The philosophy major offers a balanced set of courses that introduce and hone skills of critical thinking and argumentation. It gives students a solid background in the history of philosophical systems and ideas, exposing them to a variety of philosophical issues in ethical theory, applied ethics, social and political philosophy, aesthetics, philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, philosophy of religion and Asian philosophy. As a capstone experience, a student may choose to complete a senior thesis project that involves?researching particular philosophical topics. The major can be either a stand-alone major or a second major that complements work done in another field.