Philosophy Course Descriptions

This course surveys basic problems in philosophy, such as questions concerning truth, knowledge, justice, beauty, and the good. [Prior to Fall 2010, this course carried the title "Intro to Philosophy."]

Study of correct reasoning, including the recognition, analysis, and criticism of arguments; relevant topics include informal fallacies, syllogistic reasoning, and systems of deduction.

What is Existentialism? We will look at the history of existentialism and see how it challenged the traditional philosophical approaches to questions of human subjectivity and the nature of the good life. In particular, we will explore the works of Jean Paul Sartre and Albert Camus.

Introductory examination of fundamental moral questions, such as the best way of life for a human being, the relationship between happiness and moral excellence, and the nature of ethical reasoning, as treated by major philosophers in the history of philosophy.

This course is an introduction to the central questions of biomedical ethics, such as end-of-life issues, abortion, and justice in the distribution of health care. [Prior to Fall 2010, this course carried the number PHIL 205.]

This course should encourage you to uncover and explore assumptions and evaluations concerning the so-called ¿natural world¿ or ¿environment.¿ Each individual and society exists within an environment, and the character of this relation not only influences the relations of human and non-human creatures, but also lies at the heart of human self-understanding. Through reflection upon these and related issues, this course will develop critical reading, writing, and thinking skills by way of an introduction to and encounter with contemporary issues in environmental philosophy.

An introduction to important issues and problems in the ethical conduct of business: What is the proper goal of business in a democratic society? How should businesses protect against conflicts of interest? [Prior to Fall 2010, this course carried the number PHIL 202.]

Examination of a broad range of moral and social issues, such as abortion, capital punishment, sexism, war, environmental policy, euthanasia, and racism. [Prior to Fall 2010, this course carried the number PHIL 215.]

This course is an introduction to the central concepts in social and political philosophy, such as liberty, equality, justice, and fairness.

This course is an introduction to the central concepts in philosophy of law.

This course is an introduction to the central concepts in philosophy of social science. (1)The distinction between interpretation and explanation. (2)The interplay of culture and nature. (3)The possibility of human universals. (4)The possible genetic basis of culture.

This course is an introduction to the central issues in feminist philosophy.

This course is an introduction to the central questions in the philosophy of race and ethnicity, such as the concept of race: its historical origins, its cogency, and the various uses to which it has been put, including its possible intersection with other forms of oppression.

This course is an introduction to central issues in the philosophy of science: (1)scientific explanation. (2)evidence and verification. (3)probability theory. (4)the relation of science and politics.

This course will study the nature and interrelation of the mind, brain, and self. It will consider embodied structures of perceptions and the consequences of materialist, evolutionary accounts of human nature for the way we understand the meaning of life.

This course is an introduction to the central question of metaphysics: what is the nature of reality?

This course considers the nature of literature, its epistemic import, and its personal and social value.

This course is an introduction to the central themes in the philosophy of religion, such as the nature of religious experience, the question of God's existence, and the relation of faith and reason.

Relations between art, beauty, and aesthetics; the artist and the artist's work; normative principles in the fine arts; value of art for the individual; functions of art in culture; and problems of criticism. [Prior to Fall 2010, this course carried the number PHIL 240.]

This course is an introduction to the central question of the philosophy of film. (1)What is film theory? (2)What is the nature of film? (3)Do films have authors? (4)How do films engage our emotions? (5)Can films be socially critical?

What is distinctive about a human being? What did it mean to be a human in ancient times, as it differs from what it means in modernity? Who are we, and what are our possibilities? What can we become? The responses to these questions affect our ethics, our politics, and the meaning of our lives.

This course considers the significant philosophical reflection on the nature of romantic love and non-romantic friendship.

Study and analysis of the thought of one major philosopher or the study of a special problem or set of related problems in philosophy.

This course will introduce the principal figures and topics in ancient Greek and medieval philosophy.

An introduction to important issues and problems in the ethical conduct of business: What is the proper goal of business in a democratic society? How should businesses protect against conflicts of interest? [Beginning Fall 2010, this course will carry the number PHIL 118.]

This course will introduce the principal figures and topics in Renaissance and modern philosophy.

This course will introduce the principal figures and topics in 19th and 20th century philosophy.

Moral issues related to medical practice and research, such as right to life, death and treatment, allocation of medical resources, confidentiality, abortion, and coercion in experimentation. [Beginning Fall 2010, this course will carry the number PHIL 116.]

Examination of a broad range of moral and social issues, such as abortion, capital punishment, sexism, war, environmental policy, euthanasia, and racism. [Beginning Fall 2010, this course will carry the number PHIL 119.]

Examination of several contrasting theories of human nature, drawn from different periods in the history of human thought; a typical selection might include Plato, Thomas Aquinas, Hobbes, Marx, Sartre, and Skinner.

A study of ethical issues facing the military before war begins, as it is about to begin, and during war. [Beginning Fall 2010, this course will carry the number PHIL 319.]

Relations between art, beauty, and aesthetics; the artist and the artist's work; normative principles in the fine arts; value of art for the individual; functions of art in culture; and problems of criticism. [Beginning Fall 2010, this course will carry the number PHIL 132.]

