1000 level courses.
2000 level courses.
3000 level courses.
4000 level courses.

1000 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY is designed to introduce students to the fundamental issues in philosophy. Questions raised in this course may include ones such as the following: What is the fundamental character of reality? What can we know and what indeed is knowledge? Is the world, hence ourselves, fated to some certain outcome? Can we be certain of other minds or indeed can we be certain of anything? Are moral principles objective and knowable? Specific course content varies by semester but generally includes both classical and contemporary works.
Phil 1000 satisfies the Ideals and Values General Degree Requirement (GDR).

1010 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY: ANCIENT develops three related themes: the emergence in antiquity of a peculiarly scientific mode of thinking; the place of religious belief within this developing scientific world view; and the force of ethical speculations within the culture and political climates of ancient Greece and Rome. The course enables students to see some of the ways in which ancient philosophy sets the agenda for our approaches to a significant set of problems regarding human values and their place in a naturalistic, scientific world view.
Phil 1010 satisfies the Historical Context GDR.

1020 INTRODUCTION TO WESTERN PHILOSOPHY: MODERN is an historical introduction to several central philosophical texts and doctrines of 17th and 18th century Europe, during which time the modern scientific worldview was established. The course gives special attention to the connection between philosophical ideas and the wider historical milieu-- social, political and literary. The course enables students to study historical problems of 17th and 18th century Europe from the unique perspective of general philosophical ideas. Readings in this course typically include selections from both the Rationalist school, exemplified by Descartes, and the Empiricists, exemplified by Hume.
Phil 1020 satisfies the Historical Context GDR.

1100 ETHICS is an introductory study of major philosophies on the nature of the good for humanity, principles of evaluation, and moral choice. The emphasis is on seeing how various moral perspectives can be brought to bear on specific moral problems. These problems will vary from course to course but may include some of the following: Is morality just up to the individual or is it 'objective'? Is euthanasia wrong, or suicide, or abortion? Are we obliged to tell the truth and, if so, why? What moral considerations are required for us to address these questions? What kind of person should I be and what kind of life will lead to genuine happiness?
Phil 1100 satisfies the Ideals and Values GDR.

1200 PHILOSOPHY AND SOCIETY introduces philosophical thought through critical analysis of our own society, its institutions, and principles. The course will examine important philosophical writings and arguments as they relate to such ideals and values of American society as justice, individual rights, freedom, welfare and community. Specific controversies that may be addressed include justice and affirmative action; abortion, euthanasia and the right to life; rights of animals; capital punishment; nuclear deterrence and strategic defense. The goal of the course is to help enable students to think and write critically about moral and value issues such as these.
Phil 1200 satisfies either the Ideals and Values GDR or part of the United States Context GDR, but not both.

1400 PHILOSOPHY AND THE SCIENCES considers philosophical topics and concepts related to the natural sciences, such as science and pseudo-science; scientific method; the nature of explanation, theory, confirmation, and falsification; the effect of science on basic concepts like mind, freedom, time, and causality; ethics of experimentation; and the relation of science to society. The aim of the course is to make students aware of what science is and is not, and of what it can and cannot do. Questions that may be posed include: What demarcates natural sciences such as physics and astronomy from pseudo-sciences such as astrology and the occult? Is evolutionary theory more scientific than creationism? Why or why not? Other topics that may be discussed include the progression of science over the millennia and the methodology of scientific explanation.
Phil 1400 partially satisfies the Natural Sciences GDR.

1440 INTRODUCTORY LOGIC is an introductory study of the nature of logic and its applications. It studies the importance of precise definitions, recognizing the structure of arguments, identifying fallacious arguments, and other principles of correct reasoning. This course will allow students to practice analyzing, evaluating, and constructing frequently encountered types of arguments and to become familiar with the place of argumentation in philosophical thought.
Phil 1440 does not fulfill the Major requirement in logic.

1600 PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION - The purpose of this course is to help students think clearly and critically about religious concepts and beliefs. Topics may include (but are not limited to): arguments for and against the existence of God (Is there any reason to believe that there is, or isn't a God?), the problem of evil (Why would an all-powerful God permit evil in the world?), religious experience (Can it be a source of genuine knowledge?), faith and reason (Is it ever OK to believe something without sufficient evidence?), life after death (Is there any reason to believe in such a thing?) and the conflicting claims of different religious traditions (Must a person who accepts one of them believe that all the others are simply wrong?).
Phil 1600 satisfies the Ideals and Values GDR.

