Web Site of the Department 
 

Acting Head of Department : Berna Kılınç

Associate Department Head: Nurbay Irmak

Professors :  Berna Kılınç, Nurbay Irmak, Chrysi Sidiropoulou

Associate Professors : 

Assistant Professors : Sun Demirli, Kenan Tekin, Aliye Karanfil Soyhun*, Başak Aray, Yasin Ramazan Başaran

Instructors: Kerim Can Kıraç*, Zübeyde Karadağ Thorpe*, Abdülkadir Filiz*, Vasfi Onur Özen*, Haydar Oğuz Erdin*

Assistants :Ahmet Gül, Beşir Özgür Nayır, Fatma Kaya

*Part-time

•Adjunct
 

The Bachelor of Arts program gives rigorous instruction in the principal areas of philosophy. The department's target for undergraduate training is a well-balanced liberal arts education, and in consonance with such a target the program contains a high proportion of compulsory and unrestricted electives from related fields. Service courses are offered to students majoring in other disciplines, and double-major programs are conducted jointly with the departments of Economics, History, Mathematics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology and Western Languages and Literature.

Established

1982

ISCED Code

223

Educational goals and objectives

Developing critical and analytic thinking skills, as well as an awareness of individual and social virtues.

Admission and special requirements

Admissions are regulated by ÖSYM, the Student Selection and Placement Center.  International students may be admitted on condition that the department has a quota for that year.  Information on applications is updated each year at https://adaylar.boun.edu.tr/en-EN/Page/Admissions/StudentsFromAbroad/All

Acknowledgement of previous learning

Students can transfer some of their courses taken during a previous higher education if they are admitted in accordance with the rules of intrainstutional or interinstitutional principles as outlined in Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Lisans Programlarına Yatay Geçiş Yönetmeliği. https://www.boun.edu.tr/tr_TR/Content/Ogrenciler/Ogrenci_Isleri/Yonetmelik_ve_Ic_Tuzukler/Yatay_Gecis_Yonetmeligi.  Courses taken during a previous learning degree cannot be transferred if the student has completed that degree.  

Graduation requirements

The graduation requirements for undergraduate programs are specified in Article 31 of the Boğaziçi University Rules and Regulations Governing Undergraduate Studies.  Please check: https://www.boun.edu.tr/tr_TR/Content/Ogrenciler/Ogrenci_Isleri/Yonetmelik_ve_Ic_Tuzukler/BU_Lisans_Egitim_ve_Ogretim_Yonetmeligi

Program learning outcomes

1. Grasp of some portion of classical and contemporary philosophical literature.
2. Critical thinking skills in all walks of life. 
3. Analytic thinking skills.
4. Advanced writing and communication skills in Turkish and English.
5. Ability to deal with perspectival differences.
6. Respect for other living beings and the environment.
7. Grasp of basic ethical theories and their application to personal and social issues.
8. Awareness of major political problems of our times and their root causes.
9. Examination of the constitution of a good life.

TYYÇ Ulusal Yeterlikler

TYYÇ Alan Yeterlikleri

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM
 

Total: 132 Credits/ 249/253 ECTS..

* Any Psychology, Sociology, Political Science and International Relations or Economics course can be taken as a social science elective.
** Literature Electives are taken from the Department of Western Languages and Literatures, only from the courses with the codes AL, CL, DRA, EL, and LIT.
*** Science Elective Courses are taken from Physics, Chemistry, Molecular Biology and Genetics Departments or from the Institute of Environmental Sciences.
Department electives should be taken from the Philosophy Department course offerings.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

PHIL 101 Introduction to Philosophy (3+1+0) 3 ECTS 8
(Felsefeye Giriş)
Survey of the main concepts, problems and approaches in philosophy. An introduction to the techniques of philosophical analysis.

PHIL 105 Informal Logic (4+1+0) 4 ECTS 8
(İnformel Mantık)
Topics of informal logic: Logical consequence, argument patterns, general criteria for good argument, fallacies, and philosophical analysis of argumentative texts.

