ACADEMICS

COURSES

 

DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY

B. A. Course

Bachelor of Arts programme is designed to help students gain an understanding of the historical origin, of a chosen subject along with the evolution of ideas of the subject, both in India and the West that will pave the path for the further development of rational thinking in human civilisation. 

Bachelor Of Arts Programme in Philosophy is designed to help in: 

1. Critically understand about the Indian Philosophical systems, about the Vedas, the Upanishads, and contemporary Indian Philosophical thinkers like Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi, Tagore etc, the contribution of ancient and contemporary philosophers in moulding Indian society and influencing thought-processes throughout the world. 
2. Effectively communicate and disseminate the ideas of philosophy among various sections of the society through various modes of communication (speak, read, write) and through electronic media, through social interaction. 
3. Help in creating empathy for social issues, civic life, effective citizenship, value systems to help take decisions and accept responsibilities, awareness about the environment. 
4. Translate the study of Philosophy into a skilled resource management so that the student inculcate the habit of independent and lifelong learning, through socio- technological changes and also ensure job security for the student. 
5. The B.A. program in Philosophy will considerably enrich the cognitive, conative, affective and spiritual dimensions of a student. Through the greatness of the universe which philosophy contemplates, the minds of the students are also rendered great. 
6. The program will develop a student’s skill of critical reflection, logical analysis and ethical evaluation. It enables a student to critically examine and ethically evaluate the cultural prejudices, habitual beliefs and intellectual convictions of man. 
7. The program will make a student competent enough to philosophize any given subject-matter or situation, and thereby to question the reality and unreality, truth and falsity, good and evil of the same. 
8. The program will develop a student’s ability to synthesize philosophy, religion and science in forming holistic worldviews to be practised individually in particular and socially in general. 
9.  B.A. in Philosophy will ensure employment in the following areas: Academic institutes, Content writing, Publishing Houses, Editing and Publishing houses, Journalism, Legal profession, Religious Study centres, Philosophical Research Centres, Counselling centres, Various NGOs dealing with social issues, etc. 

Course Outcome: 

Students are oriented with the foundations as well as the basic theoretical standpoints of Indian Philosophy which make the students aware of the argumentative spirit prevalent from the very time of the Vedas in India. Students can recognise the supposed spiritual aim that underlies the evolution of the world. With the basic orientation in Indian Metaphysics and Ethics, they are further equipped with the insight of how a theoretical principle be applied in actual practice Students can appreciate the significance of philosophical ideas in the intellectual development of human beings. They will further get the encouragement to engage themselves in independent and lifelong learning in the broader context of academic philosophy. 

Students will be able to differentiate philosophy from religion and philosophy from science. Further, they will be able to identify the problems of metaphysics, problems of epistemology and problems of ethics to be applied in the actual context of life. 

The B.A. programme in Philosophy has 6 Semesters. The first 2 semesters has 2 papers each, the 3rd and 4th Semester has 3 papers each and the last two semesters has 4 papers each. The following are the Objectives and outcomes of all the papers. 

Honours Papers

Semester I 

PHI-HC-1016 (Indian Philosophy I) 

Course objectives: The main objective of this paper is introducing student’s Indian philosophy, its history, and its development from pre-Vedic and Vedic to the contemporary period. 

Course Learning Outcomes: After completing this portion Students will be able to learn The development of Indian Philosophical system, The history of Indian philosophy, its development from pre-Vedic and Vedic to the contemporary period. They will learn the Meaning and scope of Indian Philosophy. The fundamental idea of the Indian philosophical schools 

PHI-HC-1026 (Logic-I) 

Course objectives : The objective of this course is to provide an introduction to Symbolic Logic; covering various topics like argument, argument forms, truth and validity, induction, deduction, categorical syllogism, categorical propositions, figures and moods, immediate inference, concept of set and Venn Diagrams 

Course Learning Outcomes : After completing this course students will be able to learn what is argument and argument form, how to determine the truth and validity of an argument, what is deduction and induction, what is immediate inference, types of immediate inference, square of opposition, representation of propositions and arguments in Venn Diagrams, operation of set- union, intersection and difference and symbolization of sentences by set notations. 

