of C or higher in PHIL101 (Logic) or its equivalent.
Alternatively, students may take and pass the Philosophy Department’s logic proficiency exam,
administered in the spring semester according to the schedule posted in the department.

Language Requirement

Candidates must demonstrate a reading proficiency in Latin, Greek, or one modern language in
which there is a substantial body of philosophical literature. This requirement is met either by course work or by examination. Ordinarily the language requirement must be completed by the end of the second year of course work.

Course Work

Candidates complete 30 credit-hours of course work, not including the credits for the oral examination and qualifying paper. It is expected that courses will be distributed across historical periods and themes. Typically the curriculum will include:

MAP 501 Ethics/Moral Philosophy (3 credits)
MAP 505 Natural Theology (3 credits)*
MAP 506 Philosophical Anthropology (3 credits)*
MAP 511 Ancient Philosophy (3 credits)
MAP 512 Medieval Philosophy (3 credits)
MAP 513 Modern Philosophy (3 credits)
MAP 514 Contemporary Philosophy (3 credits)
MAP 518 Epistemology/Philosophy of Knowledge (3 credits)
MAP 521 Metaphysics (3 credits)
MAP XXX Elective (3 credits)

Students who already have significant background in one or more of these areas may, in consultation with the MAPS director, substitute an appropriate alternative elective course. *Non-seminary students may substitute other philosophy electives for MAP 505 and MAP 506.

Oral Examination

Soon before or after completing the course work, MAPS candidates will, in consultation with a faculty advisor, develop five philosophical theses in various historical and topical areas. The examination consists of a defense of some or all of the theses before a committee of three faculty members. (One credit)

Qualifying Paper

This is a research paper of 20–30 pages. The topic will be developed in consultation with a faculty advisor and evaluated by a committee of three faculty members. Ordinarily, MAPS candidates will complete the proposal for the qualifying paper by the end of the spring semester of the second year of course work, and will submit the qualifying paper by the end of the first year after completing required course work. However, the qualifying paper may be submitted up to two years after completion of the oral examination. (One credit)

TRANSFER of Graduate CREDITS

No more than 6 course credits may be accepted in transfer toward this degree. The MAPS program director will only consider for transfer those credits taken at a graduate level, or taken in excess of B.A. degree requirements. The director’s decision is final, and transfer credits will be noted on the transcript by the university registrar’s office.

• Transfer courses should be compatible with the graduate program curriculum.
• Students must have earned a grade of at least B in each course being considered for transfer credit.
• Non-academic courses (seminars, workshops, symposiums, etc.) are not acceptable as graduate transfer credit.
• Grades earned in transferred courses are not calculated in the student’s grade point average.

How to Request Transfer Credit

• Request an application for transfer credit from the appropriate graduate program office. A form is available online at http://www.msmary.edu/inside/student-services/registrar/graduate/gradregistrationform

• Request official transcripts from the institution(s) from which you earned the credits.
• Submit an official catalog course description and/or syllabus for course(s) you wish to be considered.

MAPS Course Descriptions

MAP 500 Topics in Philosophy (3)

An investigation of several approaches to a major issue in philosophy. This course can be taken for credit more than once as long as the topic studied varies. (As needed)

MAP 501 Moral Philosophy (3)

An inquiry into the nature of the moral good, the structures of moral agency and the proper criteria for making choices that bear on human beings and their wellbeing. Seniors only. (Fall and Spring)

MAP 505 Natural Theology (3)

This course examines the truths about God that can be known through reason. It focuses principally on the natural theology of St. Thomas Aquinas and concludes with a discussion of contemporary approaches to natural theology.

MAP 606 Philosophical Anthropology (3)

This course introduces students to the philosophy of the human person, tracing the development of philosophical anthropology through the writings of major philosophers, and culminating in the personalism of Pope John Paul II.