PHIL 106 Philosophical Texts (3+1+0) 3 ECTS 8
(Felsefe Metinleri)
Selections from philosophical literature. The method and practice of analyzing philosophical texts.

PHIL 111 Introduction to Ancient and Medieval Philosophy (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Eski ve Ortaçağ Felsefesine Giriş) 
The evolution of philosophy from its beginning in ancient Greece till the end of the medieval period.

PHIL 112 Introduction to Modern Philosophy (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Modern Felsefe Tarihi)
The evolution of modern philosophy from Descartes up to the present.

PHIL 131 Logic I (4+1+0) 4 ECTS 8
(Mantık I)
Propositional logic and first-order monadic quantifier calculus.

PHIL 132 Logic II (4+1+0) 4 ECTS 8
(Mantık II)
First-order quantifier calculus with identity and topics in metalogic.

PHIL 142 Elementary Set Theory (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Kümeler Kuramına Giriş)
Algebra of sets, algebra of relations, order relations, equivalence relations, mathematical induction, power sets, cardinality; mathematical structures such as Boolean algebras, groups, homomorphisms and isomorphism of structures, Zermelo-Fraenkel axioms for sets.

PHIL 213 History of Philosophy I (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Felsefe Tarihi I)
A survey of Western philosophy from the pre-Socratic philosophers to Aristotle.

PHIL 214 History of Philosophy II (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Felsefe Tarihi II)
Study of the relationship of Jewish, Christian and Islamic philosophy to Greek philosophy and scholastic thought systems. Study of writings by Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Scotus, Ockham and Hellenistic, Roman, Arabic and other medieval philosophers.

PHIL 222 Philosophy of Science (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Bilim Felsefesi)
Examination of the goals of science. Scientific explanation, theory construction, the use of models, confirmation of hypotheses, and the status of theoretical entities all discussed within the context of examples from the history of science. Consideration of philosophical questions arising in scientific inquiry. The importance of method in scientific inquiry.

PHIL 232 Scientific Reasoning (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Bilimsel Düşünce)
Survey of the basic inference patterns in scientific reasoning. Emphasis on hypothetical-deductive and statistical methods. Basic skills in evaluating scientific arguments by examining numerous concrete examples. Divergence of opinions on methodological issues.

PHIL 241 Applied Ethics (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Uygulamalı Etik)
Philosophical analysis of contemporary moral issues, such as abortion, euthanasia, affirmative action, the ethics of charity, animal rights, moral justification of war.

PHIL 251 Special Topics in Logic (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Mantıkta Özel Konular)
Selected topics on modal logic and Kripke semantics, tense logic, tensed modalities, epistemic logic, free logic, logic of existence, intuitionistic logic, Lesniewsky's mereology, philosophical grammar and formal semantics.

PHIL 273 Epistemology (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Bilgi Felsefesi)
An examination of philosophical problems encountered in the analysis of the concept of knowledge with respect to the origins, limits and validity of human knowledge.

PHIL 284 Free Will and Determinism (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Özgür İrade ve Belirlenimcilik)
The analysis of the concepts of action and intention. Philosophical problems arising in the context of determinism versus free will.

PHIL 301 Problems of Contemporary Philosophy (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Çağdaş Felsefe Sorunları)
Short selections from the writings of contemporary philosophers. Among topics likely to be covered are: the nature and range of human knowledge, determinism and free will, personal identity, truth, reference and meaning. Existentialism, and the relation between mind and body.

PHIL 302 Continental Philosophy (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Kıta Avrupası Felsefesi)
The purpose of this course is to survey neo-Kantianism, phenomenology, structuralism, existentialism, the Frankfurt school, and deconstructionalism in the 19th and 20th centuries.

PHIL 313 History of Philosophy III (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Felsefe Tarihi III)
A survey of western philosophy from Descartes to Kant. Study of writings by Descartes, Locke, Leibniz, Hume, Kant, Hobbes, Berkeley, Spinoza and Rousseau.

