PHI 101E Introduction to Philosophy: Free Will and Determinism

Is there a human will at all? This course will concentrate on the issue of freedom vs. determinism. The importance of the human will insofar as it influences views be the foundation of all reflective endeavor.

Prerequisite: ENG 100C or concurrent. Credits: 3

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PHI 107E Introduction to Philosophy: World Philosophy

This course presents the world views of philosophers from ancient to contemporary times. The thinkers will be chosen from a broad range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Emphasis will be placed on the wide diversity and historical background of philosophical positions.

Prerequisite: ENG 100C or concurrent. Credits: 3

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PHI 109E Introduction to Philosophy: Law, Politics and Society

This course examines the traditional political questions that face every society: Who should rule? What should the rules be? Why should the rules be obeyed? The approach is largely historical, emphasizing the answers that major philosophical figures have offered to these questions. The relevance of these historical answers to current social issues is addressed using a number of contemporary topical readings.

Prerequisite: ENG 100C or concurrent. Credits: 3

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PHI 110E Introduction to Philosophy: Gender, and Society

To what extent do cultural assumptions about gender shape a society's notion of rationality and justice? The course explores this question by examining feminist critiques of Western philosophy along with a selection of contemporary anti-sexist and anti-racist theories of social life.

Prerequisite: ENG 100C or concurrent. Credits: 3

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PHI 111E Introduction to Philosophy: Philosophical Reading (and Writing)

This course aims to teach the student a particular skill: philosophical reading (and writing). On the most immediate level this will be a course in reading (and writing about) philosophical texts. The texts will give the student a sense of the immense history, wealth, and suggestibility of philosophical writing, its various genres, and its authors. On another level, the course will teach the skill of reading (and writing) philosophically. Any piece of writing can be read (and written about), with profit, philosophically. The second skill and its profit cannot be acquired without first study of experience, politics, society, etc., will also be considered.

Prerequisite: ENG 100C or concurrent. Credits: 3

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PHI 102E Introduction to Philosophy: The Quest for Certainty

Philosophy has often been defined as the attempt to become aware of the hidden assumptions we make in our everyday outlooks on life. The present course will deal with one of the most pervasive of these assumptions -- the thesis that human beings should pursue certainty and objectivity at any price. The history of philosophy will be utilized to trace and to criticize the identification of the all true knowledge with certainty. Questions will be raised as to whether the quest for certainty is either feasible or beneficial to the human person. An analysis of some 20th century alternatives, such as existentialism and pragmatism, will be undertaken.

Prerequisite: ENG 100C or concurrent. Credits: 3

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PHI 103E Introduction to Philosophy: Human Alienation

Why do human beings picture themselves as alienated from nature and from others? How did the problem of alienation come about? What possibilities exist for overcoming it? This course will deal with these issues and attempt to suggest viable alternatives.

Prerequisite: ENG 100C or concurrent. Credits: 3

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PHI 105E Introduction to Philosophy: Philosophy Through Its History

An introduction to philosophy through its history and development, i.e., through an examination of central texts in the history of philosophy, up to and including contemporary works. Specific readings may vary from semester to semester, but will always include some canonical works by classic Western philosophers (e.g., Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, and Kant).

Prerequisite: ENG 100C or concurrent. Credits: 3

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PHI 106E Introduction to Philosophy: Why Philosophize?

The course centers about the exploration of a single question: what it means to think philosophically. In the context of this question, we will examine what are the sources of philosophical thought and whether philosophy can justify its claim toing the first, thus the bulk of the course will focus on reading (and writing about) philosophy texts philosophically. About one month will be devoted to the reading of each book.

Prerequisite: ENG 100C or concurrent. Credits: 3

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PHI 112E/W Introduction to Philosophy: Feminist Perspectives (Writing Intensive)

To what extent do cultural assumptions about gender shape a society's notion of rationality and justice? The course explores this question by examining feminist critiques of Western philosophy along with a selection of contemporary anti-sexist and anti-racist theories of social life.

Prerequisite: ENG 100C or concurrent. Credits: 3

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PHI 199E Introduction to Philosophy: The Basics of Good Reasoning

An introduction to the difference between good and bad arguments. Significant attention is paid to analyzing everyday reasoning in advertising, letters to the editor, political speeches, newspaper columns, talk shows, etc. and to evaluate reasoning as sound or unsound.

Credits: 3

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PHI 200 Metaphysics

An analysis of various theories of reality, together with a critical examination of their conceptual constructs, principles and methodologies. Issues to be discussed include change, time, freedom and necessity, immortality and God, good and evil. Thinkers to be studied include Plato and Aristotle, Spinoza, Kant, Hegel, Whitehead and Heidegger.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 205 Symbolic Logic

Techniques of modern deductive logic; properties of formal systems; logical implications and paradoxes of language.

