Bachelor of Philosophy (Leuven)

The aim of the programme is that students obtain systematic and historical insight into the posing of questions, the formulation of answers, and their evolution within the foremost domains of philosophy. They learn the history of philosophy, and they teach themselves to handle the domain's research instruments for written and verbal expression.

At the end of the Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy programme, the student should:

1. History of philosophy:
- Have a broad knowledge of the historical development of philosophy from antiquity through the middle ages and the modern period to the present day
- Be able to see how both philosophical questions and solutions are historically influenced by cultural, social and intellectual factors and developments
- Be able to see how the history of philosophy is present in contemporary systematic philosophy and to use the history of philosophy to challenge common philosophical assumptions

2. Systematic philosophy:
- Have an insight into the major questions posed in the following constituent domains of philosophy: logic, ethics, social and political philosophy, metaphysics, philosophical anthropology, theory of knowledge, philosophy of science
- Have an insight into the interrelations between these various fields of philosophy
- Have familiarity with at least one other important sub-domain of philosophy such as: aesthetics, applied ethics (ethics of care, biomedical ethics, media ethics, philosophy of law, environmental philosophy, philosophy of technology, etc.), and other philosophical traditions (Arabic, Jewish, Russian, and Chinese philosophy)
- Have an insight into what is unique about philosophy and into philosophy's relation to other approaches to reality such as science or religion

3. Philosophical terminology:
- Know and be able to correctly employ fundamental philosophical concepts and terminology

4. Non-philosophical disciplines:
- Have familiarity with the contents and methods of at least one other academic discipline and be able to relate this to philosophical questions

5. Philosophical traditions, methods and approaches:
- Be aware of the plurality of traditions, methods, and approaches in philosophy and that this plurality has been at the heart of the philosophical endeavour from its beginnings
- Be able to differentiate between these various traditions, methods, and approaches

6. Philosophy and society:
- Have familiarity with and an insight into the relationship between philosophical questions on the one hand and general societal and cultural phenomena and scientific developments on the other

7. Philosophical skills:
- Be able to read closely and critically a broad range of primary sources and secondary literature from various historical and systematic domains of philosophy (in so far as possible in their original languages) and to correctly analyse and accurately summarize these texts
- Possess such skills as abstract thinking, the ability to build up arguments and to reason logically
- Be able to reflect critically on philosophical theories and positions and to begin to develop a personal critical stance towards them
- Be able to use philosophical skills in analysing contemporary societal debates; including identifying philosophical issues in those debates and evaluating the standpoints taken

8. Research skills:
- Be able, under supervision, to formulate a philosophical question and to conduct research that will result in a paper of limited scope or in an oral presentation
- Be able to locate and critically use secondary literature relevant to a topic and to make use of the basic philosophical research tools and electronic and printed resources
- Be able to make a proper bibliography and use a proper system of referencing
- Be able to properly distinguish between the student's own words and ideas and the words and ideas of others

9. Communication skills:
- Be able to discuss a philosophical issue in a proper academic style with student peers, including in an oral presentation
- Be able to communicate philosophical ideas in a written form to student peers