Course Descriptions: Full department offerings and Course Planning Guide
PHL 199 Special Studies
(Credit to be arranged.) PHL 201 Introduction to Philosophy (4)
General introduction to philosophy; its practice and major areas of study.
PHL 210 Philosophy of Religion (4)
Examination of philosophical questions involved in the study of religion, e.g., the meaning of "God," or "gods;" the traditional arguments for the existence of a god; the meaning of faith and the question of its connection to reason; the
PHL 212 Philosophy in Literature (4)
An introduction to traditional philosophical issues as they appear in literature, especially in fiction. The specific philosophical problems and the literary works will vary from term to term and from instructor to instructor. PHL 300 Philosophical Methods and Concepts (4)
A survey of the major strategies of proof and disproof central to philosophical reasoning, and of the fundamental concepts and distinctions employed in current philosophical discourse. Not recommended as a first course in philosophy. PHL 301, 302 History of Philosophy (4, 4)
Study of Western philosophy during the ancient period (classical Greek through Hellenistic times) and the modern period (17th Century to Kant). PHL 303 Critical Thinking (4)
Designed to improve reasoning and skills of critical assessment of information. Focuses on practical methods that are applied to case studies from public media such as editorials, essays, propaganda, advertisements, and newspaper reports of scientific studies. PHL 306 Science and Pseudoscience (4)
An examination of basic issues in philosophy of science through an analysis of creation science, faith healing, UFO abduction stories, and other pseudosciences. Some of the questions addressed: What distinguishes science from pseudoscience? How are theories tested? When is evidence reliable? Must we invoke the supernatural to explain certain aspects of reality?
PHL 308 Elementary Ethics (4)
General introduction to ethical theory. Attention will be given to such questions as whether there are objective moral distinctions, what makes right acts right and wrong acts wrong, and how we know (if we do) that actions are right or wrong, and how we know (if we do) that actions are right or wrong. Among the theories likely to be considered are relativism, egoism, utilitarianism, and Kantianism. PHL 309 Business Ethics (4)
Study of the ethical aspects of practices and organizational structures in the business world. The bulk of the course is devoted to specific contemporary topics, for example: the moral status of corporations; the concept of work place rights; responsibility in advertising; environmental constraints on business; affirmative action in hiring; the social roles of profit and private property; role of work in the life of the individual. PHL 310 Environmental Ethics (4)
Critical study of issues raised by the attempt to formulate an adequate environmental ethic. Some of these issues deal with how our treatment of the environment affects other human beings, i.e., future generations. Others have to do with how non-human beings are to be treated. Do animals have rights? Do species have rights? Do our proper moral concerns extend to such things as trees, rivers, and possibly the planet itself? A number of current problems will be considered, such as population control, limits to growth, global warming, and endangered species. PHL 311 The Morality of Punishment (4)
Nature and proper aims of punishment; moral considerations that bear on the justice and wisdom of punishment. Consideration will be given to the main theories of punishment: retributionism, utilitarianism, paternalism, and the view that punishment should be replaced by therapy. PHL 312 Feminist Philosophy (4)
Critical examination of classical philosophical schools of thought and methodologies from a feminist perspective which emphasizes the importance of external context in all intellectual pursuits and underscores the interconnections between theory and practice including values. PHL 313 Life and Death Issues (4)
Study of moral problems dealing with life and death issues including abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, starvation, and war. PHL 314 Computer Ethics (4)
Examines the moral principles and judgments relevant for computer-related practices. Topics include: ethical aspects of new information technologies; are technologies value- laden; freedom, privacy and control; security, reliability, and professional responsibilities;; piracy and ownership; ethics of hacking; ethics of virtual environment; and international aspects of new technologies. PHL 315 Existentialism (4)
Introduction to a number of philosophers and literary figures gathered together under the name "existentialism." Authors include Dostoyevsky, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Rilke, Kafka, Ortega y Gasset, Jaspers, Heidegger, Sartre and Camus. Topics include consciousness, (in)authenticity, alienation, death, anxiety, freedom, time, nihilism, historical meaning and religion. Recommended prerequisite: one philosophy class.
PHL 316 Social and Political Philosophy (4)
The main philosophical theories of the nature and principles of a just society. Social and political order, freedom, justice, and happiness are declared to be the principle ends of any society. Philosophical theories describe, explore, explain, and frequently attempt to justify specific social or political arrangements in order to attain these goals.
*PHL 317 Philosophy of Art (4)
Philosophical issues concerning the creation, interpretation, and consumption of art. Includes an overview of the major philosophical theories about the nature of art, an examination of the relationship between art and ethics, art and psychology, art and pornography, and relativism of aesthetic value judgments.