MAP 508 American Philosophy (3)

An exploration of specifically American perspectives on philosophical problems through the works of thinkers such as James, Dewey, Peirce and Santayana. (As needed)

MAP 510 Great Figures (3)

An investigation of the thought of a selected major figure (e.g., Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, Augustine, Aquinas, Descartes, Locke, Leibniz, Hume, Kant, Husserl, Heidegger, Wittgenstein, Rawls) in the history of philosophy. This course can be taken for credit more than once as long as the figure studied varies. (Cross-listed as PHIL 410)

MAP 511 Ancient Philosophy (3)

An investigation of the development of Western philosophy from the Pre- Socratic period through Plato and Aristotle to Neo-Platonism. (Fall) f Arts in

MAP 512 Medieval Philosophy (3)

An investigation of the development of Western philosophy from the early Middle Ages to the Renaissance. (Spring)

MAP 513 Modern Philosophy (3)

An investigation of the development of Western philosophy in the 17th and 18th centuries. (Fall)

MAP 514 Contemporary Philosophy (3)

An investigation of the development of contemporary philosophy through selected topics and readings. (Spring)

MAP 515 Nineteenth-Century Philosophy (3)

An investigation of selected topics and readings in 19th-century philosophy. (As needed)

MAP 518 Philosophy of Knowledge (3)

An investigation of the nature of knowledge and its properties, namely truth, certitude and probability. Readings representative of different historical periods will be studied. (Spring)

MAP 521 Metaphysics (3)

An investigation of the nature of beings; topics examined include the one and the many, being and nonbeing, the nature of substance, monism versus dualism and causality. Readings representative of different historical periods will be studied. (Fall)

MAP 522 Philosophy of Religion (3)

An investigation of the nature of religious experience and the relation between faith and reason. (As needed)

MAP 523 Political Philosophy (3)

An investigation of the nature of political society through an examination of the concepts of political authority, civil obligation, state neutrality, equality and just distribution. (Spring, even years)

MAP 526 Philosophy of Law (3)

An investigation of theories of the sources and nature of law, and of central legal concepts such as rights, obligation, punishment and unjust laws. (Spring, odd years)

MAP 529 Existentialism (3)

An exploration of major issues considered by 19th- and 20th-century existentialists, such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Camus, Sartre and Marcel. (As needed)

MAP 533 Environmental Philosophy (3)

An exploration of philosophical problems concerning our human obligations to nature and its inhabitants. (Spring, even years)

MAP 535 Islamic Philosophy (3)

An examination of the writings of prominent Islamic philosophers from the classical period and the issues and questions raised in these texts, such as those concerned with the created world, the nature of God, the existence of the soul and human freedom. (As needed)

An investigation of the philosophical issues arising from the attempt to understand other cultures, especially the possibility of intercultural dialogue, and an exploration of these issues as manifested in current exchanges between Western and non-Western cultures. (This course satisfies the core requirement in non-Western studies.) (Fall, even years)

MAP 545 Alienation and Social Transformation (3)

An investigation of the contributions and limitations of Marxism in giving voice to the aspirations of African cultures emerging from colonialism. (This course satisfies the core requirement in non-Western studies.) (As needed)

MAP 575 Mysticism East and West (3)

An investigation of major figures or schools in Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic and Christian mysticism, with reference to the Greek philosophical mysticism of Neo- Platonism, and of the philosophical questions concerning the nature of mystical experiences. (Fall, odd years)

MAP 598 Oral Exam (1)

The examination is designed to measure both the candidate’s mastery of a body of philosophical knowledge and the ability to synthesize concepts and arguments. Typically candidates register for the one-credit exam in the last semester of coursework having previously developed the theses.

MAP 599 Qualifying Research Paper (1)

The qualifying paper is an opportunity to demonstrate research of and sustained argument about a specific philosophical topic. It is more substantial than a typical term paper, and should show some engagement with relevant primary sources and secondary scholarship. It may, but need not, involve revising and extending a paper originally developed for a class assignment.

MAPS Program Faculty

Christopher Anadale
B.A., Salisbury University;
M.A., Emory University;
Ph.D. Emory University

Richard Buck, Chair
B.A. Loyola University of Chicago;
M.A., Ph.D. University of Kansas

William Collinge
B.A. Georgetown University;
M.Phil., Ph.D. Yale University

Gertrude Conway
B.A. College of New Rochelle;
M.A., Ph.D. Fordham University

Joshua P. Hochschild
B.A. Yale University;
M.A., Ph.D. University of Notre Dame

Paige E. Hochschild
B.A., University of King’s College;
M.A., Dahousie University;
Ph.D. (Theology), University of Durham

Jessy Jordan
B.A. Grand Canyon University;
M.Div. Truett Seminary;
M.A., Ph.D. Baylor University

Michael Miller
B.A. University of Notre Dame;
M.A., Ph.D. Boston College

Thane Naberhaus
B.A. Rice University;
M.A. University of Memphis;
Ph.D. Georgetown University

John Schwenkler