Philosophy Department

Fall 2008

COURSES IN PHILOSOPHY (PHIL)

101 Introduction to Philosophy. Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. An introduction to some of the main branches of philosophy. Some of the issues that might be addressed are: What is knowledge? Is reason or experience the basis for all knowledge? Can we have knowledge of the past, or of the future? What is Truth? Does God Exist? Is there a mental realm separate from the material realm? Are the laws of nature deterministic? Do we have free will? What makes an action morally permissible? What is the proper role of the State in regulating our lives?

Class Code	Course	Section	Title	Days	Start	End	Instructor
PHIL	101	001	Introduction to Philosophy	TR	14.00	15.15	Smith
PHIL	101	902	Introduction to Philosophy	W	16.00	18.40	Akiba

103 Ancient Greek and Medieval Western Philosophy. Semester courses: 3 credits. A survey of Western philosophy from the ancient Greeks (e.g. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle) through the medieval period (e.g. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas).

PHIL

103

001

Ancient and Medieval Philosophy

12.30

13.45

Sutton

104 Modern Western Philosophy. Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. A survey of Western Philosophy from the Renaissance to the 19th century (e.g. Hobbes, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant).

PHIL	104	003	Modern Western Philosophy	TR	14.00	15.15	Carey
PHIL	104	901	Modern Western Philosophy	W	16.00	18.40	Redmon

201 Critical Thinking about Moral Problems. Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: UNIV 111 or equivalent. This course focuses on the development of sound critical thinking skills and their application to a range of topics in moral philosophy, including questions about the nature of morality, whether we have reason to be moral, and also to topics in applied ethics like the morality of abortion, animal rights, world hunger, pornography, capital punishment, sexual behavior, environmental ethics, and reverse discrimination.

PHIL	201	001	Critical Thinking about Moral Problems	TR	12.30	13.45	Kuczynski
PHIL	201	901	Critical Thinking about Moral Problems	W	19.00	21.40	Valdman
PHIL	201	902	Critical Thinking about Moral Problems	R	16.00	18.40	Kuczynski

211 History of Ethics. Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Corequisite: ENG 101 by course or placement. A philosophical investigation of the main concepts and theories of ethics and their application to fundamental moral questions, as illustrated by the ethical systems of such historically important Western philosophers as Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Hume, Mill and Kant. (Only one of PHIL 212/213/214 may be taken for credit.)

PHIL

211

901

History of Ethics

16.00

18.40

Shear

212 Ethics and Its Applications. Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Corequisite: ENG 101 by course or placement. A philosophical investigation of the main concepts and theories of ethics, with applications to fundamental moral questions as they arise in different areas. Such problems as abortion, the welfare of animals, world hunger, pornography, capital punishment, nuclear defense, sexual behavior, environmental ethics, and reverse discrimination may be used as illustrations. (Only one of PHIL 212/213/214 may be taken for credit.)

PHIL	212	004	Ethics and Its Applications	TR	8.00	9.15	Carey
PHIL	212	006	Ethics and Its Applications	TR	9.30	10.45	Carey

213 Ethics and Health Care. Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Corequisite: ENG 101 by course or placement. A philosophical investigation of the main concepts and theories of ethics, with applications to fundamental moral questions as they arise in health care. The following issues may be used as illustrations: abortion, euthanasia and the right to die, human experimentation, treating mental illness, genetic technologic, the concepts of health and disease, and the funding of health care. (Only one of PHIL 212/213/214 may be taken for credit.)

PHIL	213	902	Ethics and Health Care	T	16.00	18.40	Carey
PHIL	213	904	Ethics and Health Care	R	16.00	18.40	Carey
PHIL	213	001	Ethics and Health Care	TR	11.00	12.15	Carey

214 Ethics and Business. Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Corequisite: ENG 101 by course or placement. A philosophical investigation of the main concepts and theories of ethics, with applications to fundamental moral questions as they arise in business. Emphasis is put on-the-job situations and management to diminish ethical dilemmas. Only one of PHIL 212/213/214 may be taken for credit.)

