Course Descriptions

 
PHIL 100 Critical and Multicultural Thinking in Moral Issues [  2 ] (3)
Fall: All Years        Spring: All Years       
This course will explore universally correct critical thinking skills for identifying, evaluating, and constructing arguments. Students will also develop multicultural thinking skills by learning diverse cultures' different belief systems about the world and our life in it. With critical and multicultural thinking skills learned and practiced, students will approach contemporary moral issues from culturally diverse perspectives and present their views with critical arguments.


PHIL 101 Introduction to Western Philosophy [  6M  6 ] (3)
Fall: All Years        Spring: All Years        Summer: All Years
An introduction to Western philosophical thinking and methods through an examination of selected figures and movements from the history of the discipline.


PHIL 102 Philosophies of Human Nature [  7I  7 ] (3)
Fall: All Years        Spring: All Years        Summer: All Years
This course examines multiple philosophical ideas about human existence. In addition to exploring culturally distinct perspectives, we will explore normative consequences and applications regarding basic obligations and attitudes towards others, the environment, and values. Topics typically include Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Existentialism, Aristotleanism, Kantianism, and secular humanism.


PHIL 105 Philosophical Thinking (4)
Fall: All Years       
This course stresses critical reflection about selected philosophical topics from such areas as religion, society, human nature, morality, and knowledge. Major emphasis on development of skills in philosophical writing.


PHIL 110 Practical Reasoning [  2 ] (3)
Fall: All Years        Spring: All Years        Summer: All Years
An introduction to critical thinking, with emphasis on understanding the logic of everyday arguments, interpreting the arguments of others, detecting fallacies, and constructing good arguments.


PHIL 120 World Religions [  7I  7 ] (3)
Fall: All Years        Spring: All Years        Summer: All Years
Study of beliefs and practices of major religions of the world.


PHIL 215 Contemporary Moral Issues [  9 ] (3)
Fall: All Years        Spring: All Years        Summer: All Years
Application of ethical theories to contemporary moral issues, such as world hunger, punishment, sexual equality, sexual behavior, abortion, the environment, corporate responsibility, and war.


PHIL 235 Philosophy of Sex and Love [  7  7M ] (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
Exploration of historical and contemporary sources. Topics may include the nature of sexual acts, perversion, homosexuality, sexual ethics, fantasy, pornography, marriage, the different types of love, and feminist views on sex and love.


PHIL 265 Philosophy of Science (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
An examination of traditional and contemporary views of science, emphasizing the nature of scientific inquiry and the relationship between observation and theory. Includes discussion of science as an objective picture of reality, the difference between science and pseudo-science, and the idea of "progress" in science.


PHIL 290 Special Topics in Philosophy (1-3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand        Summer: On Demand
Topics will be announced in class schedule. Students may register more than once when content varies.


PHIL 300 History of Ethics [  W ] (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
A history of ethical and political theory in Western philosophy. The course will study the works of such philosophers as Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Locke, Hobbes, Kant, Bentham, and Mill.
Prerequisite:  PHIL 101  OR PHIL 105  OR PHIL 311 

PHIL 301 Philosophy of Religion (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
An examination of religions from a philosophical standpoint. The course will discuss such issues as the existence and nature of God, religious experience, and life after death.
Prerequisite:  PHIL 101  OR PHIL 105 

PHIL 303 Classical Philosophy (3)
Fall: All Years       
A study of the development of ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, including the Presocratics, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and such movements as Stoicism, Epicureanism, and Skepticism. Prerequisites: or consent of instructor.
Prerequisite:  PHIL 101  OR PHIL 105 

PHIL 304 Medieval Philosophy (3)
Spring: Odd Years       
Study of Western philosophy during the medieval period. The course will typically include study of such philosophers as Augustine, Anselm, and Aquinas.