Semester II 

PHI-HC-2016 (Greek Philosophy) 

Course objectives : This course traces the origins of philosophy in the western tradition in the thinkers of Ancient Greece. It begins with the Pre-Socratic natural philosophers like Thales and Aznaximander. Then it moves on to Heraclitus and Parmenides of Elea. Then it discusses the counter positions of Sophists and Socrates. And finally there is discussion on Plato’s theory of Idea and Aristotle’s form and matter. 

Course Learning Outcomes: They will Acquire a general idea of the historical origins of western philosophy in ancient Greece, learning how key fields of philosophy (ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology) developed over a period of almost 1000 years, from roughly 550 B.C.E. to 150 C.E. They will also able to Grasp the importance of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle and understand how their ideas differed on topics such as the definition of reality, the nature and immortality of the soul, the extent and basis of human knowledge, the origins of the cosmos, the nature of God or the gods, and the definition of the good life for humans. 

PHI-HC-2026 (Logic-II) 

Course objectives : The aim of this course is to introduce the concept of symbolic logic and it´s characteristics, the relation between traditional logic and symbolic logic, logical connectives and variables, symbolization of sentences and of arguments, testing the validity of arguments by direct and indirect truth table method and the formal proof of validity. 

Course Learning Outcomes :After completing the course the students must know the relation between traditional and symbolic logic, what is logical constants and variables, what is propositional functions, truth-value, what is negative function, conjunctive function, disjunctive function 

Semester III 

PHI-HC-3016 (Western Philosophy) 

Course objectives :The objective of this paper is to acquaint the students of Philosophy with metaphysical and epistemological problems like theories of knowledge, theories of reality, categories of knowledge and some contemporary issues from Western perspective. 

Course Learning Outcomes : At the end of the course, the students must have a comprehensive view regarding the different theories of knowledge. They must know what is Rationalism, Empiricism, Scepticism and Kant’s Critical Theory. The students must know the eminent thinkers associated with these theories. 

 

PHI-HC-3026 (Indian Philosophy II) 

Course objectives : The course is designed to provide a lucid understanding of the Indian system of Philosophy. The objective of the course is to enable the students to form an elaborate comprehension regarding the different schools of Indian Philosophy.

Course Learning Outcomes : At the end of the course, the students are expected to have a clear understanding about the several traditions of philosophical thought that originated in the Indian subcontinent, including Hindu Philosophy, Buddhist Philosophy and Jain Philosophy. They must be well acquainted with the Orthodox and Heterodox schools of Indian Philosophy and their basic features. 

PHI-HC-3036 (Ethics) 

Course objectives : The objective of this paper is to give an elaborate explanation on the nature, scope and utility of Ethics; object of moral judgement; moral obligation and postulates of morality. To discuss about various ethical theories like the Virtue Ethics, Deontological Ethics and Utilitarianism To discuss about the various theories of Punishment; the relevance of Professional Ethics and the importance of Environmental Ethics. To make the students familiar with classical Indian ethical thought especially the Hindu, Jaina and Buddhist Ethics. 

Course Learning Outcomes : At the end of the course the students must know the elements of moral consciousness; what is voluntary and involuntary actions, freedom of will, different theories regarding freedom of will; what is Determinism, Doctrine of free will and self- determinism. What is Eudaemonia, Categorical Imperative, Gross and Refined Utilitarianism, the Law of Karma, Varna and Asrama Dharmas, Purusarthas; Pancasilas and Brahmavihara; Triratna and Pancavratas. 

 

Semester IV 

PHI-HC-4016 (Contemporary Indian Philosophy) 

Course objectives : The objective of this paper is to provide an account of the development of Philosophy in Contemporary India. The paper intends to cover the various dynamics of Indian Philosophical thought of eminent contemporary Indian thinkers like Aurobindo, Radhakrishnan, Gandhi and Vivekananda. 

