Philosophy (PHIL)

Head of Department: Professor Crawford L. Elder
Department Office: Room 101, Manchester Hall

For major requirements, see the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section of this Catalog.

1101. Problems of Philosophy

(101) Either semester. Three credits. No student may receive more than 6 credits for PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107.

Topics may include skepticism, proofs of God, knowledge of the external world, induction, free-will, the problem of evil, miracles, liberty and equality. CA 1.

1102. Philosophy and Logic

(102) Either semester. Three credits. No student may receive more than 6 credits for PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107.

Techniques for evaluating inductive and deductive arguments; applications to specific arguments about philosophical topics, for example the mind-body problem or free will vs. determinism. CA 1.

1103. Philosophical Classics

(103) Either semester. Three credits. No student may receive more than 6 credits for PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107.

Discussion of selections from such philosophers as Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, and Hume. CA 1.

1104. Philosophy and Social Ethics

(104) Either semester. Three credits. No student may receive more than 6 credits for PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107.

Topics may include the nature of the good life, the relation between social morality and individual rights, and practical moral dilemmas. At least one section each term emphasizes women-men issues: sex relations, sex roles, sex equality, abortion, the family, etc. Other sections may emphasize issues concerning Science and Technology or Political Philosophy. CA 1.

1105. Philosophy and Religion

(105) Either semester. Three credits. No student may receive more than 6 credits for PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107.

Topics may include proofs of the existence of God, the relation of religious discourse to other types of discourse, and the nature of religious commitment. CA 1.

1105W. Philosophy and Religion

(105W) Prerequisite: ENGL 1010 or 1011 or 3800. CA 1.

1106. Non-western and Comparative Philosophy

(106) Either semester. Three credits. No student may receive more than 6 credits for PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107.

Classic non-Western texts on such problems as the nature of reality and of our knowledge of it, and the proper requirements of social ethics, along with comparison to classic Western approaches to the same problems. CA 1. CA 4-INT.

1107. Philosophy and Gender

(107) Either Semester. Three credits. No student may receive more than 6 credits for PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107.

 Topics concern social ethics and gender, such as gender equality and the impact of gender norms on individual freedom. Specific topics are examined in light of the intersections between gender and race, ethnicity, class, and sexual orientation. CA 1. CA 4.

1165W. Philosophy and Literature

(185W) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: ENGL 1010 or 1011 or 3800.

Philosophical problems raised by, and illuminated in, major works of literature. CA 1

1175. Ethical Issues in Health Care

(175) Either semester. Three credits.

Theories of ethics, with specific application to ethical issues in modern health care. CA 1.

2170W. Bioethics and Human Rights in Cross-Cultural Perspective

(170W) (Also offered as HRTS 2170W.) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: ENGL 1010 or 1011 or 3800; open to sophomores or higher.

Philosophical examination of the ethical and human rights implications of recent advances in the life and biomedical sciences from multiple religious and cultural perspectives. CA 1.

2205. Aesthetics

(205) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107.

The fundamentals of aesthetics, including an analysis of aesthetic experience and judgment, and a study of aesthetic types, such as the beautiful, tragic, comic and sublime. Recent systematic and experimental findings in relation to major theories of the aesthetic experience.

2210. Metaphysics and Epistemology

(210) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite:  At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107.

Topics may include time, personal identity, free-will, the mind-body problem, skepticism, induction, perception, a priori knowledge.

2210W. Metaphysics and Epistemology

(210W) Prerequisite:  At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107; ENGL 1010 or 1011 or 3800.

2211Q. Symbolic Logic I

(211Q) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite:  At least one of LING 1010; POLS 1002; PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107. Recommended preparation MATH 1010 or equivalent.

Systematic analysis of deductive validity; formal languages which mirror the logical structure of portions of English; semantic and syntactic methods of verifying relations of logical consequence for these languages.

2212. Philosophy of Science

(212) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107.

Issues concerning the nature and foundations of scientific knowledge, including, for example, issues about scientific objectivity and progress.

2212W. Philosophy of Science

(212W) Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107; ENGL 1010 or 1011 or 3800.

2213. Philosophy of Social Science

(213) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107.

Nature and extent of social phenomena; nature and consequence of group membership; methods of investigation of social phenomena; problems of interpretation. Related doctrines of classic and contemporary theorists such as Durkheim, Weber, Simmel, Wittgenstein.

2215. Ethics

(215) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107.

