Philosophy (Major, Minor)

Introduction to the science of correct thinking. Fundamentals of traditional and symbolic logic. Applications of problems to contemporary life. 3 credits.

Examines the basic topics and builds the basic skills of proper reasoning, informal logic, and rational argumentation. Skills promoted include identifying arguments, extracting arguments, assessing arguments, and building rationally persuasive arguments. Topics covered include fallacies, major valid argument forms, and basic argument types such as informal arguments, and analogical arguments. Fulfills general education requirement for Thinking Critically and Analytically. [ 3 credits ]

Explores some of the major issues that have intrigued reflective people from time immemorial: How do we know? What is human nature? Is there life after death? Where did the universe originate? We will evaluate replies suggested from the time of Plato to the 20th century. Fulfills general education requirement for 200-level course and general education requirement for Thinking Critically and Analytically. [ 3 credits ]

The nature and scope of philosophical thinking as seen through an historical study of the thoughts of great philosophers from ancient to contemporary periods. Fulfills General Education requirement for 200 level course. 3 credits. Not open to students who have had IDS 172 or another 200-level Philosophy course.

Explores both Western and Eastern philosophical traditions from the time of Confucius and the Ancient Greeks to the 21st century as students evaluate contemporary moral issues through the lenses of these traditions and their own personal values Students will examine contemporary moral issues and the methods of philosophic thought that can provide some typical solutions to the issues, and will discover the place and influence of philosophy in life today as they increase their ethical awareness and identify their own beliefs and values.  Fulfills general education reqirement in Pursuing Meaning and Purpose. [ 3 credits ]

Explores both Western and Eastern philosophical traditions from the time of Confucius and the Ancient Greeks to the 21st century as students evaluate contemporary moral issues through the lenses of these traditions and their own personal values Students will examine contemporary moral issues and the methods of philosophic thought that can provide some typical solutions to the issues, and will discover the place and influence of philosophy in life today as they increase their ethical awareness and identify their own beliefs and values.  Fulfills general education requiement in Pursuing Meaning and Purpose. [ 3 credits ]

Examines through a philosophical approach, the ways in which women and other gender-marginalized groups represent themselves, their bodies, and their power. In particular, the course explores why women and other gender-marginalized groups engage in self-representation, and what strategies they have used to reject or revise controlling images and stereotypes. Considerable focus will be placed upon the philosophical, cultural, and political contexts that shape the representation of gender and its intersections with factors such as race, class, sexuality, nationality, and others. As a philosophical investigation of women's, trans folks', and non-binary folks' self-representation activities, this course includes materials from a variety of self-representational mediums in popular culture, including written autobiography, portraiture, performance, art, dance, and self-representations via social media platforms. Satisfies the General Education requirement for Impact of Diversity. [3 credits]

Explores the history of African and Carribean philosophy via a focus on political philosophy and theories of Africana cultural philosophy. In this course, students will examine how Africana philosophers have addressed various philosophical notions such as identity, freedom, human dignity, justice, and responsibility within contexts of anti-black racism, expropriation, and colonialism. Additionally, this course considers the philosophical contributions of African and Carribeean thinkers in defining what it means to be human and how ethical communities, locally and trans-nationally, can arise. Fulfills the general
education requirement for intercultural knowledge. [ 3 credits ]

Examines critically sensitive and rational life, primarily through a comparison of animal behavior and human existence. Investigates the extent and value of various forms of human knowledge. Prerequisites: 200-level philosophy course, Morrissy scholar or permission. [ 3 credits ]

Introduces students to the problematic nature of the statement "our minds control our bodies." Identifies the philosophical and psychological assumptions underlying this statement. Examines the contradictions and unrecognized implications of these assumptions. Explores alternative accounts of what is known, in philosophy and psychology, as mind-body interaction, including accounts that deny the existence of mind, and/or provides alternative models. Prerequisites: IDS-172 or PHL-201 and PSY-101. Fulfills general education requirement in philosophy. [3 credits]

Explores the meaning and nature of human existence. Investigates both classic and contemporary answers to the following questions: Is the person a body or a mind? Are we free or determined? What grounds do we have for belief in God? On what principles do we judge things right or wrong? Why should citizens obey the law? What things do we call art? When can I say "I know"? What is the meaning of life? Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy course. Fulfills general education requirement for 300/400-level course. [ 3 credits ]

Explores, examines, and analyzes philosophical inquiry by major thinkers on issues that fall under the area of study known as the philosophy of religion, such as: the attributes and xistence of God, the problem of evil, the nature of miracles, death and immortality, and others. Specific attention will be given to the definitions, concepts, and theories that surround these questions and issues, and how understandings may be depending upon the time period and the faith-based foundation upon which philosophical inquiry has been made. Prerequisites: 200-level philosophy course. Fulfills general education requirement for 300/400-level course. [ 3 credits ]

Examines the historical progression of philosophical inquiry into the question referred to as "the problem of evil." Specific attention will be given to the problem as it arises in 
theistic religious tradition, to its origins, and to its potential answers/solutions to the problem (theodicies). Additional focus will be given to how philosophical inquiry and reasoning regarding the problem has (or has not) changed over time, with particular emphasis on the responses generated during and after the Age of Enlightenment. Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy course. Fulfills general education requirement for 300/400-level course. [ 3 credits ]