Course Learning Outcomes : At the end of the course, the students are expected to be acquainted with Aurobindo’s concept of evolution, what is the Super Mind, and the concept of Integral Yoga; Radhakrishnan’s concept of religious experience; the difference between intellect and intuition, man and his destiny; the Gandhian concept of Truth, Non-violence and Religion, Gandhi’s concept of Satyagraha, Sarvodaya, Swadeshi and Critique of Industrialisation and Trusteeship. 

PHI-HC-4026 (Philosophy of Religion) 

Course objectives : The aim of the course is to provide the students an overall understanding about the nature and scope of Philosophy of Religion. To make the students familiar with various concepts like religious experience, Reason, Freedom of Will, Faith and revelation.  To provide an elaborate understanding regarding the arguments for the existence of God; the nature of religious language and its symbolism. To enable the students in making a critical analysis of religious theories.To provide a good exposition of the Philosophy of Sankardeva, highlighting his valuable contributions to the Assamese society. 

Course Learning Outcomes : At the end of the course, the students must know
What is religious experience, the difference between religion and science; what is ontological, cosmological, teleological and moral argument for the existence of God
What is Materialism and Logical Positivism. The Bhakti Movement in Assam and the contributions of Sankardeva in the socio-cultural and religious life of Assamese people. 

Political and Social Philosophy (PHI-HC-4036) 

Course objectives : The course is designed to provide an effective understanding on the outlines of Social Philosophy and to discuss the various problems of Political Philosophy. It aims to analyse the various political theories and ideologies; and their influence in the contemporary society. 

Course Learning Outcomes : At the completion of the course the student is expected to be able to understand the various fundamental concepts like rights and duty, justice, equality and liberty. To have a comprehensive outlook on core issues like Humanism, Secularism and Multi- culturalism, that are essential for the sustenance of peace and harmony in the socio-political life of an individual. To be able to make a critical analysis of various political theories and ideologies viz. Anarchism, Socialism, Marxism, Monarchy, Theocracy and Democracy. 

Semester V 

PHI-HC-5016 (Analytic Philosophy) 

Course objectives: The main objective of this paper is introducing students the great analytic philosophers, like, Russell, Moore and Wittgenstein, who is considered to be one of the greatest philosophers of the modern era. Their life, background of their philosophy and the core concepts of their philosophy. 

 

Course Learning Outcomes: After completing this paper Students will be able to learn Moore’s analytic turn of philosophy, his refutation of Idealism, Russell’s logical atomism, general proposition and existence, his theory of description. Wittgenstein Philosophy, Uses of language how ‘the “speaking” of language is part of an activity, or form of life’. What private 

 

language is and how do we understand private sensations or personal inner experiences in other persons? We can or can’t? 

PHI-HC-5026 (Phenomenology and Existentialism)

Course objectives: The main objective of this paper is an in-depth study of the most significant currents of thoughts in 20th century Continental Philosophy – Phenomenology and Existentialism 

Course Learning Outcomes: After completing this portion Students will be able to learn about the existentialism theory of Kierkegaard, Sartre and Heidegger. They will also learn Husserl phenomenology, How Phenomenology can spark our imagination and inspire us to think about the world around us. 

PHI-HE-5016 (Philosophy of Upanishads) 

Course objectives : This paper intends to make the students aware of the monistic thought reflected in the Philosophy of Upanishads. To provide a profound knowledge about the idealistic Monism in the Upanishads which regards Brahman as the Ultimate Reality. 

Course Learning Outcomes : At the end of the course, the students must be well- acquainted with certain Upanishadic concepts like Para Brahman, Apara Brahman, the nature of the universe, Maya, the individual soul and its destiny, liberation and the Law of Karma. 

PHI-HE-5026 (Philosophy of Gita) 

Course objectives: The main objective of this paper is introducing students The Bhagavad Gita, the best known, and most influential text of Hindu scriptures. While Hinduism is known for its diversity and its synthesis therefrom, the Bhagavad Gita has a unique pan-Hindu influence which comes near to embodying the totality of what it is to be a Hindu. 

Course Learning Outcomes: After completing this portion Students will be able to learn the philosophical concepts of The Bhagavad Gita.aw of karma along with the concept of Niskamakarmayoga and the significance of Lokasamgraha. Relation of Individual self and ultimate reality. Concept yoga.They will also learn what is self-less or desireless action, or an 

 

action performed without any expectation of fruits or results or fearing the consequences. How action should be directed toward common good, not toward self-interest. 

