2008-2009 UNIVERSITY CATALOGUE

PHIL - Philosophy

101 Basic Philosophical Issues
3 crs (3-0). F, Sp.
GE-IVB
A survey of fundamental problems of philosophy, such as free will, mind and body, knowledge and skepticism, the self, reason and faith, the origin and purpose of government, and the nature of morality.

120 Moral Problems in Contemporary Life
3 crs (3-0). F, Sp.
GE-IVB; FC
No credit if taken after PHIL 220
This course will introduce students to philosophy by exploring a variety of contemporary issues in ethics. Students will learn to weigh the pros and cons for alternative positions by discussing a variety of concrete moral problems in today’s society.

150 Logic and Critical Thinking
3 crs (3-0).
GE-IB
No credit if taken after PHIL 250
Introduction to principles and methods of critical thinking, sound reasoning, and argument evaluation. A combination of formal and informal techniques will be used. Moral, legal, and scientific reasoning may be considered.

235 Ancient Philosophy
3 crs (3-0). F, even-numbered years.
GE-IVB
History of philosophy from the early Greeks through Plotinus, stressing the contributions of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.

236 Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy
3 crs (3-0).
GE-IVB
A survey of the development of western philosophical thought from the fourth century A.D. through the sixteenth century, with particular emphasis on the writings of Augustine, Bonaventure, Aquinas, and Duns Scotus.

250 Symbolic Logic
3 crs (3-0). F, even-numbered years.
GE-IB
Introduction to formal logic. Sentential logic, quantificational logic, and other selected topics. Slightly more formal and covers more areas than Phil 150.

291 Special Topics
1-3 crs.
Not for GE
Content to be determined by department on initiative of students and faculty, on topics such as persons and movements in philosophy, ethnic and comparative themes and interdisciplinary syntheses.

305 Ethics and Business
3 crs (3-0).
GE-IVB
Major theories of corporate responsibility and their relationships to the personal and social dimensions of business life.

306 /506 Ethics of Health Care
3 crs (3-0). Sp.
GE-IVB
Major ethical theories and their applications to personal and professional dimensions of health care functions. Survey of ethical problems that arise in health care situations through case studies.

308 Ethics in Computing and Engineering
3 crs (3-0). F.
GE-IVB
A topical introduction to ethical issues raised by computer technology and engineering, with special attention to the professional ethics of software engineering and computer organization and design. Combines theoretical frameworks with case studies to develop competence in informed ethical decision-making.

310 Philosophy of Law
3 crs (3-0).
GE-IVB
Introduces major theories and arguments concerning the nature of law and the relationship between law and justice. Topics include legal positivism, natural law, punishment, causation, liability, abortion, and the death penalty.

316 Metaphysics
3 crs (3-0). F, odd-numbered years.
GE-IVB
P: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor
Explores major topics in metaphysics. Topics include universals and particulars, identity and change, necessity and essence, causation, free will and determinism, space and time, and mind and body.

317 Epistemology
3 crs (3-0). Sp, even-numbered years.
GE-IVB
P: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor
Epistemology, or the theory of knowledge, explores major theories concerning the nature of knowledge, belief, and justification. Topics include skepticism, induction, a priori knowledge, foundationalism and coherentism, and internalism and externalism.

320 Environmental Ethics
3 crs (3-0).
GE-IVB
P: BIOL 180, or GEOG 178, or GEOL 115, or ECON 268; or
P: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor
Minimum junior standing
Introduces major theoretical approaches to ethical and policy questions concerning environmental issues such as population growth, famine, nonhuman animals, atmospheric conditions, hazardous waste, preservation of species, pollution, pesticides, and nuclear power.

321 Philosophy of Logic
3 crs (3-0).
Not for GE
P: Phil 250 or consent of instructor
An examination of the foundations of logical systems. Topics include the relationship between artificial and natural languages; the Formalists’ notion of logical system; the attempts to define “validity,” “deductive completeness,” and “consistency,” and the legitimacy of nonstandard logics.

322 Philosophy of Language
3 crs (3-0).
GE-IVB
Philosophic investigation into the structure and function of language, with emphasis on discursive meaning.

325 Aesthetics
3 crs (3-0).
GE-IVB
Acquaints students with some of the more fruitful philosophic investigations concerning the creative process, the work of art, the relationship between art and society.

326 Asian Religious Philosophies
3 crs (3-0).
GE-IVB
Cross-listed with RELS 326
P: Rels 312, 314, or 323; or
P: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor
Philosophical approaches to major religious traditions of India, China, and Japan. Included will be Hindu, Buddhist, Yin-Yang, Taoist, and Neo-Confucian thinkers. The course will conclude with a consideration of the Kyoto School’s attempted synthesis of Western and Eastern thought.

328 Philosophy and Film
3 crs (2.5-2).
GE-IVB
P: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor
An examination of ethical, aesthetic and existential issues involved in both popular and documentary films. The perspectives examined will include feminist and multicultural approaches.

331 Philosophical Ethics
3 crs (3-0). Sp, even-numbered years.
GE-IVB
P: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor
An advanced introduction to ethical theory addressing the nature of moral language, objectivity, relativism, theories of value and right action, and feminist critiques of traditional ethics. Emphasizes twentieth century ethics, with some historical coverage.

332 Philosophical Perspectives on Friendship
3 crs (3-0). F.
GE-IVB
P: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor
An examination of philosophical thinking on the nature and value of friendship. Authors read include Plato, Aristotle, Seneca, Cicero, Aquinas, Montaigne, Bacon, Kierkegaard, Kant, and contemporary philosophical authors.

