| Philosophy |
PHIL 401 - General Introduction to Philosophy
Credits:
4.00
Depending upon the instructor, the emphasis will be on basic
philosophic problems, recurrent types of philosophies, or
selected readings from the history of philosophy.
PHIL 401H - Honors/General Introduction to Philosophy
Credits:
4.00
See description for PHIL 401. Writing intensive.
PHIL 401W - General Introduction to Philosophy
Credits:
4.00
See description for PHIL 401. Writing intensive.
PHIL 412 - Beginning Logic
Credits:
4.00
Principles of reasoning and development of symbolic
techniques for evaluating deductive and inductive arguments.
PHIL 412H - Honors/Beginning Logic
Credits:
4.00
See description for PHIL 412.
PHIL 417 - Philosophical Reflections on Religion
Credits:
4.00
Introductory philosophy of religion. To help students become
critically aware of philosophical issues involved in various
forms of religious belief and some of the persisting
philosophical understandings of those issues.
PHIL 421 - Philosophy and the Arts
Credits:
4.00
Contemporary philosophic concerns and perspectives as
reflected in one or more of the arts (literature, theatre,
film, music, plastic art). Writing intensive.
PHIL 421H - Honors/Philosophy and the Arts
Credits:
4.00
See description for PHIL 421. Writing intensive.
PHIL 424 - Science, Technology, and Society
Credits:
4.00
Consideration of the scientific endeavor and its social
import from a philosophical perspective.
PHIL 430 - Society and Morals
Credits:
4.00
Critical study of principles and arguments advanced in
discussion of current moral and social issues. Possible
topics: violence, rules of warfare, sexual morality, human
rights, punishment, abortion.
PHIL 430H - Honors/Society and Morals
Credits:
4.00
See description for PHIL 430.
PHIL 435 - Human Nature and Evolution
Credits:
4.00
Philosophy of biology and the evolutionary process. Readings
of scientists and philosophers' commentary on scientists.
Examination of the differences between scientific debate and
philosophic debate. Philosophical study of scientific theory
stressing humans' place in the natural world and the ethical
implication of humans as natural beings in the evolutionary
process.
PHIL 436 - Social and Political Philosophy
Credits:
4.00
Examination of social and political thought that may include
texts from ancient through contemporary times, addressing
topics such as natural rights, revolution, law, freedom,
justice, power. Questions may include: What is a community,
and how are individuals related to communities? Can any
particular form of government be morally justified, and if
so, what kind of government? Can anarchism work? Is there
something wrong with a society in which there is private
ownership of property? What is oppressive? What is freedom,
and are we free? What roles should different forms of power
play in a society? Could and should there be a genderless
society? Is ethnic diversity valuable?
PHIL 436W - Social and Political Philosophy
Credits:
4.00
See description for PHIL 436. Writing intensive.
PHIL 447 - Computer Power and Human Reason
Credits:
4.00
The historical origins of the science of computation. The
implications of the nature of information-processing for
understanding the mind-body relation. Examination of the
possible social, economic, and educational consequences of
the computer revolution.
PHIL 447H - Honors/Computer Power and Human Reason
Credits:
4.00
See description for PHIL 447.
PHIL 450 - Ecology and Values
Credits:
4.00
Focus on historical and contemporary philosophies of nature
and their effects on human interaction with the environment.
Issues include obligations to future generations and to
animals, plants, and ecosystems; moral limits on consumption
and reproduction; and the existence of objects of intrinsic
value. Specific topics may include species loss and
biological diversity, population growth, changes in the
atmosphere, energy use, and sustainable development.
PHIL 450H - Honors/Ecology and Values
Credits:
4.00
See description for PHIL 450.
PHIL 495 - Tutorial Reading
Credits:
1.00 to 4.00
Basic introductory reading under faculty direction on topics
of philosophical importance. Books offered for tutorial
reading may be in any area the instructor chooses or on
independent study basis. Prereq: permission.