A critical and comparative study of Indian, Chinese, and Western philosophy, with special emphasis on ethical and metaphysical theories. Readings from Buddhism, Vedanta, Confucius, Lao Tzu, Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Kant, and Mill.

Ancient and medieval philosophy, from the origin of philosophy in ancient Greece to the end of the Middle Ages; emphasis on Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, and Thomas Aquinas.

Modern thought from the Renaissance through the nineteenth century. Readings from such philosophers as Hobbes, Descartes, Locke, Spinoza, Berkeley, Leibniz, Hume, Kant, Hegel, and Nietzsche.

(Same as Mathematics 270.) Topics in the history of mathematics and their philosophical background. Genesis and evolution of ideas in analysis, algebra, geometry, mechanics, foundations. Historical and philosophical aspects of concepts of infinity, mathematical rigor, probability, etc. The emergence of mathematical schools. Prior to Fall 2011, this class was listed as PHIL 270.

Christian, Islamic, and Jewish approaches to perennial philosophical questions in the Middle Ages; readings from such philosophers as Augustine, Avicenna, Averroes, Maimonides, Thomas Aquinas, Duns Scotus, and others. [Beginning Fall 2010, this course will carry the number PHIL 401.]

[Beginning Fall 2010, this course will carry the number PHIL 405.]

Chief developments in nineteenth-century philosophy, including idealism, utilitarianism, positivism, and life-philosophy; readings from such philosophers as Fichte, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Comte, Mill, Kierkegaard, Marx, Dilthey, and Nietzsche. [Beginning Fall 2010, this course will carry the number PHIL 404.]

Issues in American thought selected from philosophies of the colonial period, the Founding Fathers, Emerson, Thoreau, Peirce, James, Santayana, Dewey, and others; analysis of what is distinctive in American philosophy. [Beginning Fall 2010, this course will carry the number PHIL 412.]

(Same as Educational Studies 306.) Relevance of philosophic theory to educational practice, illustrated with a study of some specific fundamental philosophic issues and the way these impinge upon specific problems of education. [Beginning Fall 2010, this course will carry the number PHIL 350.]

Examination of selected texts, in translation, from the Indian, Chinese, and Japanese traditions; emphasis on types of symbolism, modes of consciousness, and differences between East and West. [Beginning Fall 2010, this course will carry the number PHIL 413.]

Formal approach to deduction and deduction systems; the sentential and predicate calculi, and metatheoretical results.

Selected topics and readings from such philosophers as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, and Merleau-Ponty. [Prior to Fall 2010, this course carried the number PHIL 330.]

Study of ethical theories; attention to questions such as the foundations of moral principles, the nature and justification of moral judgment, and the nature of moral argument. [Beginning Fall 2010, this course will carry the number PHIL 415.]

This course explores the central questions of biomedical ethics, such as end-of-life issues, abortion, and justice in the distribution of health care.

This course considers advanced topics in environmental ethics.

A study of ethical issues facing the military before war begins, as it is about to begin, and during war. [Prior to Fall 2010, this course carried the number PHIL 235.]

Nature of law and justice; relation of law to ethics and custom; the limits of law; and problems of coercion and unjust law. [Beginning Fall 2010, this course will carry the number PHIL 321.]

Nature of law and justice; relation of law to ethics and custom; the limits of law; and problems of coercion and unjust law. [Prior to Fall 2010, this course carried the number PHIL 320.]

Selected topics and readings from such philosophers as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, and Merleau-Ponty. [Beginning Fall 2010, this course will carry the number PHIL 311.]

Investigation of issues such as the relation between individual and society, the nature of justice and the good society, and freedom and authority; readings from Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Marx, and contemporary thinkers. [Beginning Fall 2010, this course will carry the number PHIL 420.]

Study of the twentieth-century tradition of language analysis and empiricism; readings from such philosophers as Moore, Russell, Wittgenstein, Ryle, Carnap, Strawson, Quine, Grice, and Searle. [Beginning Fall 2010, this course will carry the number PHIL 410.]

Philosophical study of meaning and language: pragmatics, truth, analyticity, reference, translation, the relationship between language and mind, and the social and political aspects of language use. [Beginning Fall 2010, this course will carry the number PHIL 436.]

(Same as Educational Studies 306.) Relevance of philosophic theory to educational practice, illustrated with a study of some specific fundamental philosophic issues and the way these impinge upon specific problems of education. [Prior to Fall 2010, this course carried the number PHIL 306.]

Examination of scientific rationality and scientific method; topics covered include intertheoretic relations and the character of scientific change, concepts, theories, and explanations.[Beginning Fall 2010, this course will carry the number PHIL 425.]

Examination of the philosophical problems presented by the study of humans, societies, and cultures, such as the relations of nature and culture, individuals and social wholes, inquirers' values and conclusions, and scientific and traditional belief systems.

Leading theories of being in Western thought; idealism and realism; naturalism and supernaturalism; materialism and immaterialism; monism, dualism, and pluralism; the mind-body problem. Readings drawn from throughout the history of philosophy. [Beginning Fall 2010, this course will carry the number PHIL 428.]