Semester VI 

PHI-HC-6016 (Philosophy of Mind)

Course objectives: The objective of this paper is to introduce to the students the Philosophy of Mind, the Problem of Personal Identity and the different criteria of Personal Identity. 

Course Learning Outcomes: At the end of the course, the students must know the relation between Psychology and Philosophy of Mind; the Cartesian Dualism and its problems; Gilbert Ryle’s Concept of Mind, the physical and memory criterion of Personal identity. The students must have a clear concept on Parallelism, Occasionalism and Epiphenomenalism in the context of the human mind; and behaviourism and functionalism in the context of identity. 

PHI-HC-6026 (Meta Ethics ) 

Course objectives :This course will examine philosophical issues related to the epistemic, metaphysical and semantic features of value judgements. It will assess the various theories that attempt to systematize our judgments about these issues. Such theories include realism and anti-realism, cognitivism and non-cognitivism, relativism, error theory and nihilism. The literature on these topics is complicated and loaded with terminology with which students are not normally familiar. The course also focussed on the key questions such as What does it mean to claim that an action is morally wrong? Is this kind of claim ordinary descriptive claims about the world, e.g. that a table is flat or that an apple is red? Do ethical claims have an objective basis, or are they merely subjective statements that reflect our personal, emotional commitments to certain normative practices? The aim of this course will be for students to become familiar with positions in the current literature that try to make sense of these difficult questions. 

Course Learning Outcomes: By the end of the course, students are expected
1. To understand the distinctive questions and aims of metaethics.
2. To outline and evaluate major philosophical schools in metaethics.
3. To grasp the connections between metaethics and other subfields of philosophy. 4. To be able to construct reasoned arguments on moral issues. 

PHI-HE-6026 (Philosophy of Language) 

Course objectives: The aim of this paper is to provide an introduction to the Philosophy of Language and the relation between language and the world. It aims to provide a guide to different theories of meanings and the theories of truth; the concept of speech acts and utterances. 

Course Learning Outcomes: At the completion of the course, the students must know the difference between sense and reference; what is Definite Description; the ideational, referential and the use theory of meaning; the correspondence, the coherence and pragmatic theories of truth; the difference between performative and constative utterances; locutionary, illocutionary and Perlocutionary speech acts. 

PHI-HE-6036 Applied Ethics 

Course objectives: The main objective of this paper is introducing studentsthe practical aspect of moral considerations. It is ethics with respect to real-world actions and their moral considerations in private and public life, the professions, health, technology, law, and leadership. 

Course Learning Outcomes: After completing this portion Students will be able to learntheapplication of ethics to real-world problems. what is human values, uses and exploitation of nature, animal right, computer crime and legal aspect of virtual world, rights and obligations of health care professionals, Patients and family, Abortion, Euthanasia etc.Through this paper they will also learn how people should act in specific situations. 

Generic/Regular Papers

 

Semester I 

PHI-HG/RC-1016 (General Philosophy) 

Course Objectives: The course is designed to provide a lucid understanding of the general philosophical system. It seeks to illuminate fundamental aspects of the world, of our relation to and knowledge of the world, and of our own nature as rational, purposive, and social beings. 

Course Outcome : At the end of the course, the students are expected to have a clear understanding about the nature and scope of philosophy. They will learn about the general and fundamental questions like existence of the world, causes of the world, what is space and time. Different theories of knowledge, rationalism, empiricism, criticism etc. 

Semester II 

PHI-HG/RC-2016 (Indian Philosophy) 

Course objectives :The course is designed to provide a lucid understanding of the Indian system of Philosophy. The objective of the course is to enable the students to form an elaborate comprehension regarding the different schools of Indian Philosophy. 

Course Learning Outcomes : At the end of the course, the students are expected to have a clear understanding about the several traditions of philosophical thought that originated in the Indian subcontinent, including Hindu Philosophy, Buddhist Philosophy and Jain Philosophy. They must be well acquainted with the Orthodox and Heterodox schools of Indian Philosophy and their basic features. 

