Philosophy Department
Course Offerings
Phil 100: Search in Philosophy
(Study Area I), [Mode 1]
Introduction to the techniques and
perspectives of philosophical inquiry.
Phil 112: Introduction to Philosophy
(Study Area I), [Mode 1]
Introduction to the
techniques and perspectives of philosophical inquiry. Content may vary
from section to section.
Phil 121: Introduction to Philosophy Through Literature
(Study Area I)
Introduction to
philosophical inquiry pursued through literary works. Topics covered
include the nature of literary understanding, its relation to philosophical
inquiry, and the meaning and grounds of philosophical ideas about the identity
and interpretations of a work of literature.
Phil 135: Nature, Mind, and Science
(Study Area I)
This course
will focus on the philosophical issues involved in the development of the
natural sciences, including the ancient Greek science of Plato and Aristotle,
the cosmological revolution from Copernicus to Newton, and Darwin's
theory of evolution. Attention will be paid to the way in which scientific
theories interact with philosophical ideas and the social context of science,
including issues of race, gender, and class.
Phil 144: Moral Issues
(Study Area I), [Mode 1]
A critical
examination (both practical and theoretical) of issues arising in the private
and public conduct of one's life. Typical issues for examination are: abortion,
violence, capital punishment, and conflicts between personal values and
professional duties.
Phil 220: Introduction to Logic
(Skill Area I), [Mode 1]
This course
includes practice at formulating arguments with clarity and precision.
Attention is focused both on the structures of individual statements used in
arguments and on the various ways in which one statement can be validly
inferred from others. Problems will be solved using two systems of logical
symbols: the propositional calculus and the predicate calculus.
Phil 222: Philosophy and Gender
[Mode 1]
Study of attitudes
to gender in the history of philosophy, discussion of recent and contemporary
issues and texts, and an introduction to feminist thought. Prerequisite:
three credits in Philosophy or permission of instructor.
Phil 230: Ancient Greek Philosophy
[Mode 1]
This course
explores certain themes that begin with pre-Socratic philosophers such as the
Pythagoreans, the Eleatics, and the Pluralists and culminates in the work of
Plato and Aristotle. Ancient Greek philosophy begins with the problem of
"physics", i.e. the nature of nature, which persists through
Aristotle, but also develops, beginning with Socrates, a humanistic turn more
concerned with the nature of the human. Throughout, ancient Greek philosophy
seeks the difference between essence and appearance, and wisdom about the best
sort of human life. This will be a text-based discussion course.
Phil 232: Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy
[Mode 1, Mode 5]
An examination of
representative philosophers from the Medieval and Renaissance periods, such as
Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Scotus, Ockham and Erasmus. Topics may
include free will and divine predestination, God's existence outside of time,
the nature of sin and virtue. Prerequisite:
Phil 230 or permission of Instructor.
Phil 235: Philosophy of Social Science
(Study Area I)
Study of
philosophical questions related to the social sciences, including the origin
and nature of social science, the relation between social science and natural
science, and the place of values and objectivity in social science.
Authors to be studied include John Stuart Mill, Karl Marx, Herbert Spencer,
Anthony Giddens and others.
Phil 240: Ethical Problems in Business
[Mode 1]
Critical
examination, both practical and theoretical, of contemporary moral problems in
business such as ethical investment, questionable foreign payments, disclosure,
dumping, mergers, job discrimination, whistle blowing and big and small
business responsibilities and regulation.
Phil 241: Environmental Ethics
[Mode 1]
Problems concerning
how people treat the land, the air, the wildlife, and the plant-life prompt the
questions: Are our traditional ethical notions fit to deal with these
problems? If not, what should take their place and why? Given that
there is both a great deal of confusion and widespread heated controversy about
these questions and the environmental problems that prompt them, what should be
done about the problems? The course will center around these questions.
Each student will be required to write two papers and a final, and to present a
research report to the whole class.
Phil 242: Ethical Problems in Technology
[Mode 1]
Critical
examination (both practical and theoretical) of contemporary moral problems in
technology, ranging from modern farming and manufacturing technologies to
recombinant DNA, nuclear, modern surgical and computer technologies.
Phil 245: Computer Ethics
Ethical problems have become
critical issues in nearly every aspect of digital technology. This course
will examine the diverse array of topics faced regularly by computing
professionals, policy-makers, and the public. The role of values and
conduct in computing will be examined in actual context and in multiple
dimensions, including philosophical, legal, and technical perspectives.