1700 PHILOSOPHY AND THE ARTS is intended as an introduction to philosophical issues and theories concerning the arts. It aims at the same time to stimulate them to a more active engagement with artworks--seeing works of art as part of an ongoing and meaningful dialogue concerning the nature of life and art, rather than just distant objects to be revered or avoided. Through reading both classical and contemporary discussions of the arts, students should come away from the course with knowledge of several classical philosophers of art, knowledge of several major theories of art, some sense of the sweep of art history, and some sense of the intellectual and cultural problems that affect the arts today.

1750 PHILOSOPHY THROUGH LITERATURE introduces the study of philosophy through literature. Selected novels, plays, and short stories which exemplify traditional problems in philosophy are read and discussed. The readings will vary with instructors.

1800 OPEN TOPICS IN PHILOSOPHY includes a variety of new courses at the introductory level. Course content may be in any area of philosophy. See current departmental announcements for specific course listing.

Prerequisite for 2000 level courses is three hours of philosophy or instructor's consent.

2140 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE Traditional and contemporary theories of justice are employed in order to critically analyze social and political issues that have important environmental dimensions. The relationship of justice and equity to the presuppositions of national and global environmental issues and policies is assessed.

2200 MAJOR SOCIAL THEORIES is an introductory study of major philosophies of the past in relation to political, economic, and social issues. The basic goal of the course is to familiarize the student with the works of western social and political philosophy, but it may include works that challenge this tradition (e.g., feminism, native American conceptions, and so on). Philosophers studied typically include Plato and Aristotle and the Greek tradition; Locke, Hobbes, Rousseau and the social contract tradition; Mill and the utilitarian tradition; and Marx. Questions raised may include: What are the obligations of the state to its citizens?, What are= human rights?, What is justice?, and, What is a fair distribution of wealth in a society?.

Phil 2200 satisfies the Ideals and Values GDR.

2220 THE NATURE OF LAW examines basic principles and values embodied in the United States legal system. This course will explore how general jurisprudential theories, such as legal positivism, natural law, and legal realism, are related to our legal system. There will also be a philosophical examination of the principles underlying some selected areas of law, as well as the nature of legal reasoning. Its object is to provide the student an opportunity to examine philosophically the American system of justice.
Phil 2220 satisfies the U. S. Context GDR.

2230 LAW AND MORALITY examines selected problems concerning the relation between law and morality. Legal values play a central role in American society. An understanding of the principles which underlay various areas of the law contributes to the students' understanding of this important aspect of our culture. Among the subjects that may be considered are abortion, privacy, affirmative action, pornography, and capital punishment. The topics selected may vary with instructors but these are the issues that will be examined.
Phil 2230 satisfies the Contemporary Societies GDR.

2290 PHILOSOPHY AND WOMEN provides for the exploration of different approaches to the study of women. Course content will vary with instructors. The course may set out the feminist approach to a wide variety of philosophical issues, asking questions, such as "In what way does the feminist perspective contribute to our understanding of moral judgment?; the nature of knowledge and the ways in which it may be biased by gender?; the nature of scientific inquiry?". It may address moral issues of importance to women, such as abortion, affirmative action, rape, pornography, motherhood, etc. And it may explore the feminist critique of contemporary society, social values, and social practices. (Same as WMST 2290)
Phil 2290 satisfies the Culture and Gender Diversity GDR.

2390 PHILOSOPHY AND PSYCHOLOGY is a course with an inter-disciplinary emphasis, focusing on issues that are common to both philosophical and psychological inquiries. Such topics as the nature of mind, the self, psychotherapy, human motivation, choice, and the relation of mind to body, have been analyzed by Western philosophers since the ancient Greeks, and often arise in psychologies as well. Selected readings in philosophy and psychology that deal with some of these issues will be studied with particular attention to how philosophical considerations appear in psychological writings.

2440 SYMBOLIC LOGIC is a first course in mathematical logic. Topics include sentential logic, quantification, and some of the basic concepts and results of metalogic, namely, interpretations, validity, and soundness. This course may also include some aspects of set theory and GÅdel's completeness proof.