PHL 319 Introduction to Asian Philosophy (4)
A study of different systems of Asian philosophy through the main classical texts drawn from Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Topics include: the nature of reality, the self, causality, language, knowledge, and ethics.
PHL 321 Practical Epistemology (4)
Considers criteria for knowledge-claims based on different sources, such as: memory, perception, eyewitness testimony, expert testimony, and medical and scientific experts.
PHL 324 Introduction to Formal Logic I (4)
A course in basic formal logic. Major topics include the method of deduction for showing propositional arguments valid and the method of counter-example for showing such arguments invalid. Truth table methods, tests for consistency, and syllogistic arguments are optional topics. PHL 325 Intro to Formal Logic II: Predicate Logic (4)
Continuation of PHL 324 Introduction to Formal Logic I. Primary emphasis will be on formal methods for dealing with arguments involving the terms "all" and "some." Major topics include the method of deduction for showing predicate logic arguments valid, and the method of counter-example for showing such arguments invalid. Prerequisite: PHL 324. PHL 327 Introduction to Quantitative Literacy (4)
The goal is to learn to think intelligently and critically about important uses of quantitative data by means of discussion of the following topics: samples, measures, scales, relationships, risks, predictions, graphs, averages, percentages, distributions, random effects, and estimates. Intended for students who do not normally take classes that involve quantitative matters; its mathematical content is kept at an absolute minimum. PHL 332 Phenomonology (4)
Examination of the Kantian roots of what becomes known as "intentionality" (i.e., that our conscious acts are directed toward objects, intending them), and subsequent theories of intentionality. Recommended prerequisite: 8 credits in philosophy. PHL 333 Philosophy of Law (4)
Examines the nature of law, legal obligation and legal interpretation. Is law a part of morality, or nothing more than an expression of social power? When are we permitted or required to disobey the law? What is the proper methodology for interpreting laws and deciding cases? Do judges discover or create law? Readings include classics of jurisprudence (e.g., Austen, Hart, Dworkin) as well as judicial opinions in a selected topic. Recommended prerequisites: PHL 308, 311, or 316. PHL 399 Special Studies (Credit to be arranged) PHL 401/501 Research (Credit to be arranged.) Consent of Instructor. PHL 403/503 Honors Thesis (Credit to be arranged.) Consent of Instructor.
PHL 404/504 Cooperative Education/Internship
(Credit to be arranged.) Consent of Instructor.
PHL 405/505 Reading and Conference
(Credit to be arranged.) Consent of instructor. PHL 407/507 Seminar
(Credit to be arranged.) Consent of instructor. PHL 410/510 Selected Topics
(Credit to be arranged.) Consent of instructor. PHL 414/514 Plato (4)
Study of selected dialogues of Plato with attention to such topics as his theory of forms, moral philosophy, political philosophy, and to the individual topics of the dialogues, as, for example, knowledge, being, virtue, piety, love, friendship, the state, the nature of philosophy. Recommended prerequisite: 8 credits in philosophy. PHL 415/515 Aristotle (4)
Study of some of the works of Aristotle, such as his Physics, Metaphysics, Ethics, Politics, parts of the Organon Rhetoric. Among topics for attention are substance, essence, categories, cause, the good man, practical reason. Recommended prerequisite: 8 credits in philosophy. PHL 416/516 The Rationalists: Descartes, Leibniz, Spinoza (4)
Study, with comparisons, of selected works of philosophers who maintained that knowledge comes primarily from reason. Likely readings: for Descartes, Meditations, or Rules, or Discourse on Method; for Spinoza, Ethics; for Leibniz, a selection from among his many collected works and fragments. Recommended prerequisite: 8 credits in philosophy. PHL 417/517 The Empiricists (4)
Study of the British philosophers, Locke, Berkeley and Hume, who hold that all of the ingredients of thought enter the mind by way of experience and that only what has a definite relation to experience can be thought. Among the particular topics considered will be material substance, spirit, abstract ideas, causation, induction, and skepticism. Recommended prerequisite: 8 credits in philosophy. PHL 419/519 Kant (4)
Study of Kant's Philosophy primarily as represented in the Critiques of Pure Reason, Practical Reason, Judgment. Possible topics for consideration: necessary connection, the analytic-synthetic distinction, conceptions of science and metaphysics, relation between metaphysics and morality. Recommended prerequisite: 8 credits in philosophy. PHL 420/520 Wittgenstein (4)
Study of some of the major works of Wittgenstein with emphasis on the later work, especially the Philosophical Investigations. Attention will be given to Wittgenstein's contributions to philosophical method, as well as to his treatment of issues concerning language, meaning, intention, understanding, necessity, and the nature of human persons as language users. Recommended prerequisite: 8 credits in philosophy. PHL 421 19th Century Philosophy (4)
Study of Western philosophy from Kant to the Twentieth century. Recommended prerequisite: 8 credits in philosophy.