Judgments of good and evil, right and justice, the moral `ought' and freedom; what do such judgments mean, is there any evidence for them, and can they be true?

2215W. Ethics

(215W) Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107; ENGL 1010 or 1011 or 3800.

2217. Social and Political Philosophy

(217) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107.

Conceptual, ontological, and normative issues in political life and thought; political obligation; collective responsibility; justice; liberty; equality; community; the nature of rights; the nature of law; the justification of punishment; related doctrines of classic and contemporary theorists such as Plato, Rousseau, John Rawls.

2217W. Social and Political Philosophy

(217W) Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107; ENGL 1010 or 1011 or 3800.

2221. Ancient Philosophy

(221) (Also offered as CAMS 3257.) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107.

Greek philosophy from its origin in the Pre-Socratics through its influence on early Christianity. Readings from the works of Plato and Aristotle.

2221W. Ancient Philosophy

(221W) Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107; ENGL 1010 or 1011 or 3800.

2222. Seventeenth and Eighteenth-Century Philosophy

(222) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107.

Central philosophical issues as discussed by philosophers such as Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Kant.

2222W. Seventeenth and Eighteenth-Century Philosophy

(222W) Prerequisite:  At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107; ENGL 1010 or 1011 or 3800.

2245. Philosophy and Economics

(245) (Also offered as ECON 2126.) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: ECON 1200 or ECON 1201.

An examination of the normative assumptions and implications of modern economics (for example, the connections between Classical Utilitarianism and Welfare Economics). Attention to methodological controversies in contemporary economic theory.

3200. Philosophical Issues in Contemporary Life

(200) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107; open to juniors or higher. May be repeated with a change in topic for a maximum of six credits.

Philosophical dimensions of problems in contemporary life. Topics vary by semester.

3214. Symbolic Logic II

(214) Second semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: PHIL 2211.

Logical concepts developed in Philosophy 2211 applied to the study of philosophical issues in the foundations of mathematics.

3216. Environmental Ethics

(216) Second semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107; open to juniors or higher.

Inquiry into obligations to, or concerning, the environment, particularly the moral standing of animals, species, ecosystems, and natural objects.

3216W. Environmental Ethics

(216W) Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107; ENGL 1010 or 1011 or 3800; open to juniors or higher. 

3218. Feminist Theory

(218) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107; or WS 1103, 1104, or 1124.

Philosophical issues in feminist theory. Topics may include the nature of gender difference, the injustice of male domination and its relation to other forms of domination, the social and political theory of women's equality in the home, in the workplace, and in politics.

3219. Topics in Philosophy and Human Rights

(219) (Also offered as HRTS 3219.) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: One three-credit course in Philosophy or instructor consent; open to juniors or higher. With a change in content, may be repeated for credit.

What are human rights? Why are they important? Topics may include the philosophical precursors of human rights, the nature and justification of human rights, or contemporary issues bearing on human rights.

3220.   Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights
(220) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107. Bloomfield, Parekh

Ontology and epistemology of human rights investigated through contemporary and/or historical texts.

3224W. Nineteenth-Century Philosophy

(224W) Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107; ENGL 1010 or 1011 or 3800.

Readings from philosophers such as Kant, Hegel, Marx and Engels, Bentham, Mill Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, and Kierkegaard; topics such as the debate between individualism and collectivism in the nineteenth century.

3225W. Analysis and Ordinary Language

(225W) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 2210, 2221, 2222; ENGL 1010 or 1011 or 3800.

The reaction, after Russell, against formal theories and the belief in an ideal language, and the turn to familiar common-sense "cases" and everyday language in judging philosophical claims. Russell, Moore, Wittgenstein, Ryle and Strawson.

3226. Philosophy of Law

(226) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107, which may be taken concurrently.

The nature of law; law's relation to morality; law's relation to social facts; the obligation to obey the law; interpreting texts; spheres of law; international law; the justification of state punishment; the good of law; related doctrines of contemporary theorists such as Herbert Hart and Ronald Dworkin.

3228. American Philosophy

(228) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107; open to juniors or higher.

Doctrines advanced by recent American philosophers.

3230. Contemporary Marxism and Its Foundation

(230) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107, which may be taken concurrently.

Marx's criticisms of capitalism; the distinctive functional explanations Marx offered for the relations of production and the superstructure; application of such explanations to aspects of American culture.

3231. Philosophy of Religion

(231) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107.