Semester III 

PHI-HG/RC-3016 (Ethics) 

Course objectives : The objective of this paper is to give an elaborate explanation on the nature, scope and utility of Ethics; object of moral judgement; moral obligation and postulates of morality. To discuss about various ethical theories like the Virtue Ethics, Deontological Ethics and Utilitarianism To discuss about the various theories of Punishment; the relevance of Professional Ethics and the importance of Environmental Ethics. To make the students familiar with classical Indian ethical thought especially the Hindu, Jaina and Buddhist Ethics.

Course Learning Outcomes : At the end of the course the students must know
The elements of moral consciousness; what is voluntary and involuntary actions, freedom of will, different theories regarding freedom of will; what is Determinism, Doctrine of free will and self- determinism. What is Eudaemonia, Categorical Imperative, Gross and Refined Utilitarianism, the Law of Karma, Varna and Asrama Dharmas, Purusarthas; Pancasilas and Brahmavihara; Triratna and Pancavratas. 

Semester IV 

PHI-HG/RC-4016 (Logic) 

Course objectives : The aim of this course is to introduce the concept of symbolic logic and it´s characteristics, the relation between traditional logic and symbolic logic, logical connectives and variables, symbolization of sentences and of arguments, testing the validity of arguments by direct and indirect truth table method and the formal proof of validity. 

Course Learning Outcomes: After completing the course the students must know the relation between traditional and symbolic logic, what is logical constants and variables, what is propositional functions, truth-value, what is negative function, conjunctive function, disjunctive function 

Semester V 

PHI-RE-5016 (Contemporary Indian Philosophy) 

Course objectives : The objective of this paper is to provide an account of the development of Philosophy in Contemporary India. The paper intends to cover the various dynamics of Indian Philosophical thought of eminent contemporary Indian thinkers like Aurobindo, Radhakrishnan, Gandhi and Vivekananda. 

Course Learning Outcomes : At the end of the course, the students are expected to be acquainted with Aurobindo’s concept of evolution, what is the Super Mind, and the concept of Integral Yoga; Radhakrishnan’s concept of religious experience; the difference between intellect and intuition, man and his destiny; the Gandhian concept of Truth, Non-violence and Religion, Gandhi’s concept of Satyagraha, Sarvodaya, Swadeshi and Critique of Industrialisation and Trusteeship. 

Semester VI 

PHI-RE-6026 (Political & Social Philosophy) 

Course objectives : The course is designed to provide an effective understanding on the outlines of Social Philosophy and to discuss the various problems of Political Philosophy. It aims to analyse the various political theories and ideologies; and their influence in the contemporary society. 

Course Learning Outcomes : At the completion of the course the student is expected to be able to understand the various fundamental concepts like rights and duty, justice, equality and liberty.
To have a comprehensive outlook on core issues like Humanism, Secularism and Multi- culturalism, that are essential for the sustenance of peace and harmony in the socio-political life of an individual. 

To be able to make a critical analysis of various political theories and ideologies viz. Anarchism, Socialism, Marxism, Monarchy, Theocracy and Democracy. 

Course Procedure

 

• Learn & Practice: At this stage students will work independently to get into the details of the lesson. Students will be encouraged to explore information in libraries, e?libraries and in the web and discuss their feelings in class for more in? depth understanding and for keeping well-informed with emerging ideas in the field. 

• Explore: In this phase teachers will introduce the objectives of the lesson and discuss key concepts students should know. It will help students to thinking about a new concept. 

 

• Reflect: Students will reflect or review what they’ve learned in the lesson. A class discussion with critical thinking questions for students to answer or through writing their own viewpoint. 

• Reinforce: Students apply their knowledge to problem-solving scenarios. students will apply what they’ve learned through critical thinking activities. 
• Essential Resources: Textbooks, Reference book, Journals, Computers, Internet access, 

(ppt presentations, videos of e-platform such as SWAYAM, e - P G P a t h s h a l a and research papers). 

• Assessment--- Quizzes, Presentations, Writing Assignment. Apart from that the course shall strictly follow the assessment method stipulated by the college. 

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