PHIL 496 - Topics
Credits:
4.00
Introductory-level seminar in specific topics or problems
(e.g., death, love, friendship) considered from a
philosophic point of view.
PHIL 500 - Workshop
Credits:
4.00
Introduction to methods of studying philosophical texts.
Emphasis on reading philosophical texts and arguments for
comprehension, and on writing philosophically with accuracy
and clarity. Open to PHIL majors only (PHIL minors may
enroll if they receive permission). Writing intensive.
PHIL 510 - Philosophy and Feminism
Credits:
4.00
Focus on the philosophical issues in feminism primarily
through the work of historical and contemporary
philosophers. Topics include the question of the nature of
women, feminism as an ethical and political theory, feminism
as an exploration and transformation of the self, feminism
as a philosophical methodology, the institutions of marriage
and motherhood. Writing intensive.
PHIL 520 - Introduction to Eastern Philosophy
Credits:
4.00
Major Eastern traditions of philosophy. Concentration on
Indian, Chinese, and Japanese systems may vary from
semester to semester.
PHIL 525 - Existentialism
Credits:
4.00
Readings from existential philosophy and literature.
Selections may be drawn from the works of Kierkegaard,
Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, Camus, de Beauvoir, Buber,
Bultman, Merleau-Ponty, Tillich, Kafka, and others.
PHIL 530 - Moral Philosophy
Credits:
4.00
Critical examination of the development of philosophical
thinking regarding human values, rights, and duties.
PHIL 540 - Philosophy of Race and Racism
Credits:
4.00
Investigation of the concept of race and how different
understandings of race underlie racist and anti-racist
politics; exploration of how racism is interlocked with
gender, economic, and other forms of oppression. Questions
may include: What is racism? Do racial categories (such as
black, white, latino) have any scientific basis, or are they
socially constructed? If race is socially constructed, is it
still "real" and should it be treated as such? Should public
policies be "color-blind" with respect to race? Is whiteness
a problematic racial identity and what can white people do
about it? How is racism built into the structure of the
state? Can popular racial discourse serve to support racist
policies or attitudes even when it does not contain
explicitly racist claims?
PHIL #550 - Symbolic Logic
Credits:
4.00
Principles and techniques of modern logic. Topics:
propositional logic, truth tables, predicate logic, and,
time permitting, basic meta-theorems. Prereq: PHIL 412.
PHIL 560 - Philosophy Through Literature
Credits:
4.00
Philosophical implications of representative literary works,
read in tandem with philosophical works or articles. The
content will vary. The literary works explored may be drawn
from ancient times through modern times. For examples, the
classic Greek tragedy 'Antigone' might be explored for its
implications regarding moral, political, and feminist
philosophy, or the philosophical implications of an
anti-utopian contemporary work like 'Brave New World'
might be explored, or short stories drawn from science
fiction and other speculative fiction might be used to
explore the possibility of time travel or of machines with
mental lives. Writing intensive.
PHIL 570 - Ancient Philosophy
Credits:
4.00
Development of Western philosophy from its beginnings in
Greece to the Roman period, with particular emphasis on the
thought of Plato and Aristotle.
PHIL #571 - Medieval Philosophy
Credits:
4.00
Philosophical thought of the Middle Ages from inception in
in the late Roman period with thinkers such as Plotinus and
Augustine through the late medieval speculative mysticism of
such figures as Meister Eckhart. Writings of Augustine and
Thomas Aquinas.
PHIL 580 - Modern Philosophy from Descartes to Kant
Credits:
4.00
The rise of modern science, the discoveries in the new
world, disputes in both religious and political ideology,
and the ability to disseminate ideas broadly via print all
contributed to a tremendous flowering of philosophy in
17th and 18th century Europe. At first, a new era of
enlightenment was proclaimed in which reason would rule
in science and in human affairs. Later, reason was itself
subjected to rigorous rational scrutiny. This course traces
the birth and development of distinctively modern philosophy
in the thought of such creative minds as Galileo, Descartes,
Hobbes, Leibniz, Spinoza, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Rousseau,
Reis, Kant, and others. Prereq: PHIL 570 or permission.