2610 FROM PAGANISM TO CHRISTIANITY studies the history of Greek and Roman religion from its Bronze Age origins through the rise of Christianity. Same as Classics 2610/

2800 OPEN TOPICS provides for a variety of new courses at the sophomore level. See current departmental announcements for specific content.

Prerequisite for 3000 level courses is six hours of philosophy or instructor's consent.

3000 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY: ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL studies the origins of Western philosophical thought as it developed in ancient Greece and the middle ages. A wide range of philosophers, such as the pre-Socratics, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, and the Stoics, Aquinas, Occam, etc., may be discussed. Specific topics are generally centered around knowledge, both of the external world and of ethical principles, and the fundamental character of reality. These philosophies are set in their historical context by attending to the literary, scientific, political--in a word cultural--setting that both gave rise to them and was, in turn, conditioned by them.
Phil 3000 satisfies the Historical Context GDR.

3010 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY: MODERN studies major European philosophical works of the 17th and 18th centuries, covering the period from Descartes to Kant. The original writings of these philosophers will be studied, and special attention will be paid to the ways in which these thinkers participated in and responded to major developments in 17th and 18th century Europe, such as the shift of authority from the church to the state and the revolution in the natural sciences which was brought about by the physics of Galileo and Newton.
Phil 3010 satisfies the Historical Context GDR.

3100 ETHICAL THEORY studies the major theories in ethics. Actual content will vary from semester to semester. Ordinarily, however, the Greek (e.g. Aristotelian) conception of the good and of virtue, the Kantian right and duty based conception of morality, and various utilitarian positions will be examined and evaluated. One goal of the course is to foster the development of the critical skills needed to identify value assumptions and the implications of value systems. Questions raised may include "Are values and moral judgments subjective?"; "What is the character of moral judgment?"; "Is happiness, in the sense of satisfying desires, the good?"; "What sorts of grounds justify moral judgments?".

Phil 3100 satisfies the Ideals and Values GDR

3110 FEMINIST PRACTICAL ETHICS will explore a variety of personal and public policy issues in the light of the basic feminist commitment to opposing women's subordination. Such an exploration should provide students not only with a deeper understanding of the specific issues discussed but also with: 1) a sense of the ways in which a principled commitment to feminism may influence as well as be influenced by prevailing interpretations of contemporary ideals and values such as freedom, equality and community; 2) an opportunity for developing skills of critical analysis useful in a wide range of contexts.
Phil 3110 satisfies the Ideals and Values GDR.

3140 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS examines the major traditions in moral philosophy to see what light may be shed on value issues in environmental policy and the value presuppositions of the economic, ecological and juridical approaches to the environment. It is difficult to overstate the importance of the environment, and therefore of the institutions and social forces that affect it. Our lives are shaped by the environment in many ways: culturally, politically, and economically. Environmental issues have become especially important in the post World War II period. For the first time humankind has the capacity to destroy the very conditions of life on the planet. Our ability to relate ethically with other creatures has been outrun by our ability to affect them adversely. This course builds upon various traditions in moral philosophy to ask fundamental questions about the nature of our environmental crisis. Particular attention is focused on whether we need new values to live in harmony with nature or whether we can modify and extend those that are in our tradition. Topics may include: the pros and cons of environmental regulation and individual responsibility; the rights of non-human animals and of inanimate nature; our obligations to future generations; the relation of the western worldview to our understanding of our relationship to nature.
Prerequisites: junior standing, Phil 1100, 1200, 2200, 3100, or 3200.
Phil 3140 satisfies the Ideals and Values GDR.

3160 BIOETHICS analyzes ethical problems involved in such issues as abortion, euthanasia, organ transplants, eugenics, treatment of the patient as a person, and the institutional nature of the health care delivery system.
Prerequisites: upper division standing
Phil 3160 satisfies the Ideals and Values GDR

3180 CRITICAL THINKING: CONTEMPORARY TOPICS will teach students critical thinking skills and then have them apply these skills to the analysis of currently debated topics. These topics may include affirmative action, nuclear deterrence and star wars, abortion, pornography, multiculturalism, political correctness and so forth. The course will enable students to identify and evaluate complex chains of reasoning, and to produce sound arguments free of common mistakes. Students will be required to make critiques of written and oral arguments in a supportive but critical environment.
Prerequisites: junior standing.
Phil 3180 satisfies the Ideals and Values GDR.

