Bachelor Minor in Philosophy (30 and 60 ECTS credits)

Overview of the Bachelor Minor in Philosophy (30 and 60 ECTS credits)

Academic qualification: see your major subject
Start of program (first academic semester): Winter semester - it is not possible to start in a summer semester. Enrollment is only possible given registration (Immatrikulation) for a major subject which may be combined with Philosophy as a minor.
Language of instruction: German. Some optional courses are offered in English. Knowledge of Latin or Ancient Greek is not required.
Standard duration of program: 6 semesters (= the standard duration of the major); in accordance with the standard course of study laid out in the examination and program regulations, the minor subject should be completed after the first five semesters.
Form of program: Full-time, in-person (with flexibilities and individual tailoring)
Number of obtainable ECTS credits: 60 ECTS credits or 30 ECTS credits (only in combination with a major in Computer Science 150 ECTS, Mathematics and Statistics)
Fees: None, apart from the basic fee and solidarity fee of the Studierendenwerk
Basic entry requirements: Students from Germany: allgemeine Hochschulreife (not satisfactory: Fachhochschulreife or fachgebundene Hochschulreife)
Students from outside Germany: please see this page for general information, and also check the page for your major subject.
Limit on number of places: none
Other special conditions of entry for the first semester: Obligatory online pre-registration - must be completed by 15 July in the year you intend to start the program
Transfer students wishing to begin in a later semester by transferring already accumulated credits: In this situation, please contact Dr. Wyrwich at latest by mid-August (if intending to transfer in the following winter semester) or by mid-February (if intending to transfer in the following summer semester)

Content and aims of the Bachelor Minor in Philosophy (30 and 60 ECTS)

Philosophy enquires into things which are assumed without question in everyday life. For instance, it is often assumed that we have "knowledge" (sometimes, at least), and it seems self-evident that certain behaviour is morally prohibited. These relate to the following typical philosophical questions: under what conditions does someone possess knowledge? Are these conditions even possible to meet? What justifies the claims to validity of moral prohibitions? Since the discussion of such questions has been going on for a long time, concern with its own history is also a part of philosophy itself.

The Bachelor Minor in Philosophy (30 or 60 ECTS), which can be chosen in many degree programs at LMU, constitutes a subset of the Bachelor Major in Philosophy in terms of content and modules. Students must complete a total of four (60 ECTS minor) or two (30 ECTS minor) introductory modules, which they can choose from the core areas of

theoretical philosophy (including logic and philosophy of science);
practical philosophy; and
history of philosophy.

This is followed by five (60 ECTS minor) or three (30 ECTS minor) in-depth seminars from the above core areas, with an additional historical or systematic specialisation or a study abroad module in the 60 ECTS minor. Minoring in philosophy introduces students to fundamental philosophical methods and familiarises them with central problems and positions of the three sub-fields using selected paradigms. Even though it consists entirely of elective modules, it ensures, among other things, that students acquire an overview of certain core areas. Here, it is very possible to choose modules whose content matches one's major subject. Thus a BA Mathematics student can, if she wants, concentrate on modules/courses from the fields of logic and philosophy of science, while a BA Sociology student will perhaps want to take primarily modules/courses in practical philosophy (political philosophy, social philosophy, ethics). In cases of this kind, minoring in philosophy can also be seen as a specific supplement of one's studies in the major.

The minor program primarily aims to teach the following methodological skills:

the ability to think abstractly and form clear concepts;
the critical skills of discussing philosophical questions and analysing and evaluating complex arguments;
the ability to develop your own arguments;
hermeneutical skills: how to engage critically with historical sources, and interpret philosophical texts in their historical and systemic situation, taking into account the current state of research;
the ability to synthesise and organise philosophical positions and methods into larger contexts;
the ability to transfer the methodological knowledge you have acquired to other fields outside of philosophy.