PHIL #616 - 19th Century Philosophy
Credits:
4.00
Philosophical movements such as later German idealism,
French positivism, utilitarianism, pragmatism, Marxism,
existentialism, and vitalism. Prereq: PHIL 574 or 575;/ or
19th century philosophy developed from two profound
sources: Kant projected a complete philosophical system
of reason, while historical and anthropological studies
stressed the variability and gradual development of cultural
perspectives. This contrast posed fundamental issues about
how reason, truth, and knowledge relate to time, history,
and cultural diversity. These issues were addressed by
heterogeneous philosophical systems, including Hegel's
idealist rationalism; Schopenhauer's pessimism; Marx's
revolutionary materialism; Kierkegaard's reassertion of
religious faith; Nietzsche's critique of reason, religion,
and morality; the Positivism of Comte, Mill, and Mach;
American Pragmatism; and philosophical responses to
Darwin and to Freud. This course examines selected
themes and authors from this provocative century. Prereq:
PHIL 574 or 575;/or permission. Writing intensive.
PHIL 618 - 20th Century Anglo-American Philosophy
Credits:
4.00
Philosophical movements such as analytic philosophy,
pragmatism, and process philosophy. Typical readings:
Russell, Wittgenstein, James, Dewey, Whitehead. Prereq:
two courses in history of philosophy (one of which may be
concurrent);/or permission. Writing intensive.
PHIL 620 - 20th Century European Philosophy
Credits:
4.00
Major developments and themes. Representative figures:
Jaspers, Husserl, Heidegger, Bloch, Lukacs, Habermas,
Bergson, Marcel, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Ricoeur, Kolakowski,
etc. Prereq: two courses in history of philosophy (one of
which may be concurrent);/or permission. Writing intensive.
PHIL #630 - Philosophy of the Natural Sciences
Credits:
4.00
Philosophical problems raised by the physical and biological
sciences; role of mathematics in science, nature of
scientific concepts of space and time, relations of science
to common sense, relation of theory to observation, logic of
scientific discovery, nature of historical changes in
scientific world view, relation of logic of science to the
psychology, and history of science. Writing intensive.
PHIL 635 - Philosophy of Law
Credits:
4.00
Systematic study of salient features of legal systems.
Possible topics: nature of law; concept of legal validity;
law and morality; individual liberty and the law; legal
punishment; legal responsibility and related concepts (for
example, legal cause, harm, mens rea, negligence, strict
liability, legal insanity). Writing intensive.
PHIL #650 - Logic: Scope and Limits
Credits:
4.00
Close examination of the scope and limits of formal systems.
Variable content: consistency and completeness of predicate
logic; Godel's proof and the formalization of mathematics;
modal and deontic logic; set theory; finite automata and
computing machines; and formal semantics. Prereq: PHIL 550;
MATH 531;/equivalents or permission.
PHIL 660 - Law, Medicine, and Morals
Credits:
4.00
Critical examination of the diverse legal and moral issues
facing the profession of health care. Variable topics.
Possible topics: duty to provide care; nature of informed
consent to treatment; problems of allocating limited
health-care resources (e.g., withdrawal of life-support
systems, quality -of-life decisions, etc.); patient's right
to confidentiality; problems relating to involuntary
preventive care (e.g., involuntary sterilization,
psycho-surgery, etc.). Writing intensive.
PHIL #683 - Technology: Philosophical and Ethical Issues
Credits:
4.00
The bases of modern technology in, and its impact upon,
people's philosophic conceptions of themselves and their
world. Ethical, social, political, and ecological
implications of technology. Risk and benefit criteria.
Technological and humanistic philosophies of life. Writing
intensive.
PHIL 699 - Senior Thesis
Credits:
4.00
Tutorial work for philosophy department candidates for
"Commendation" and "Honors." Prereq: two courses in
history of philosophy, senior standing, and permission.
CR/F. Writing intensive.