3190 WAR AND MORALITY focuses on moral issues raised by war as a human institution. What are the justifications, limits, and alternatives? Does the advent of nuclear weapons change the nature of way?
Phil 3190 satisfies the Ideals and Values GDR

3200 SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY consists of systematic discussion and analysis of selected concepts central to social and political philosophy. Topics will vary with instructors but may include the community, the meaning and value of freedom and of autonomy, the nature and limits of political power, the meaning of violence and of non-violence, human rights, the meaning of justice, the concept of well-being, and the grounds of political obligation.
Phil 3200 satisfies the Ideals and Values GDR

3260 INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS examines the international human rights movement and the philosophical issues it raises. Topics include the history and documents of the human rights movement, the nature and grounds of human rights, skeptical doubts about human rights, and the relevance of human rights to US foreign policy.
Prerequisites: Upper division standing
Phil 3260 satisfies the Ideals and Values GDR

3340 EPISTEMOLOGY is a study of some of the main topics in the theory of knowledge. These include evidence, justification, prediction, explanation, scepticism, and concept acquisition. Texts will consist of books and articles by major figures, both historical and contemporary. This course is intended for advanced philosophy undergraduates.
Prerequisites: Philosophy 2440

3410 HISTORY OF SCIENCE: ANCIENTS TO NEWTON surveys the history of science up to Newton, including the emergence of scientific modes of thinking from religious and philosophical roots in the Near East and Greece to the development of these modes in the Middle Ages and Renaissance period. The course culminates with Isaac Newton and the seventeenth century scientific revolution. Among the figures who may be discussed are Aristotle, Archimedes, Euclid, Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Descartes, Harvey and Newton. (Same as NASC 3420)
Prerequisite: one year college science and upper division standing or instructor's consent.
Phil 3410 partially satisfies the Natural Science and Historical Context GDRs.

3430 HISTORY OF SCIENCE: NEWTON TO EINSTEIN surveys the history of physical and biological science, from the epoch making achievements of Charles Darwin in biology to the dawn of the twentieth-century revolutions in physics, chemistry, and genetics. This course deals with the success of the mechanical philosophy of nature and its problems.
Phil 3430 partially satisfies the Natural Science and Historical Context GDRs

3480 CRITICAL THINKING IN PHILOSOPHY introduces critical reasoning through a discussion of several major philosophical issues and arguments. This course stresses the rigorous analysis of concepts and evaluation of inferences and arguments. Topic discussed will vary with instructors.  Covers the writing of philosophy papers, the reading of articles, and the extraction oand evaluation of arguments.  Restricted t ojunior or senior  philosophy majors.  Prereq. or coreq., PHIL 2440.
Phil 3480 satisfies the Critical Thinking or Written Communication GDR.

3600 PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION introduces philosophical discussion of fundamental issues in religion, such as the existence of God, religious experience, faith and reason, evil, immortality and religious language.
Phil 3600 satisfies the Ideals and Values GDR

3610 FROM PAGANISM TO CHRISTIANITY studies the history of Greek and Roman religion from its Bronze Age origins through the rise of Christianity. Same as Classics 3610.

3700 AESTHETIC THEORY introduces major theories of aesthetics and contemporary discussions of problems in aesthetics, including, but not limited to, the nature of art and evaluation of art and literature.

3800 OPEN TOPICS IN PHILOSOPHY covers a variety of new courses at the 3000 level. See current departmental announcements for specific content.

Prerequisite for 4000 level courses is twelve hours of philosophy or instructor's consent.

4010 SINGLE PHILOSOPHER intensive study of one systematic philosophy with attention to the scope, methods, and integrity accomplished by it.

4040 TWENTIETH-CENTURY PHILOSOPHY studies two or three major philosophies prominent during the analytic movement of the present century.

4070 EXISTENTIALISM examines central figures and texts in the existential tradition, from Nietzsche and Kierkegaard to Heidegger and Sartre.

4080 INTRODUCTION TO PHENOMENOLOGY. Examines the work of Edmund Husserl and subsequent phenomenologists (e.g., Heideger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty).

4090/5090 PHILOSOPHY OF KIERKEGAARD Primarily an analysis of selected texts of Soren Kierkegaard. Specific topics considered include Kierkegaard's notions of Christianity, faith, the Paradox, truth, reason, and history.