PHL 422 American Philosophy (4)
Study of American pragmatism through some its major representatives (e.g., Dewey, Peirce, James, and Mead), its intellectual and cultural context, and its influence on contemporary American philosophers. PHL 423/523 Metaphysics (4)
Study of major systems of ontology (e.g., idealism, materialism) and traditional metaphysical issues (e.g., determinism, freedom, properties) including debates over the feasibility of the discipline of metaphysics itself (e.g., positivism and scientific realism). PHL 424/524 Epistemology (4)
Philosophical examination of some of the main issues in the theory of knowledge (such as our knowledge of the external world, of the minds of others, of logical and mathematical truths, etc.). Recommended prerequisite: 8 credits in philosophy.
PHL 425/525 Analytic Philosophy (4)
Examination of the analytic philosophical tradition from Frege and Russell through early Wittgenstein and the Positivists to Quine. Recommended prerequisites: 8 credits in philosophy. PHL 432/532 Philosophy of Mind (4)
Study of the debates over the nature of mental states and our knowledge of them. Main topics are dualism and various forms of materialism, behaviorism, mind-body identity theories, and functionalism; and the nature and content of propositional attitudes (e.g., belief, desire, meaning). Recommended prerequisite: 8 credits in philosophy. PHL 433/533 Philosophy of Language (4)
A study of the nature of language and of problems of meaning, reference, and truth. Prerequisite: 8 credits in philosophy. PHL 445/545 Advanced Ethics (4)
A course in moral epistemology or "meta-ethics" dealing with topics such as: the distinction and connections between fact and value, "is" and "ought", and description and evaluation. Recommended prerequisite: 8 credits in philosophy. PHL 446/546 Topics in Ethics (4)
Topics in contemporary and moral philosophy, including (but not limited to) the relation between applied and theoretical ethics, the foundations of moral responsibility and blaming, the role of virtues in the moral life, and the role of outcomes in moral evaluation. Topics vary per course which will allow students to take the course more than once, with departmental approval, to apply toward major requirements. Recommended prerequisites: PHL 308 or 445 or consent of instructor.
PHL 450 International Justice (4)
Examination of moral principles and judgments relevant for appraising the key tools of foreign policy. Included are issues of military, humanitarian, and covert intervention, economic sanctions, development assistance, human rights, democracy, and transitional justice. Recommended prerequisite: 8 credits in philosophy.
PHL 451/551 Classical Figures (4)
Intensive study of some classical figure such as Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Nietzsche, Hegel. Course may be repeated for credit. Recommended prerequisite: 8 credits in philosophy.
PHL 455/555 Morality and Health Care (4)
Examination of issues in health care such as euthanasia, abortion, allocation of transplantable organs. rationing health care, treatment of impaired newborns. Recommended prerequisite: 8 credits in philosophy. PHL 470/570 Philosophy of Science (4)
History and philosophy of the scientific method. Topics include an overview of the major models of the scientific method (inductivism, falsificationism, Kuhnian paradigms, etc.) and issues pertaining to their rationality such as theory-ladenness of observation, testing-holism, and the incommensurability of theory change. Recommended prerequisites: 8 credits in philosophy.
PHL 471/571 Topics in Philosophy of Science (4)
An in-depth analysis of some specific metaphysical issue pertaining to scientific epistemology such as (but not limited to) explanation, causation, realism, geometry, and relativism. Topics vary per course which will allow students to take course more than once, with departmental approval, to apply toward major requirements. Recommended prerequisites: 8 credits in philosophy. PHL 474/574 Philosophy of Logic (4)
Topics: validity, sentence-proposition, connectives, quantifiers, truth, paradoxes, logical necessity and possibility. Optional topics: metalogic, the construction of formal systems of logic and formal proofs of certain of their properties, e.g., consistency and completeness. Recommended prerequisite: PHL 325. PHL 481/581, 482/582, 483/583, Biomedical Ethics (4)(4)(4)
A three-term sequence that provides a practical bioethics education in clinical health care, biomedical and behavioral research, and public policy. PHL 481/581: introduction to the concepts, methods, and literature of health care and biomedical research ethics, designed to familiarize participants with the basic definitions and arguments in the major topics of clinical and research ethics. PHL 482/582 and PHL 483/583: concepts and skills developed in PHL 481/581 will be intensively examined; students take responsibility for several aspects of teaching. Courses must be taken in sequence. Recommended prerequisite: PHL 481/581: an acquaintance with health care services is recommended. PHL 485 Honors Seminar (4)
Selected topics within areas of the instructor's research. Students will be expected to produce substantial written material on the topic, to be shared and critiqued. Recommended particularly for students considering graduate work in philosophy. Prerequisites: see section "Philosophy Department's Honors Option" above, page 169.
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