PHIL 701 - Topics in Value Theory
Credits:
4.00
Philosophical inquiry into the nature of value. Topics may
include the grounds of right and wrong, various conceptions
of morality, the nature of good and evil, theories about the
meaning of life, the nature of the beautiful. Prereq:
permission. Writing intensive.
PHIL 702 - Topics in Metaphysics and Epistemology
Credits:
4.00
Advanced study in one or more of the following topics:
nature of reality, relationship of thought and reality,
nature of knowledge and perception, theories of truth.
Prereq: two courses in history of philosophy;/or permission.
Writing intensive.
PHIL #710 - Philosophy of Religion
Credits:
4.00
Philosophic nature and significance of religious experience;
historical and systematic analysis of such traditional
issues as the nature of faith, relation of faith to reason,
arguments concerning the existence and nature of God, the
problem of evil, the relationship of religion and morality,
and the relationship of religion and science. Prereq: two
courses in history of philosophy;/or permission. Writing
intensive.
PHIL 720 - Philosophical Psychology
Credits:
4.00
Philosophical perspectives and problems concerning human
nature or the human condition; e.g., the nature of "self,"
human action, the body-mind problem, freedom of the will,
the meaning of "person," the nature of behavior, etc.
Prereq: two courses in history of philosophy or permission.
Writing intensive.
PHIL #725 - Philosophy of the Social Sciences
Credits:
4.00
Nature of explanation and understanding in the social
sciences. Similarities and differences between the social
and physical sciences; claims of objectivity and of
subjectivity in the social sciences; role of values in the
social sciences. Prereq: two courses in history of
philosophy;/or permission. Writing intensive.
PHIL #735 - Major Figures in Philosophy
Credits:
4.00
Content variable. In-depth examination of a major figure
(e.g. Aristotle, Kant, Heidegger) or movement (logical
positivism, phenomenology, feminism, etc.). Prereq: two
courses in history of philosophy;/or permission. Writing
intensive.
PHIL #745 - Philosophy of Language
Credits:
4.00
Contemporary philosophical studies of the nature of meaning
and structure of language. Prereq: two courses in history of
philosophy;/or permission. Writing intensive.
PHIL #750 - Philosophy of History
Credits:
4.00
Nature of historical knowledge, efforts to discover patterns
of meaning in the past. Prereq: two courses in history of
philosophy;/or permission. Writing intensive.
PHIL #755 - Environmental Ethics
Credits:
4.00
Exploration of moral issues, principles, and perspectives
involved in human behavior toward, and treatment of, the
natural environment. Various historical and contemporary
ethical perspectives compared and evaluated, e.g.,
utilitarianism, natural law tradition, deep ecology,
anthropocentrism, eco-feminism, as well as other social and
religious approaches. For graduate students and advanced
undergraduates. Prereq: one course on environmental issues
(PHIL 450 or EC 635) or permission. Writing intensive.
PHIL 780 - Special Topics
Credits:
4.00
Advanced study of special topics: a problem, figure, or
movement in the history of philosophy; or selected issues,
thinkers, or developments in contemporary philosophy.
Prereq: two courses in history of philosophy;/or permission.
Writing intensive.
PHIL 795 - Independent Study
Credits:
1.00 to 4.00
For students who are adequately prepared to do independent,
advanced philosophical work; extensive reading and writing.
Before registering, students must formulate a project and
secure the consent of a department member who will supervise
the work. Conferences and/or written work as required by the
supervisor. Writing intensive.
PHIL 796 - Independent Study
Credits:
1.00 to 4.00
See description for PHIL 795. Writing intensive.
PHIL 798 - Honors Thesis
Credits:
4.00
Open only to philosophy majors in the University Honors
Program. Students writing an honors thesis must take both
of these courses, in consecutive semesters, under the
supervision of two faculty advisers. Students are required
to give an oral defense of their thesis.
Prerequisite for 799: satisfactory grade on written work
in 798. Writing intensive.
PHIL 799 - Honors Thesis
Credits:
4.00
See description for PHIL 798. Writing intensive.