PHIL 314 History of Philosophy IV (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Felsefe Tarihi IV)
A survey of western philosophy from Kant onward. Study of writings by philosophers such as Hegel, Mill, Nietzsche, and Heidegger.

PHIL 320 Philosophy of Religion (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Din Felsefesi)
Introduction to the philosophical study of religion covering issues such as the existence of a Divine Creator, the nature and explanation of evil, the relation between religious belief and knowledge, and religious ethics.

PHIL 324 Poststructuralist Thought (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Yapısalcılık Sonrası Düşünce)
Study of the works of one or more of the poststructuralist thinkers, such as Deleuze, Derrida, Foucault, Guattari and Lyotard, directed towards an assessment of their positions on such issues as being, experience, knowledge, science, power and ethics.

PHIL 331 Advanced Logic I (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(İleri Mantik I)
ZF axioms for set theory, axiom of choice, well ordering, ordinal numbers, cardinal numbers, GCH, ultraproducts. Deduction theorem, completeness theorem, compactness theorem, non-standard models of arithmetic, elementary structures, chains.

PHIL 332 Advanced Logic II (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(İleri Mantık II)
Formal number theory, primitive recursive and recursive functions, arithmetization, MRDP theorem, Godel incompleteness theorems, recursive undecidability, Church's theorem, Turing machines, partial recursive functions, unsolvable problems, Kleene-Mostowski hierarchy, effective computability, decision problems.

PHIL 339 Philosophy of Logic (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Mantık Felsefesi)
Philosophical questions concerning first-order and second-order predicate logic, propositional logic and modal logic. Ontological presuppositions of different logical systems, justification of primitive inference rules and informativeness of logical propositions.

PHIL 341 Ethics (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Etik)
The examination of major ethical systems. Teleological and deontological theories, existentialism, etc.

PHIL 342 The Problem of Perception (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Algı Sorunu)
The study of different philosophical views concerning the source of our knowledge of the external world.

PHIL 346 Phenomenological Problems (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Görüngübilim Sorunları)
Phenomenology as founded by Husserl and elaborated by thinkers like Heidegger, Fink, Schutz, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, and Levinas. The phenomenological discovery of new philosophical problems.

PHIL 351 Philosophy of History (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Tarih Felsefesi)
An exposition of various philosophical approaches to history. The issues of explanation, objectivity, interpretation, and determinism. Philosophical analysis of the methodology of history.

PHIL 354 Social and Political Philosophy (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
Toplum ve Siyaset Felsefesi)
A systematic study of fundamental explanations and concepts concerning human society and political institutions; distributive justice, equality, sovereignty, law, liberty and political obligations.

PHIL 357 Philosophy of Social Sciences (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Toplum Bilimleri Felsefesi)
A survey of ontological, epistemological and methodological problems raised in the sciences of human behavior and society. Comparison between positivist and non-positivist approaches to society.

PHIL 361 Natural Philosophy (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Doğa Felsefesi)
Examination of various conceptions of nature, through an investigation of Aristotelian natures, Cartesian mechanical philosophy, and Hume's argument against miracles and natural theology.

PHIL 371 Philosophical Logic (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Felsefi Mantık)
The study and analysis of concepts fundamental to philosophy. Concepts of meaning, truth, identity, logical form, propositional attitudes, opacity of reference and predication.

PHIL 372 Philosophy of Language (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Dil Felsefesi)
An examination of the nature and structure of language and of philosophical problems arising in connection with it. Topics covered will include meaning, reference, speech acts and relevant issues of contemporary descriptive linguistics.

PHIL 375 Philosophy of Mind (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Zihin Felsefesi)
Investigation of some of the following topics: the mind-body problems, personal identity, the unity of consciousness, the unconscious, the problem of other minds, action, intention, and will.