PHIL

214

001

Ethics and Business

MWF

10.00

10.50

Deane

222 Logic. Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. An evaluation of deductive arguments utilizing the methods of symbolic logic.

PHIL

222

001

Logic

11.00

12.15

Scow

230 Reason, Science and Self. Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. For Honors College students only. The reasonableness of a belief often depends on the arguments that support it. One primary goal of this course is to sharpen the abilities to identify, analyze, and assess arguments. Another primary goal is to show how to apply critical reasoning skills to philosophical explorations of the nature of science, knowledge, and personal identity.

PHIL	230	701	Reason, Science and Self	TR	12.30	13.45	Mills
PHIL	230	702	Reason, Science and Self	TR	14.00	15.15	Mills
PHIL	230	703	Reason, Science and Self	TR	16.00	17.15	Mills

250 Thinking about Thinking. Semester Course. 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite UNIV 111 or equivalent. This course is an interdisciplinary course about thinking. It covers the development of the principles of reasoning, such questions as how thinking relates to behavior and brain activity, and how to think about specific areas of our lives, such as science, morality, religion, the arts and the law.

PHIL

250

001

Thinking about Thinking

14.00

15.15

Scow

301 Mind and Reality. Semester course, 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: Nine credits in philosophy including PHIL 221 or PHIL 222, and one of PHIL 101, PHIL 103 or PHIL 104, or permission of instructor. Are you the same thing as your body (or some other material object), or are you an immaterial soul? You existed last year; but what makes it the case that a certain person who existed last year was you? Do you ever act freely, or is freedom precluded by the way in which your actions are (or are not) caused? We will examine various answers to these three questions and the arguments that support them. This course is writing intensive.

PHIL

301

901

Mind and Reality

16.00

18.40

Scow

303 Philosophy of Language. Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: Nine credits in philosophy including PHIL 222, and six additional credits, at least three of which must be from PHIL 101,103,or 104 or permission of instructor. Some things we say have meaning while others do not. Some words refer to real things while others do not. Some things we say are true while others are not. These notions of meaning, reference and truth give rise to perplexing problems concerning the relations between language and the extra-linguistic world. We will investigate some of these problems. This course is writing intensive.

PHIL

303

001

Philosophy of Language

19.00

21.40

Akiba

327 Ethical Theory. Semester course, 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Nine credits in philosophy including PHIL 222 and one of PHIL 211, 212, 213, or 214. A study of the problems of philosophical ethics, including relativism, egoism, utilitarianism, intrinsic value, and the meaning and justification of ethical principles. Both historical and contemporary thinkers will be considered.

PHIL

327

901

Ethical theory

16.00

18.40

Ellis

335 Social and Political Philosophy. Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Nine credits in philosophy including PHIL 222 or PHIL 221 and one of PHIL 211, 212, 213, or 214, or permission of instructor. An examination of some of the central issues in Political Philosophy. Such topics as the following may be covered: the nature of government; the legitimacy of government; social justice; freedom; equality.

PHIL

335

901

Social and Political

16.00

18.40

Valdman

340 Philosophy for Children. Semester course; 3 lecture hours; 3 credits. Prerequisites: Two philosophy courses, which must include at least one of PHIL 101, 103, 104. A service-learning course requiring at least 15 hours of service in which students will be required to lead philosophical discussions with primary/secondary schoolchildren. An analysis of perennial philosophical questions and problems with the aim of introducing them to children. Some of the questions that might be addressed include: What is happiness? What is justice? What is a mind? Can a mind exist apart from a body? Can machines think? What is time? What is knowledge? What are the limits of human knowledge?

PHIL

340

901

Philosophy for Children

16.00

18.40

Smith

391 Topics in Philosophy. Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Nine credits in philosophy including PHIL 222 or PHIL 221 and one of PHIL 211, 212, 213, or 214, or permission of instructor.

PHIL

490

Topics: Freedom of the Will