Principal theories of the nature, scope, and validity of human knowledge; readings drawn from ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary sources.

Examinations of proposed solutions to the mind-body problem, and such topics as consciousness, personal identity, machine intelligence, and the possibility and character of a scientific psychology.

Truth and symbol in literature; aesthetic judgment; literature and cultural change; and literary conceptions of human nature. [Beginning Fall 2010, this course will carry the number PHIL 430.]

[Beginning Fall 2010, this course will carry the number PHIL 431.]

Critique of historical knowledge and methods; historical relativity; explanation and understanding in history; and philosophers of history such as Vico, Hegel, Marx, and Dilthey. [Beginning Fall 2010, this course will carry the number PHIL 437.]

Experience and culture; institutions and historical processes; myth and symbol; and the origins of culture. [Beginning Fall 2010, this course will carry the number PHIL 438.]

Study of Greek philosophy, with emphasis on the pre-Socratics, Plato, and Aristotle; may also include readings from later Greek and Roman schools such as the Stoics, Epicureans, and Skeptics.

Study of the beginnings of modernity: the break with medieval modes of inquiry; the relationship between philosophy and modern science; and the moral foundations of modernity. Emphasis on Descartes, Leibniz, Spinoza, Locke, Berkeley, and Hume.

Selected topics and problems in philosophy. Content will vary in successive offerings of this course. May be repeated for credit when topic varies.

This course considers, in depth, particular facets of medieval philosophy. [Prior to Fall 2010, this course carried the number PHIL 300.]

This course considers, in depth, particular facets of medieval philosophy. [Prior to Fall 2010, this course carried the number PHIL 302.]

This course considers, in depth, particular facets of 20th century philosophy. [Prior to Fall 2010, this course carried the number PHIL 301.]

Study of the twentieth-century tradition of language analysis and empiricism; readings from such philosophers as Moore, Russell, Wittgenstein, Ryle, Carnap, Strawson, Quine, Grice, and Searle. [Prior to Fall 2010, this course carried the number PHIL 340.]

This course surveys important perspectives, ideas, and theories in the writings of major American writers. It will focus on pragmatism as developed by such thinkers as Charles Peirce, William James, John Dewey, and George Herbert Mead. [Prior to Fall 2010, this course carried the number PHIL 304.]

Study of the philosophical significance of the ideas, images, symbolism, and methods of understanding in Taoism, Buddhism, and Zen Buddhism. May include attention to C.G. Jung's conception of archetypes of collective unconscious and to his commentaries on the classics. [Beginning Fall 2010, this course will carry the number PHIL 413.]

This course will investigate moral theories as presented by their famous proponents, including such topics as virtue ethics, deontology, and utilitarianism. [Prior to Fall 2010, this course carried the number PHIL 315.]

This course considers advanced topics in the philosophy of nature.

This course will investigate social and political philosophies as presented by some of their most famous proponents. Discussion will include such topics as the legitimate basis of the state, the structure of the social contract, and the nature of liberty and equality. [Prior to Fall 2010, this course carried the number PHIL 332.]

This course explores the central issues in feminist philosophies.

This course considers advanced topics in the philosophy of science, including the nature of scientific truth, scientific explanation, and empirical verification.[Prior to Fall 2010, this course carried the number PHIL 350.]

Leading theories of being in Western thought; idealism and realism; naturalism and supernaturalism; materialism and immaterialism; monism, dualism, and pluralism; the mind-body problem. Readings drawn from throughout the history of philosophy. [Prior to Fall 2010, this course carried the number PHIL 354.]

Truth and symbol in literature; aesthetic judgment; literature and cultural change; and literary conceptions of human nature. [Prior to Fall 2010, this course carried the number PHIL 362.]

[Prior to Fall 2010, this course carried the number PHIL 363.]

Philosophical study of meaning and language: pragmatics, truth, analyticity, reference, translation, the relationship between language and mind, and the social and political aspects of language use. [Prior to Fall 2010, this course carried the number PHIL 345.]

Critique of historical knowledge and methods; historical relativity; explanation and understanding in history; and philosophers of history such as Vico, Hegel, Marx, and Dilthey. [Prior to Fall 2010, this course carried the number PHIL 364.]

Experience and culture; institutions and historical processes; myth and symbol; and the origins of culture. [Prior to Fall 2010, this course carried the number PHIL 365.]

(Same as Religion 470.) Prerequisite: either Philosophy 358 or one course in religion. The religious and philosophical consciousness in confrontation with each other; investigation of their differing natures and methods; and exploration of their possible contribution to the clarification and solution of problems of mutual concern.

Intensive study and analysis of the thought of one major philosopher. May be repeated for credit when the subject varies.

Study of the nature of philosophy, relationships among the various fields of philosophy, and connections among various fundamental problems in philosophy, approached from the perspective of each student's own course of undergraduate study in philosophy. Required of all philosophy majors.

Seminars conducted jointly with other disciplines such as religion, literature, classics, psychology, and the natural sciences, in which the relation between the two disciplines is explored. May be repeated for credit when the topic varies.