Bachelor of Arts and Science - Philosophy & Computer Science (Optional Co-op)

For the Bachelor of Arts and Science, students must complete two majors: an Arts major, and a Science major.

Philosophy

Philosophy investigates fundamental questions about the nature of things; about the universe as a whole, about human beings, society, science, ethics and art.

Philosophy students will learn about the basic intellectual foundation for political, social and legal systems, as well as an understanding of the principles of modern science and technology. Students will explore deep theoretical, practical and moral issues that do not easily fit into more specialized disciplines.

Philosophy will challenge students with its reflective and critical approach to important, often puzzling, questions about the nature of right and wrong, time and space, perception, and the human mind.

Philosophy pays careful attention to its own long history, spanning more than 2,500 years. These early investigations are the focus of the department’s courses on ancient, early modern, late modern and 20th-century philosophers and philosophical movements.

There are numerous branches within the study of philosophy, touching virtually every topic; from questions about the existence of God, through to aesthetic principles, and the concepts of space and time:

• Justice and goodness: Investigates questions about right and wrong, or good and evil, such as biomedical ethics or environmental philosophy. • Truth and reality: Looks at truth and reality through areas such as logic, metaphysics, epistemology and the philosophy of science. • Social philosophical concerns: Delves into fundamental social philosophical issues addressed by political philosophy, ethics and the history of philosophy itself. • Scientific philosophical concerns: Focuses on the conditions under which enquiry produces genuine truth and accurate representations of objective reality. • Human creativity and artistic expression: Evaluates concepts like beauty in disciplines such as aesthetics and the philosophy of art.

Computer Science

Computer science is the study of algorithms and data structures and their applications in designing new and efficient solutions to industrial, technological, environmental or social problems.

Students will learn to tackle difficult problems using a variety of high-tech tools and approaches, and effectively communicate their expertise to others by coupling their technical learning with a solid grounding in liberal education.

The program is designed to enable students to gain both theoretical knowledge and practical experience, including access to state-of-the-art hardware and software in the three computer labs whenever they need to use them.