4110/5110 CONTEMPORARY MORAL THEORY will provide an in-depth lookat some recent work in moral theory. Topics covered, varying from year to year, may include: consequentialism and its critics; virtue theory; moral psychology; impartiality and the personal point of view.
Prerequisite: Philosophy 3100.

4200/5200 CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY This course will provide a survey of recent approaches to political philosophy: liberalism (John Rawls, Ronald Dworkin); libertarianism (Robert Nozick); communitarianism (Michael Sandel, Alastair MacIntyre); and feminism (Alison Jaggar).

4210 ANCIENT POLITICAL THOUGHT Study of the main representatives of political philosophy in antiquity (Plato, Aristotle, Cicero) and of the most important concepts and values of ancient political thought. Same as CLAS 4041, HIST 4041, and PSCI 4094.

4250 MARXISM historically and systematically studies the principle themes of Marxist thought, from its Hegelian origins to its contemporary varieties, particularly emphasizing the works of Marx and Engels themselves.

4260/5260 PHILOSOPHY OF LAW examines various theories concerning the nature of law and its role within society. The course will focus on selected issues in contemporary jurisprudential theory. Graduate students taking it will be expected to do additional work and to master selected advanced topics.

4300/5300 PHILOSOPHY OF MIND addresses various problems and philosophical themes in the philosophy of mind. Topics may include: the relation between mind, body, and behavior; the nature of consciousness, sensation, and mental representation; the source of our knowledge of other minds. This course is primarily an advanced undergraduate course. Graduate students taking it will be expected to do additional work and to master advanced topics.
Prerequisites: restricted to students with 12 credit hours of philosophy including PHIL 2440, PHIL 3000, and PHIL 3010.

4360/5360 METAPHYSICS addresses traditional and contemporary theories of the basic categories of reality and the human relationship to it. Topics may include universals, modality, substance, identity, change, space and time, mind and body, and free will. This course is intended primarily for advanced philosophy undergraduates. Graduate students enrolled in it will be expected to complete extra work and to master selected advanced topics.
Prerequisites: 12 credit hours of philosophy including Phil 2440, 3000, and 3010.

4390/5390 PHILOSOPHY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORY studies the conceptual problems in psychological theory. Topics will vary with instructors but may include issues such as models, metaphysical views, value assumptions, and theory in psychotherapy. Readings will be drawn from both philosophical and psychological literature.

4400/5400 PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE examines major concepts and problems of scientific thought: explanation, scientific realism, causality, measurement and theory construction. This course is intended primarily for advanced philosophy undergraduates and should serve as an introduction to central topics and perspectives in the philosophy of science. Graduate students enrolled in the course will be expected to complete extra work and to master selected advanced topics.

4440/5440 TOPICS IN LOGIC introduces the fundamental concepts and procedures of mathematical logic. Topics include set theory, completeness, and the nature of infinity and cardinality.
Prerequisites: PHIL 2440 or equivalent.

4450/5450 TOPICS IN HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF PHYSICS investigates the role of experiments in physics, using case studies in the history and philosophy of physics and in scientific methodology (Same as Phys 4450).
Prerequisite: one year of physics or instructor's consent. Same as PHYS 4450
Phil 4450 satisfies the Critical Thinking GDR.

4600 THEOLOGY FORUM SEMINAR discusses a variety of theological and philosophical topics. The course involves some reading, much discussion, and occasional guest speakers. Students may enroll for repeated credit with permission of the instructor, to a maximum of three hours.
Prerequisite: upper-division standing

4730 PHILOSOPHY AND LITERATURE examines various relations between philosophy and literature, ranging from the direct incorporation of philosophical doctrine into literature, to literature as a distinctive way of practicing philosophy.

4800/5800 OPEN TOPICS IN PHILOSOPHY covers a variety of courses at the 4000 level. See current departmental announcements for specific content.

4830 SENIOR SEMINAR IN PHILOSOPHY is a critical in-depth examination of a selected philosophical topic. This course is designed to provide philosophy majors with the opportunity to examine a specific philosophical topic more closely than can typically be done in our more general courses. The content of the course will vary depending on the instructor. In all cases an emphasis will be placed on a close philosophical analysis of arguments used to support philosophical positions. In addition, a number of short papers and a term paper will be required.

Phil 4830 satisfies the Critical Thinking GDR.
 

4950 HONORS THESIS 900

All 900 sections require departmental form.