PHIL 380 Philosophy of Action (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Edim Felsefesi)
The purpose of this course is to survey modern and contemporary discussions concerning the nature of human action. Some specific issues treated will include the analysis of action, the volitional theory, the identification of actions and events, intentional and contextual theories, and the explanation of action.

PHIL 382 Ontology (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 7
(Varlık Felsefesi)
The concept of object, event and existence. The condition and ultimate units of existence. Identity, spatiotemporal continuity and change. Space and time. The problem of universals. Essentialism.

PHIL 390 Philosophical Schools (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Felsefe Ekolleri)
This course is intended to allow an in-depth examination of either a circle of philosophers who together constitute a school, or of a great philosopher whose doctrines have influenced and led a group of minor thinkers.

PHIL 400 Current Issues in Philosophy (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Güncel Felsefe Konuları)
This course will involve a thorough discussion of a variety of current problems to be selected among philosophical issues such as the theory of identity, essentialism, subject-predicate distinction, prescriptivism, causality, etc.

PHIL 401 The Soul (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 7
(İnsan Ruhu)
Philosophical examination of conceptions of the soul and its capacities, and their criticisms in a wide range of traditions.

PHIL 402 The Self (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 7
(Ben)
Philosophical examination of the self or ego or I as both subject and object in philosophy. Study of such questions as self-reference and indexicality, self-knowledge, the nature of the self, sympathy and identification with others in art and culture, isolation and social alienation from others, plasticity and historical constitution of the self, and the varieties of transcendence of the ego in ethics. Consideration of the question 'Who am I?'

PHIL 406 Advanced Study of Philosophical Texts (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(İleri Düzeyde Felsefe Metinleri)
In-depth study of selected texts from a thematic or historical perspective in their original language.

PHIL 412 Advanced History of Philosophy (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(İleri Felsefe Tarihi)
A detailed study of classical philosophical systems or major philosophical authorities. Topics such as Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Hegel, etc., will be chosen for study by arrangement.

PHIL 414 History of Analytic Philosophy (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Analitik Felsefe Tarihi)
Analytic methods developed by Frege, Russell, Moore, and Wittgenstein. The rise and fall of logical positivism and ordinary language philosophy. The impact of Quine, sense and reference, the picture theory of language, the verifiability theory of meaning, the private language argument, speech acts, Gricean strictures, ontological relativity, radical translation, the Davidson-Dummett controversy about meaning, and the issue of whether the analytical tradition has come to an end.

PHIL 417 History of Islamic Thought (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(İslam Düşüncesi Tarihi)
Conceptual frameworks of Islamic philosophy. The relations between Aristotelian, neo-Platonic and Islamic philosophy with respect to ontological and epistemological questions. The influences of Islamic and Western thought on Turkish intellectual history.

PHIL 420 Advanced Philosophy of Science (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(İleri Bilim Felsefesi)
Critical analysis of the views in contemporary philosophy of science.

PHIL 421 Theories of Rationality (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Akılcılık Kuramları)
An introduction to theories of rationality, including those that are implicit in rational choice theory, decision-making under uncertainty, and game theory. Emphasizing the relation between normative and descriptive theories of rational behavior.

PHIL 422 Mind and Cognition (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Zihin ve Biliş)
A study of philosophical and meta-theoretical issues arising in the cognitive sciences. Readings from an interdisciplinary array covering philosophy of psychology, cognitive psychology, and artificial intelligence.

PHIL 431 Inductive Logic (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Tümevarımsal Mantık)
Problems of statistical inference. Varieties of inductive inference, elementary probability theory and statistics. Emphasizing on different philosophical positions on statistical inference.

PHIL 435 Philosophical Issues in Feminism (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Feminizmde Felsefi Konular)
A selection of philosophical issues that arise within feminist thinking, such as the nature of sexual equality, patriarchy, sexual harassment, oppression, and exploitation and the use of such concepts in feminist analysis of women's social position.