Prerequisite: any 100-level philosophy course. Credits: 3

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PHI 210 Ethical Theories

Critical evaluation of major ethical theories and systems. Extensive reading in original texts. Analysis of contemporary ethical issues.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 211 Media Ethics

Using a case study approach, we will study the roles of ethics for editors, producers, photographers, news anchors, advertising agents, and others in media. Some of the issues to be explored include: truth-telling, confidentiality, privacy, conflicts of interest, economic pressures and social responsibility, offensive content, anti-social behavior, censorship, and stero-typing. Our objective is to learn how to develop an ethical analysis of prominent ethical issues in the media.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 212 Environmental Ethics

This course analyzes the relations between human beings and the environment in terms of the concepts of justice, the good, and human responsibilities. It attempts to provide a new cosmological model for adjudicating between conflicting rights and duties. Issues to be discussed include animal rights, environmental protection, and ecological harmony.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 215 Philosophy of Literature

While many cultures accord a vital role to stories, myths, and poetry in the cultivation of wisdom, traditional European philosophy has tended to marginalize them. This course seeks to investigate the historical roots for this separation between philosophy and literature in European thought. It will then consider the perspectives of several contemporary thinkers (e.g., Robert Coles, Michael Ende, Martha Nussbaum, and Martin Heidegger) who are convinced that literature plays an indispensable role in the pursuit of wisdom.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 220 Philosophy of Art

Inquiry into the question of whether aesthetic experience is intelligible, or emotional, or both; examination of various theories and interpretations, classic and contemporary.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 221 Philosophy of Film

This course concentrates on the construction of meaning in the context of cinema. Major emphasis is placed on cinema as a product of social stereotypes.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 225 Philosophical Psychology (Philosophy of Mind)

An analysis of the major philosophical issues facing the science of psychology: language and the unconscious, body-mind interaction, freedom and determinism. Major figures to be studied include Plato, Aristotle, Spinoza, Freud, Merleau-Ponty, Lacan, and Skinner. Thematic emphasis will be on the historic interaction between psychology and philosophy in the development of Western thought.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 230 Philosophy of Religion

Analysis of the nature of religious experience, knowledge, and language. Special attention given to problems, classical and contemporary, exhibited in religious experience and relevant to areas of common concern in the sciences, humanities, and philosophy.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 240 Political Philosophy

Critical evaluation of political philosophies, classical and contemporary; extensive reading in original texts; analysis of contemporary political issues.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 250 Philosophy of Science

An examination of two different models generally used in approaching scientific activity philosophically: the logical model and the historical model. Questions to be raised include whether these two approaches are mutually exclusive or whether one can subsume the other, and at what cost. Issues to be covered include description vs. explanation; scientific vs. non-scientific explanation; the issue of whether to include pragmatic and psychological dimensions of meaning in scientific explanations; the question of whether all facts are "theory-laden"; and the relationship between facts, laws, and theories in science.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 260 Philosophy of Law

Critical evaluation of select issues in the philosophy of law. Possible topics include: the nature of law (positivism, natural law, legal realism); judicial decision making; constitutional adjudication; the justification of punishment; the legal enforcement of morality; legal responsibility; the judicial system. Readings are drawn from the disciplines of both philosophy and law, and include contemporary as well as historical selections.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 265 Philosophy & Gender

The course explores the contributions of feminist philosophers to gender analysis and the philosophical assumptions inherent in theories of gender difference, including theories from sociobiology, biological determinism, physiology, and social construction theory. Examination of gender assumptions may be studied in any of the following applied areas: women's work, women and sports, legal sexual inequality, pornography, and reproductive rights.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 270 Epistemology

An analysis of various theories of knowledge in reference to their methodologies and consequences. Texts to be read include Berkeley, Hume, Descartes, Kant, and Hegel.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 275 The Nature of Compassion

Whether and how we respond to the suffering of others defines, in many ways, who we are as persons and communities. This course is an investigation into the emotion of compassion and its social role. Drawing upon a wide variety of sources such as Greek Tragedy, Buddhist scriptures, classical and contemporary philosophical thought, it will address philosophical defenders of the need to cultivate compassion (Rousseau, Schopenhauer, and Adam Smith) as well as thinkers suspicious of this emotion ( for example, Nietzsche). The work of contemporary philosophers - Phillip Hallie and Marth Nussbaum - will also recieve close attention. Students will have the chance to think through some important philosophical issues, such as the role of the emotions in moral deliberation, the extent to which compassion can be both aided and obstructed by the use of language, and whether there are appropriate limits to compassion.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 290 Problems in Philosophy: Genes, Genetics, & Society

“The Gene is by far the most sophisticated program around,” says Bill Gates. In 2000, the project to map the human genome was finished. Once we learn the function of genes and how to manipulate them, new possibilities will emerge for society. Already, genetic solutions are promised not only to cure disease but to enhance the traits in the next generation. Genetics may even offer us a new way to reproduce through human cloning. The challenge for philosophers is to understand the new ethical issues raised by genetic research. We will examine ethical arguments concerning: stem cell research, reproductive cloning, gene patenting, genetic testing, genetic engineering and genetic privacy. Students will learn about the exciting history of genetics, and what genes do, and don’t do and the broader philosophical debates about the nature of human life, health, and social justice that underscore genetic research.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 291 Death and Dying

