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Philosophy Research Guide

Selected resources available at UTEP library to help you with your research.

Philosophy Collection Develpment Policy

COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY
Subject: PHILOSOPHY

Degrees offered:

Minor; B.A. in Philosophy

Number of faculty:

10*

Number of majors in the program:

30*

Faculty Liaison:

Sarah K. Robins

Library Subject Specialist:

Virginia Rassaei

Department Chair:

Julius Simon

* Fall, 2003 data as reported in The University of Texas at El Paso FACT BOOK, 2003-04, Center for Institutional Evaluation, Research & Planning, University of Texas at El Paso, 2005


Program Description

The B.A. degree in Philosophy is intended to assist students to develop rational critical thinking skills. These skills are developed by examining philosophical ideas and movements that have influenced contemporary philosophical activity in America and Europe.

Subjects included in the philosophy program cover traditional philosophical areas such as history of philosophy, metaphysics, epistemology, logic, and ethics. The program provides intensive education on the history of Western philosophy and offers courses designed to analyze some of the major issues in philosophy

Specific topics covered in courses taught are: the life, influence, and writings of the most influential world philosophers of all periods; ancient and modern ethics; philosophy of science; philosophy of religion; epistemology; social philosophy; aesthetics; modern philosophy; nineteenth century philosophy; Latin American philosophers; Chicanos and American thought;  Indic and Chinese philosophy; and theory of knowledge.

Faculty research interests are in philosophy of mind, philosophy of biology, philosophy of religion, modern to post-modern continental philosophy, Jewish philosophy, Latin American philosophy and culture, Native American philosophy and culture, oriental and world comparative philosophy, phenomenology, existentialism, animal rights,  and philosophy of science. These are areas of particular faculty research interests but research interests are also inclusive of all areas of philosophy. Chinese philosophy (culture and especially, language) is of particular interest since there is a special effort to create an Oriental Studies program at this university.

The Philosophy Collection intends to support the undergraduate program in philosophy and the day to day research interests of the faculty in the philosophy department.

Description of Existing Collection
NCIP Code: 2b monographs; 2a periodicals

Philosophy materials are cataloged in the following Library of Congress classification areas: B 1-5379 (Philosophy, General); BC 1 - 199 (Logic); BD 10-701 (Speculative Philosophy); BH 1-301 (Aesthetics); BJ 1-2195 (Ethics; Social Usages, Etiquette).

The Philosophy collection currently contains approximately 8,675 monographic titles and 48 periodical titles, 35 of which are current, largely in the B-BD and BH-BJ classifications. Subject access on the Library online catalog is adequate and see and see also references are provided when necessary. Most of the monographs on Philosophy are held in the Main Stacks.

The monograph collection adequately supports the undergraduate program. The Library is currently collecting monographs at level 2b. The focus of the collection is on Western philosophy. Material on the history of philosophy, including major philosophers and schools of philosophy, and the major branches of philosophy is fairly well represented. The collection includes complete collections of the works of major philosophers, the most important primary works of minor philosophers, and selections from the works of secondary writers of all periods.

The Library is currently collecting periodicals at level 2a. The Library holds 48, 35 of which are current, of the most representative philosophy periodicals, and complete back issues are held for the majority of these. However, the journal collection is not as strong as it should be. Only a small number of the major international journals indexed in Philosopher’s Index are in the collection. The last two years of periodicals are housed in the Current Periodicals and Microforms Department. Older issues are bound and are intershelved with the monograph collection in call number order on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors of the Library.

Access to a range of major multidisciplinary and specialized bibliographic databases is provided. A large number of full-text documents is accessible through some of these databases and other sites on the Internet.  These databases may also be accessed with modems from home.

The Reference collection includes most of the major reference works on philosophy. The collection includes a wide selection of reference tools such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, bibliographies, handbooks, and directories of philosophy. Reference material is non-circulating but patrons are allowed to photocopy material if desired. Publications of societies, proceedings of philosophical congresses and conferences, and university departments are also acquired.

Current Collecting Intensity
NCIP Code: 2b monographs; 2a periodicals

The library will continue to collect monographs at level 2b to support the undergraduate program and faculty research interests in the department.

The current collecting practice is to acquire current material. Retrospective buying will be done when necessary to purchase classical works not owned. English will be the primary language of collection but Spanish material will also be included; and selective works in German, French, Italian, and Russian if not yet translated. The emphasis is on acquiring material on Western thought. All chronological periods are of interest.

An approval plan has been established with Yankee Book Peddler, Inc. (YBP) to provide us with titles on philosophical systems, ancient philosophy, individual philosophers, epistemology, logic, aesthetics, and metaphysics. In addition, faculty periodically recommend titles that are purchased directly from other publishers. They have a strong interest in purchasing material that deals with their research interests and new and revised translations of original "classics", commentaries and essay collections on "classical" texts, environmental ethics, philosophy of religion, continental philosophy of limits or deconstraction, and biomedical science and ethics.

When possible we will strengthen our periodical collection to better meet the research needs of students. Of particular faculty interest are those journals of an oriental and world comparative nature.

Types of material excluded are textbooks, works about philosophy written on a popular level, and theses and dissertations from other institutions.

Desired Collection Level
NCIP Code: 2b periodicals

The major goal is to develop the journal collection to level 2b from a level of 2a. At present, there is no specific amount allocated for the acquisition of serials. When funding permits, the journal collection will be reviewed and steps will be taken to develop the journal collection to include all key journals on primary topics.

Other Resources

Items not owned by the Library are available via the Interlibrary Loan Department.

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