PHIL 438 Philosophy of Time (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Zaman Felsefesi)
Study of different philosophical problems connected with time, including the relation of time and change, the flow of time, Mc Taggart's paradox, the reality of past and present, the token-reflexive account of tense, the direction of time, the openness of the future, the topology of time, space-time and relativity, the experience of time and duration.

PHIL 442 Issues in Ethics (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Etik Sorunlari)
An in-depth analysis of the ethical views of prominent philosophers on a major issue in ethics.

PHIL 443 Philosophies of Enlightenment (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Aydınlanma Felsefeleri)
Historical and contemporary accounts of Enlightenment values and visions. Interpretations of reason and its significance; its alleged role in the promotion of justice and in human emancipation.

PHIL 444 Philosophy and Literature (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Felsefe ve Edebiyat)
Philosophical examination of literature with special emphasis on the logic of narrative, theories and strategies of interpretation, representation and truth in fiction, concept and function of unconscious, genesis and development of moral space and the notion of the self in the history of literature, and a comparison of poetic language to the language of philosophy.

PHIL 445 Philosophical Paradoxes (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Felsefi Paradokslar)
Examination of philosophical paradoxes. Issues of self-reference. The source, resolution, and philosophical significance of paradoxes.

PHIL 451 Human Rights and Philosophy of Law (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(İnsan Hakları ve Hukuk Felsefesi)
Examination of the sources, stages of development and significance of basic human rights and liberties. Discussion of fundamental principles underlying systems of law. Views of philosophers from Plato onwards.

PHIL 453 Freedom (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Özgürlük)
Contemporary debates about freedom in social and political philosophy, such as the negative and positive conceptions of freedom, the illusion of freedom, internal constraints on freedom, freedom of choice, free agency, social and political conditions of freedom.

PHIL 454 Advanced Political Philosophy (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(İleri Siyaset Felsefesi)
Critical analysis of debates within contemporary political philosophy or in-depth study of major texts by a historical figure.

PHIL 461 Aesthetics (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Estetik)
Overview of aesthetics: Nature of art, truth and representation, moral and political aspects of art and criticism.

PHIL 464 Translation of Philosophical Texts into Turkish (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Felsefe Metinlerinin Türkçe'ye Çevirileri)
Theory and practice of translating various kinds of philosophical texts from English into Turkish. General principles of translation. Work on specific difficulties in translating philosophy into Turkish.

PHIL 465 Advanced Study of Philosophical Texts (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(İleri Düzeyde Felsefe Metinleri İncelemesi)
In-depth study of selected texts from a thematic or historical perspective in their original language.

PHIL 470 Philosophy of Mathematics (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Matematik Felsefesi)
Foundations of mathematics and philosophical problems in the interpretation of the nature of mathematics.

PHIL 473 Philosophy as a Way of Life (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 7
(Bir Yaşam Biçimi Olarak Felsefe)
Historical and philosophical examination of the attempt to live on the basis of philosophical understanding, as it occurs in the work of such people as Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, the Epicureans, Plotinus, Augustine, Spinoza, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Marx, Nietzsche, existentialists, and eastern philosophers.

PHIL 479 Metaphilosophy: The Nature of Philosophy (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Meta-Felsefe: Felsefenin Doğası)
An examination of philosophy as a cultural phenomenon and an expression of the human mind. Examination and evaluation of alternative forms of philosophy as ways of seeking wisdom or understanding. Consideration of the questions whether progress in philosophy is possible and whether philosophy yields knowledge.

PHIL 499 Independent Study (3+0+0) 3 ECTS 6
(Bireysel Çalışma)
This course is intended to give students the opportunity to do intensive research on a special topic in which they are interested and produce a thesis length paper on the basis of their research and study. The work is to be carried out as an independent study under the direction of a faculty member. Available mostly to seniors and subject to the consent of the instructor.

PHIL 480-498 and PHIL 48A-49Z PHIL Selected Topics in Philosophy
(Felsefede Özel Konular) (3+0+0) 3 ECST 6
Study of selected topics in philosophy not covered in other courses at an undergraduate level.