PHIL 305 Modern Philosophy: 17th Century (3)
Spring: Even Years       
Study of Western philosophy in the 17th century, focusing on the metaphysical and epistemological writings of Descartes and Locke. Prerequisites: Students should have taken at least two courses in philosophy or obtain consent of instructor. Prerequisites: or consent of instructor.


PHIL 306 Modern Philosophy: 18th Century (3)
Spring: Even Years       
Study of Western Philosophy in the 18th century, focusing on the metaphysical and epistemological writings of Hume and Kant.
Prerequisite:  PHIL 305 

PHIL 307 19th Century Philosophy (3)
Fall: Even Years       
Study of selected major philosophers of the 19th century, such as Hegel, Marx, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Schopenhauer and Mill.


PHIL 308 Anglo-American Analytic Philosophy (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
A survey and examination of the fundamental issues of analytic philosophy that have shaped the contemporary philosophical landscape of Anglo-American societies. Topics covered will include Early Cambridge Analytic Philosophy, Logical Positivism of the Vienna Circle, Oxford Ordinary Language Philosophy, and Contemporary Analytic Philosophy. Readings will address problems in philosophy of language, epistemology, and metaphysics. Students should have taken at least one previous course in philosophy or obtain the consent of the instructor.


PHIL 309 Continental Philosophy (3)
Fall: All Years       
An investigation of recent trends in European philosophy: areas may include phenomenology, structuralism, post-structuralism, critical and political theory, postmodernism, French feminism. Emphasis will be on how the continental philosophers revolutionize the classic philosophical notions of the self, world, rationality, knowledge, etc.
Prerequisite:  PHIL 101  OR PHIL 105 

PHIL 311 Morals and Medicine [  9  W ] (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
A consideration of some moral problems that arise in medicine such as truth-telling, experimentation, paternalism, abortion, euthanasia, allocation of sparse resources and health care systems.


PHIL 312 Business Ethics [  9  W ] (3)
Fall: All Years        Spring: All Years       
This course explores the ethical challenges that arise in the business world. The course will begin with a discussion of different normative theories and then applies those theories to areas of concern within the business world. Case studies will be used to illustrate theoretical points with particular situations. This course will develop critical thinking and writing competencies.


PHIL 314 Introduction to Feminist Theory (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
Critical examination of various feminist theories, both historical and contemporary, and of various definitions of sexism. Students will also examine how feminist theory can be applied to various contemporary moral and social issues. Theorists studied may include Mill, de Beauvoir, Frye, and Jaggar. Representative contemporary issues may include women's reproductive rights, prostitution, sexual harassment laws, and marriage and family issues.


PHIL 316 Ethics in the Information Age [  9 ] (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
An introduction to ethical issues associated with the Information Age. A description of what the Information Age is, how it came to be, and what makes it different from the previous age. Study of new ethical issues arising from, or given increased prominence by, the Information Age advances in information collection, storage, retrieval, processing, and dispersion. Ethical issues to be covered include privacy, surveillance, accuracy, free speech, intellectual property, Internet crime, identify theft, spam, information access, information dispersion, and some consequences of data mining and emerging technologies. Same as CSIS 316.


PHIL 318 Professional Ethics [  9  W ] (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
The course explores the special ethical challenges that arise in professional life. The course is organized around issues common to many professions, such as competing rights, informed consent, professional obligation, and confidentiality. The course provides an overview of different normative theories and applies them to areas of concern that frequently arise in professional decision making. Case studies illustrate these issues. This course develops critical thinking and writing competencies.


PHIL 320 Philosophy of the Arts [  6M  6  W ] (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
A consideration of philosophical questions relating to the fine arts. Representative topics include the nature of art, aesthetic experience, criticism in the arts, representation, symbolism, and evaluation. Same as ART 320.


PHIL 340 Symbolic Logic (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
A survey of deductive logic, emphasizing the use of symbolism to interpret and evaluate arguments. Includes propositional and predicate logic.