Phil 248: Philosophy of the Arts
(Study Area I), [Mode 1, Mode 4]
Philosophical analysis
of some of the concepts used in identifying, describing and evaluating both
works of art and aesthetic experience: expression, representation, form,
content, interpretation. Prerequisite: One
course in philosophy or permission of instructor.
Phil 250: Introduction to Asian Philosophy
(Study Area I), [Mode 1]
Broad survey of
Indian and Chinese philosophical traditions, with readings from original
sources in translation.
Phil 255: Philosophy of Religion
(Study Area I), [Mode 1]
A focus on
discussions about religious experience construed broadly – experience which
feels unusually meaningful, unusually authentic, unusually complete. Some of
these discussions arise within the traditions of religious institutions; some
arise independently of such institutions. Many deal with techniques for
increasing a person’s access to this sort of unusual experience. Prereq: Phil.
112 or Phil. 220 or permission of the instructor.
Phil 260: African Philosophy
(Study Area I), [Mode 1]
This course surveys
the most prominent concepts, themes, and arguments in written African
philosophy. We will examine the "rationality debate" concerning
similarities and differences between traditional thinking and scientific
thinking. The course especially emphasizes Leopold Senghor's concept of
negritude and Kwame Nkrumah's concept of consciencism. We will discuss
issues from each of the four approaches that Odera Oruka thinks have been most
significant in the field: ethnophilosophy, sagacity philosophy,
liberation philosophy, professional philosophy.
Phil 275 Chinese Philosophy
(Study Area I), [Mode 1, Mode 3]
Survey of Chinese
philosophy from ancient times to the modern era, including early Confucianism
and Taoism, Chinese Buddhist schools, Neo-Confucianism and China’s reaction to
Western Thought.
Phil 290: Intermediate Seminar
Required for majors
and concentrates entering the program this year; advisable and open to
others. Presentations by several members of the philosophy faculty of
their specializations. Intended to encourage intellectual community both
with other students and with faculty, and a sense of personal involvement with
a variety of philosophical topics. Prerequisite:
major or minor in philosophy, or permission of seminar coordinator.
Phil 320: Modern Logic
[Mode 1]
An examination of topics of philosophical importance in
modern logic, including: the relation between proof and truth in the
light of the incompleteness results of Kurt Godel; the concept of computable
functions and the Turing machine model; problems of existence and ontological
commitments in predicate logic, and the scope and limits of logic as a
framework for philosophy, with special reference to the work of Bertrand
Russell. Prerequisite: Phil 220.
Phil 330: Early Modern Philosophy
[Mode 1]
European philosophy from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment, including
Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant; ontology,
epistemology, metaphysics, the beginnings of science, and the classical
foundations of political and ethical theory, psychology and sociology. Prerequisite:
Phil 112.
Phil 332: The Age of Ideology
[Mode 1]
Major issues of the
nineteenth century: the era of Darwin, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Marx,
and others, focusing on metaphysics, epistemology, political philosophy and
philosophy of history. Topics include philosophical background to
continential philosophy, liberal, conservative and socialist ideologies, and
the scientific doctrines of evolutionism and mechanism. Prerequisites:
Phil 112 or Phil 330 or permission of instructor.
Phil 342: Ethical Issues Confronting the Geriatric Patient
Preq: Phil 144 or
246 or permission of instructor. This course will examine major ethical
issues arising in the course of treating the elderly patient as well as those
arising from decisions not to treat these patients, including: do not
resuscitate orders, the replacing of feeding tubes, medical futility, home
health and assisted living vs. long-term residency, living wills and surrogate
decision-making, and complications of early hospital discharge.
Phil 346: Ethical Theory
[Mode 1]
Examinations of
theories of ethics from Aristotle, to Kant, Mill and contemporary thinkers,
with emphasis on the analysis of philosophical concepts and their application
to real world situations. Prerequisite: one
previous course in philosophy.
Phil 349: Philosophy of Law
[Mode 1, Mode 7]
The nature of law
and of such correlative concepts as legal rights, obligations, responsibility
and punishment. The logic of judicial
reasoning. The relationship between law
and morality.
Phil 360: African-American Philosophy
Critical
examination of the writings of African-American philosophers such as Booker T.
Washington, W.E.B. du Bois, Alexander Crummel, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr., Malcolm X, and Cornell West. Addresses issues in moral, social and
political philosophy.