335 Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Philosophy
3 crs (3-0). F, odd-numbered years.
GE-IVB
P: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor
The history of philosophy from Descartes to Hume. Examines proposals by leading philosophers regarding the foundations of scientific, moral, religious, and political beliefs.

336 Kant
3 crs (3-0).
GE-IVB
P: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor
An introduction to the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, focusing on his arguments and philosophical influences. Topics include Kant’s metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and aesthetics.

338 Nineteenth Century Philosophy
3 crs (3-0).
GE-IVB
P: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor
History of philosophy during the nineteenth century, stressing German Idealism, Marxism, Pragmatism, and the beginnings of Existentialism.

339 Contemporary Continental Philosophy
3 crs (3-0).
GE-IVB
P: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor
Explores contemporary Continental European philosophy, especially that of Germany and France, from Husserl and Heidegger through Gadamer and Derrida. The movements of phenomenology, hermeneutics, deconstruction, and postmodernism will be emphasized.

340 Contemporary Anglo-American Philosophy
3 crs (3-0).
GE-IVB
P: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor
Explores the philosophy of the English-speaking world during the past century, from Frege and Wittgenstein through Davidson and Putnam. Emphasizes the movements of logical positivism, ordinary language analysis, and American pragmatism.

343 Philosophy of Mind
3 crs (3-0).
GE-IVB
P: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor
The relation between the mind and the brain; the nature of consciousness; the philosophy of psychology and mental illness; artificial and animal intelligence; the nature of the emotions; free will and determinism.

345 /545 Philosophy of Religion
3 crs (3-0).
GE-IVB
Cross-listed with RELS 345
P: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor
P: or RELS 210, 315, 350, 470; or RELS/WMNS 353; or
RELS/PHIL 450
Critical study of the subject of religion, including the nature, grounds, and limits of religious claims.

355 Philosophy of Science
3 crs (3-0).
GE-IVB
P: One course in biology, chemistry, geology, physics,
physical geography; or
P: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor
The nature of scientific knowledge and progress; the structure of fundamental theories in physics and biology; the demarcation between science and pseudo-science; science and religion; science and gender; social and ethical implications of modern science.

365 Existentialism
3 crs (3-0).
GE-IVB; FC
P: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor
Central ideas in existential thought. Leading existentialist thinkers including Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, Camus, deBeauvoir, and the phenomenologist Husserl.

371 Postmodernism
3 crs (3-0).
GE-IVB; FC
P: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor
Introduction to diverse philosophical attempts to define and/or diagnose the “postmodern condition” as a characterization of contemporary culture. Topics include the status of subjectivity, the question of technology, literature, art and the avant-garde, media/image culture, the politics of postmodernism, and postfeminism.

377 Philosophy and Feminism
3 crs (3-0).
GE-IVB
Cross-listed with WMNS 377
P: One course in philosophy or women's studies
Credit may not be earned in both PHIL 377 and WMNS 377
A study of recent trends in feminist philosophy with emphasis upon feminist thinking in the areas of ethics, social philosophy, and theory of knowledge.

395 /595 Directed Studies
1-3 crs.
Not for GE
Minimum sophomore standing
May be repeated - additional restrictions may apply
Get form from department office
Work with instructor on a specific philosophical issue, problem, or activity. Content of the course to be determined by the student and the instructor. Recommended for non-majors.

396 Research Apprenticeship in Philosophy
1-3 crs.
Not for GE
P: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor
Course may be taken for a maximum of 6 credits
Get form from department office
Qualified students, recruited and closely supervised by an instructor, engage in a research project with the faculty member.

397 Student Academic Apprenticeship in Philosophy
1-3 crs.
SL-Optional/Half; Not for GE
P: Limited to philosophy majors and minors
Minimum junior standing
Course may be taken for a maximum of 6 credits
Get form from department office
Qualified students, selected and supervised by an instructor, assist teaching and learning in a course within the department while working closely with a faculty member.

399 Independent Study - Juniors
1-3 crs.
Not for GE
Minimum junior standing
May be repeated - additional restrictions may apply
Get form from department office

450 Critiques of God
3 crs (3-0).
GE-IVB
Cross-listed with RELS 450
Credit may not be earned in both RELS 450 and PHIL 450
Minimum sophomore standing
Criticisms and objections to the concept of a Supreme Being, leading either to atheism or to non-theistic religions. Movements, systems of thought, and major thinkers who for various reasons have rejected the idea of a God.

485 Seminar in Problems of Philosophy
3 crs (3-0). F.
Not for GE
P: Limited to philosophy majors and minors
Minimum junior standing
May be repeated - additional restrictions may apply
Other majors and minors will be permitted with consent of instructor.
Advanced study of problems in philosophy of mind, meta- ethics, theory of knowledge, political and social philosophy, philosophy of logic, or history of philosophy. Content is variable and is determined by the instructor.

498 Internship in Philosophy
1-3 crs.
SL-Optional/Half; Not for GE
P: Limited to philosophy majors and minors
S/U only grade basis
Minimum sophomore standing
Course may be taken for a maximum of 3 credits
Get form from department office
Assignment in an area of philosophy emphasizing practical experience in the applied professional aspects of the discipline. Students will work closely with an internship supervisor or faculty member engaged in professional or occupational projects in the field.

499 Independent Study - Seniors
1-3 crs.
Not for GE
Minimum senior standing
May be repeated - additional restrictions may apply
Get form from department office

797 Independent Study
1-3 crs.
May be repeated - additional restrictions may apply
Get form from department office