PHIL 355 Existentialism (3)
Spring: Even Years       
An examination of writings--both philosophical and literary-- of representative existentialists, such as Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Dostoevsky, Heidegger, Sartre, and Camus.


PHIL 357 Social and Political Philosophy (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
Investigation of major issues of contemporary social and political philosophy. Topics may include the justification of the state, rights, equality and liberty, the major political ideologies, feminist politics, and critical theory. Listed prerequisites may be waived by prior completion of a 200 or 300 level philosophy course.


PHIL 358 Peace and War [  8 ] (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
War affects people around the globe, both when their nation is at war and when allies of their nation are at war. By studying the writings of people from different cultures and nations, we will examine both the causes of war and alternatives. During this class we will have occasion to question whether war is ever moral and whether there are any viable alternatives to war that might allow for more peaceful resolutions of conflict. We will finish the semester with a discussion of terrorism and how it should affect our beliefs about some of these issues.


PHIL 390 Special Topics in Philosophy (1-4)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand        Summer: On Demand
Topics will be announced in semester class schedules. Students may repeat course when content varies.


PHIL 407 Theory of Knowledge (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
Study of basic problems of theory of knowledge (epistemology) and discussion of contemporary epistemological theories. Topics will include the analysis of knowledge, epistemic justification, foundationalism, coherentism, reliabilism, traditional versus naturalistic epistemology, and skepticism. Course requires an oral presentation. Students should have taken at least two courses in philosophy or obtain the consent of the instructor.


PHIL 408 Metaphysics (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
Study of major issues of contemporary metaphysics. Topics will include substance and properties, identity and persistence, necessity and possibility, essence and essentialism, causation and determinism, and ontology. Course requires an oral presentation. Students should have taken at least two courses in philosophy or obtain the consent of the instructor.


PHIL 490 Topics in Philosophy (1-4)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand        Summer: On Demand
Study of a selected philosophical problem or philosophical movement. Students may register more than once when topic varies. Specific topics will be announced in class schedules. Students should have taken at least two courses in philosophy or obtain the consent of the instructor.


PHIL 492 Major Philosophers (1-3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
Intensive study of some important figure in the history of philosophy. Students may register more than once when content varies. Students should have taken at least two courses in philosophy or obtain the consent of the instructor.


PHIL 495 Topics in Feminist Theory (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
Courses offered under this title will focus on feminist theories as frameworks for work on feminist issues. For specific topic see class schedule. Topics may include Knowledge, Ethics, Ecology, Reproductive Rights and Issues, Self-images and Identity, and Sexuality. Students may register more than once when content varies, but may not repeat the course for more than 6 credits.
Prerequisite:  PHIL 101  OR PHIL 105  OR PHIL 314 

PHIL 497 Independent Study (1-3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand        Summer: On Demand
Intensive independent study of a philosophical problem, major philosopher, or philosophical movement, under the direction and supervision of one or more members of the department. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 credits. No more than 3 credits may be used to fulfill the major requirements.


PHIL 498 Senior Project (1)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand        Summer: On Demand
As a capstone requirement for the major, students will complete a research paper with departmental presentation or submit a portfolio. A portfolio containing (1) four or five papers they have written for philosophy courses; (2) a philosophical self-assessment. See Department Chair for details.


PHIL 590 Topics in Philosophy (1-3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand        Summer: On Demand
Study of a selected philosophical problem or philosophical movement. Students may register more than once when topic varies. Specific topics will be announced in class schedules.


PHIL 595 Topics in Feminist Theory (3)
Fall: On Demand        Spring: On Demand       
Courses offered under this title will focus on feminist theories as frameworks for work on femininst issues. For specific topic see class schedule. Topics may include Knowledge, Ethics, Ecology, Reproductive Rights and Issues, Self-images and Identity, and Sexuality. Students may register more than once when content varies, but may not repeat the course for more than 6 credits.
Prerequisite:  PHIL 101  OR PHIL 105  OR PHIL 314