Various religious absolutes, their meaning and validity, existentialism and religion, the post-modern religious quest.

3234. Phenomenology

(234) Second semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107.

Husserl's theory of meaning; its promise of silencing skepticism and setting philosophy on a new footing; the challenge to it posed by applying it to talk about other minds.

3241. Language: Meaning and Truth

(241) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: PHIL 1102 or 2211, and at least one of PHIL 2210, 2221, 2222.

An analysis of the concepts used in thinking about language.

3247. Philosophy of Psychology

(247) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite:  Any one of PSYC 2500, 3500, 3550W, 3551W, or 3552; and at least one three-credit philosophy course or instructor consent.

Conceptual issues in theoretical psychology. Topics may include computational models of mind, the language of thought, connectionism, neuropsychological deficits, and relations between psychological models and the brain.

3247W. Philosophy of Psychology

(247W) Prerequisite:  Any one of PSYC 2500, 3500, 3550W, 3551W, or 3552; and at least one three-credit philosophy course or instructor consent; ENGL 1010 or 1011 or 3800.

3249. Philosophy and Neuroscience

(249) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: At least one 2000-level or above, three-credit course in Physiology and Neurobiology (PNB), and at least one three-credit course in philosophy or consent of instructor. 

Philosophical issues in neuroscience. Topics may include theories of brain function, localization of function, reductionism, neuropsychological deficits, computational models in neuroscience, connectionism, and evolution.

3249W. Philosophy and Neuroscience

(249W) Prerequisite: At least one 2000-level or above, three-credit course in Physiology and Neurobiology (PNB), and at least one three-credit course in philosophy or consent of instructor; ENGL 1010 or 1011 or 3800.

3250. Philosophy of Mind

(250) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: At least one 2000-level or above, three-credit philosophy course. 

Contemporary issues in the philosophy of mind. Topics may include the nature of the mental; the mind-body problem, the analysis of sensory experience, the problem of intentionality, and psychological explanation.

3250W. Philosophy of Mind

(250W) Prerequisite: At least one 2000-level, three-credit philosophy course; ENGL 1010 or 1011 or 3800.  

3256. Philosophy of Perception

(256) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: Any one of  PSYC 2501, 3501, 3550W, or 3552; or at least one 2000-level or above, three-credit course in philosophy. 

 Conceptual problems in contemporary models of perception. Topics may include the nature of color perception, direct perception and its alternatives, computation and representation in perception, and the connections between perception and awareness.

3256W. Philosophy of Perception

(256W) Prerequisite: Any one of PSYC 2501, 3501, 3550W, or 3552; or at least one 2000-level or above, three-credit philosophy course; ENGL 1010 or 1011 or 3800.

3261. Medieval Philosophy

(261) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107; open to juniors or higher.

Readings from the principal philosophers between the fourth and fourteenth centuries.

3261W. Medieval Philosophy

(261W)  Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107; ENGL 1010 or 1011 or 3800; open to juniors or higher.

3263. Oriental Philosophy and Religion

(263) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107; open to juniors or higher.

The historical, religious, and philosophical development of Hinduism, Buddhism, Tantrism, and Taoism.

3264. Classical Chinese Philosophy and Culture

(264) Either semester. Three credits. Prerequisite: At least one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107.

Classical Chinese philosophy, including such works as The Analects of Confucius and the works of Chuang Tzu, and their influence on Chinese culture.

3295. Special Topics

(298) Either semester. Credits and hours by arrangement. With a change in content, may be repeated for credit. Prerequisites and recommended preparation vary.

3298. Variable Topics

(297) Either semester. Three credits. With a change in topic, may be repeated for credit. Prerequisites and recommended preparation vary.

3299. Independent Study

(299) Either or both semesters. Credits and hours by arrangement. Advanced and individual work. Open only with consent of instructor. May be repeated for credit with a change in topic.

4293. Foreign Study

(293) Either or both semesters. Credits and hours by arrangement up to a maximum of six credits. Consent of Department Head required, preferably prior to the student's departure.

Special topics taken in a foreign study program.

4296W. Senior Thesis in Philosophy

(296W) Either semester. Three credits. Hours by arrangement. Prerequisite: ENGL 1010 or 1011 or 3800. Open only with consent of instructor and Department Head. Independent study authorization form required. Prerequisite: Twelve credits in Philosophy at the 2000-level or above, three of which may be taken concurrently.