Recent success in life-prolonging techniques has resulted in the creation of new disagreements over the proper definition of death. Which definition of death is the most adequate? Some have argued that dying, not death, is the vitally important topic. Has the term death changed its meaning from time to time and place to place in human history? This course will deal with these and similar epistemological issues.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 295 Medicine, Madness, and Disease

Recent advances in modern medicine and medical technology challenge traditional notions of health, sanity, and the social order. The course will examine some of the controversial ethical dilemmas that patients, families, and health care providers confront, such as informed consent, truth-telling, prenatal screening, abortion, involuntary commitment for the mentally ill, drug testing, and patient rights. The course will critique the assumptions behind these and other medical practices.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 299 Morality & Social Justice

African philosophy, culture and social justice will look at African philosophies in the context of various African cultures; it will include examinations of theories of morality and social justice that have their roots in traditional culture. Wisdom in Africa is associated with men and women of very different cultural backgrounds. Maps, novels, visual arts and films will enhance our understanding of the context of philosophical texts. Parts of Eastern and Southern Africa will form the geographic limits of the majority of our readings.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 310I History of Ancient Philosophy

Philosophic thought from the pre-Socratics to the late Hellenistic period, with major emphasis on Plato and Aristotle.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 312I Women Philosophers from Africa and the Diaspora

This course concentrates on the work of women of wisdom who are of African origin. Intellectual and literary movements will be examined through generations of thinkers in various national, religious, cultural, and geographical settings. Writings by the following thinkers are often included: Ama Ata Aidoo (Ghana), Nawal el Saadawi (Egypt), Bessie Head (Botswana), Angela Davis, June Jordan, and Alice Walker (U.S.).

Prerequisites: English requirement and PHI 100. Credits: 3

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PHI 315I Eastern Philosophy

This course examines the major texts of the great Asiatic religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Zen. Special emphasis is placed on the ethical and metaphysical dimensions of these traditions as well as their significance for contemporary theories of the person, social justice, and human fulfillment.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 320I History of Medieval Philosophy

The merger of the philosophic with the religious stream; ideas of Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, and others critically examined; determining cultural factors explored.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 330I History of Early Modern Philosophy: Descartes to Kant

Main currents of rationalism and empiricism are explored, as developed in major writings from Descartes to Kant.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 340I History of Late Modern Philosophy

Development of German idealism; emergence of social and scientific philosophies; contributions of Kant, Hegel, Marx, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Feuerbach, and others.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 350I American Philosophy

History and background of the origin of philosophical ideas in America; particular emphasis given to Peirce, James, Royce, Dewey.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 360I Existentialism

An examination of the historical development and basic themes of existentialism as found in the writings of its major representatives: Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, Buber, Marcel, and others.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 370I Analytic Philosophy

An historical approach to twentieth-century linguistic philosophy. This course will begin with logical atomism, continue through the era of logical positivism, and end with ordinary language analysis. Extensive reading of primary sources and major commentators.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 380I Postmodernism

The course (formerly called Contemporary Continental Philosophy) presents a survey of central movements within continental philosophy in the 20th century phenomenology, structuralism, hermeneutics, and deconstruction. Possible figures of study are: Husserl, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Sartre, Foucault, Gadamer, Barthes, and Derrida.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course, plus PHI 330 or 360. Credits: 3

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PHI 390I Hermeneutics

How do we go about interpreting something that is foreign to us? What does it mean to understand a person or a text? Hermeneutics is a tradition of philosophical inquiry into the dynamics of interpretation and understanding. The course examines the historical roots of hermeneutics in the works of Friedrich Scleiermacher and William Dilthey, and it proceeds with the close analysis of several 20th century thinkers - for example, Hans-Georg Gadamer and Martin Heidegger - whose works extend and develop the hermeneutical tradition.

Prerequisite: any PHI 100-level course. Credits: 3

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PHI 398 Independent Study

Independent study undertaken under the mentorship of a professor in the department.

Prerequisites: a minimum of two (2) 300-level philosophy courses plus written permission of the instructor involved. Credits: 3

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PHI 400 Seminar in Philosophy

These numbers are used to indicate seminar courses dealing with a specific topic or person in philosophy. Topics or individual philosophers will change from year to year and may or may not be repeated. The prerequisite for any 400-level seminar course is two (2) 300- level courses in philosophy, or permission of the instructor.

Credits: 3

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PHI 410 Senior Thesis

Designed to furnish senior philosophy majors with extensive training, under tutorial supervision, in analysis of a philosophical problem or system or philosopher, with a view to producing and presenting a senior paper for oral defense.

Prerequisites: advanced standing as a philosophy major and permission of the Department. Credits: 3

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