Phil 366: Existentialism
(Study Area I), [Mode 1, Mode 3]
Some of the
important existentialists in the 19th and 20th centuries, focusing on questions
concerning human existence, such as freedom, responsibility, anguish,
interpersonal relationship, and the meaning (or lack of meaning) of human
existence itself.
Phil 368: Contemporary Epistemology and Metaphysics
Study of
relations between language, thought, and reality by reference to the works of
leading 20th century thinkers, both analytic and others. Prerequisites:
Phil 220 and Phil 330, or permission of instructor.
Phil 376: Buddhist Philosophy
Critical survey
of Buddhist philosophy from its Indian beginnings to its development in China,
including contemporary aspects. Primary source material is used to
illustrate key doctrinal developments. This
course was formerly Phil 276, so students who took Phil 276 may not receive
credit for Phil 376..
Phil 382: Special Topics in Philosophy
[Mode 1]
Study of topics
not dealt with in other philosophy courses. Prerequisite: One
course in philosophy, or permission of instructor.
Phil 400: Seminar in Philosophy
Study of selected topics as announced.
Prerequisite: Phil 220 and Phil
330, or permission of instructor.
Phil 440: Project in Applied Ethics
Research in applied ethics. May
include a practicum. Prerequisite: Phil 220, Phil
346 and six credits from Phil 144, Phil 222, Phil 240, Phil 241, Phil 242, Phil
349, HHSP 246, HHSP 341, HHSP 342.
Phil 441: Philosophy Honors Thesis
Undergraduate thesis on a topic in
philosophy.. Prerequisite: major in philosophy
and approval of department.
Phil 492: Independent Study
Individual
research in selected topics. Open to any student who wishes to pursue a
topic of special interest for which the student is qualified. Prerequisite:
permission of instructor.
RELIGION COURSES
| Rel 105 Development of Modern Christian Thought |
| Development of Christian Thought Fall. (E)
Study Area I Critical survey of the central, formative ideas of
Christian thought and their development from New Testament times
to the present. 3.000 Credit Hours 3.000 Lecture hours Levels: Doctorate, Graduate, Undergraduate Schedule Types: Independent Study, Lecture, Online Instruction School of Arts & Sciences College Philosophy Department Course Attributes: Arts and Humanities -SA1 |
| Rel 110 World Religions |
| World Religions Study Area I [I]
Investigation of the essence of religion, the variety of
religious phenomena and systems, and various approaches to the
study of religion. 3.000 Credit Hours 3.000 Lecture hours Levels: Doctorate, Graduate, Undergraduate Schedule Types: Independent Study, Lecture, Online Instruction School of Arts & Sciences College Philosophy Department Course Attributes: Arts and Humanities -SA1, International Requirement |
| Rel 250 Japanese Religion |
| Japanese Religion Spring. Study Area I [I]
Survey of Japanese religion from ancient times to the modern
era, including Shinto, Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism. and the
new religions. 3.000 Credit Hours 3.000 Lecture hours Levels: Doctorate, Graduate, Undergraduate Schedule Types: Independent Study, Lecture, Online Instruction School of Arts & Sciences College Philosophy Department Course Attributes: Arts and Humanities -SA1 |
| Rel 256 Philosophy, Religion and Culture |
| Philosophy, Religion, and Culture Spring.
Study Area I [I] Philosophic examination of religious concepts,
themes, and arguments about what is most deep and rich n human
experience, as this is revealed by literature, film and other
forms of expressive culture. 3.000 Credit Hours 3.000 Lecture hours Levels: Doctorate, Graduate, Undergraduate Schedule Types: Independent Study, Lecture, Online Instruction School of Arts & Sciences College Philosophy Department Course Attributes: Arts and Humanities -SA1 |
| Rel 257 Special Topics in Religion |
| Special Topics in Religion On demand.
Study of selected topics in religion to be announced. Students
may not take this course under the same topic more than once.
3.000 TO 6.000 Credit Hours 3.000 TO 6.000 Other hours Levels: Doctorate, Graduate, Undergraduate Schedule Types: Independent Study, Lecture, Online Instruction School of Arts & Sciences College Philosophy Department |
| Rel 361 African American Religion |
| African-American Religion Spring. (E)
Examines history, leadership, dynamics, theology, and cultural
milieu of African-American religion with focus on religious
experience and on spiritual response to social, economic and
political oppression and exploitation. 3.000 Credit Hours 3.000 Lecture hours Levels: Doctorate, Graduate, Undergraduate Schedule Types: Independent Study, Lecture, Online Instruction School of Arts & Sciences College Philosophy Department |