This course will address topics in both informal and formal logic, with an emphasis on formal logic. Topics covered will include argument identification and structure, the translation of English statements into propositional form, the use of truth tables, and natural deduction in propositional logic. Fulfills general education requirement for 300/400-level philosophy. [ 3 credits ]

Examines philosophical conceptions of moral personhood in a global context, concentrating on the role that abilities and disabilities play in determining who is considered a qualified, morally autonomous agent. Many lifelong and acquired disabilities are known to interfere with persons’ reasoning and communicating abilities. Most ethical theories require that persons be both fully rational and able to communicate in order to garner respect as moral decision makers. Consequently, many persons labelled disabled are denied moral autonomy/the right to self-determination. Globally there is no consensus as to who or what counts as disabled; a cross-cultural perspective is therefore necessary in examining how disability and ability factor in conceptions of moral personhood in ethical theorizing. Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy course. Fulfills general education requirement for 300/400-level course. Fulfills general education requirement for Values. [ 3 credits ]

Explores the major philosophical thinkers and movements in Western philosophy from the pre-Socratics to the works of Socrates. Plato and Aristotle as well as the major philosophical thinkers and movements in Western philosophy from St. Augustine in the fifth century to responses to Thomas Aquinas in the 14th and 15th centuries. Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy course. Fulfills general education requirement for 300/500 level course. [ 3 credits ]

Explores Western philosophic thought from the 17th and 19th centuries through the works of select Continental Rationalists and British Empiricists with a special emphasis on metaphysical and epistemological views. Considers questions (and answers) that dominate 19th and 20th century Western philosophy. Investigates the origins and themes of American pragmatism, Anglo-American philosophy of language, existential-phenomenology, critical theory and postmodernism. Offers an opportunity to make sense of emerging issues and debates in 21st century philosophy. Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy course. Fulfills general education requirement for 300/400-level philosophy course. [ 3 credits ]

Explores the place of suicide in the study of philosophy. Voluntary death poses major challenges to philosophy, both the challenge to make sense of what is quite likely the most perplexing of human possibilities, as well as a stark challenge to the validity of the philosophical enterprise in general. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to a wide variety of perspectives on suicide by exploring both first-person accounts provided by the suicidal, as well as some of the most famous contemporary philosophical discussions of suicide. The class will question both the “what” and the “who” of voluntary death, as well as if the discipline of philosophy has claim to a unique relationship to this phenomenon. We will also explore the “application” of these philosophical insights on suicide by acquainting ourselves with the major movements in the contemporary debate in ethics surrounding suicide. Prerequisite: PHL-201. Fulfills general education requirement for 300/400-level philosophy course. Fulfills general education requirement for Values. [ 3 credits ]

Employs a philosophical approach in the study of human sexuality. Specific topics include questions related to sexual orientation, lust, casual sex, adultery, love, sexual practices, relationships, and the intersectionality of sexual identity with other identities such as race and gender. As we consider these questions, we will challenge assumptions regarding human sexuality, consider the importance of sexuality to a good life, and discuss the appropriate role of the state in human secual behavior. Fulfills general education requirement for 300/400-level philosophy course and Impact of Diversity. [ 3 credits ]

Explores philosophical principles underlying formal education as well as the principles, values, and assumptions underlying the process of learning. Examines contemporary methods of practicing and assessing philosophy in schools. Engages with philosophical texts from ancient philosophy through contemporary scholarship to address questions such as: What does it  mean to learn? How can teaching be an ethical practice? How might schooling be critiqued through a philosophical lens? Prerequisite: PHL-201. Fulfills General Education Requirement for 300-400 level Philosophy course and general education requirement for Pusuing Meaning and Purpose. [ 3 credits ]

Explores the philosophy of beauty. What is the nature, function and value of a work of art? What is the relationship between art and reality? What is the relationship between the artist and the audience? Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy course. Fulfills general education requirement for 300/400-level course. [ 3 credits ]

Analyzes the nature and scope of human knowledge. Focuses on the ways in which knowing, believing and having an opinion differ, and investigates the limitations of reason and the boundaries of human understanding. Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy course. Fulfills general education requirement for 300/400-level course. [ 3 credits ]

Examines the origins and justifications of various social and political systems from ancient through contemporary times. Topics addressed may include: The moral justification of particular forms of government, the definition of community and the relationship of the individual to the community, and the importance of race and gender in society. Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy course. Fulfills general education requirements for 300/400-level course and values. [3 credits]

Investigates the meaning and significance of lived, bodily experience in the formation of human consciousness. Evaluates the history of Western Philosophy from the perspective of those who were once seen as marginal to it, and in doing so elucidates the many debates within Feminist Philosophy about the nature and limits of the philosophical enterprise. Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy course. Fulfills general education requirements for 300/400-level course, gender and diversity. [ 3 credits ]

Examines the concept of race and the phenomenon of racism. Differentiates between individual racism and institutional racism, with a strong focus on the latter. Topics addressed may include: the concept of race as both constructed and real, the politics of racialized identity, epistemologies of ignorance, the persistence of racial inequality, reparations, and the intersection of race with gender, class and sexuality. The corse is heavily interdisciplinary, drawing from history, sociology, gender studies, comparative literature, African-American studies, and Hispanic/Latino studies. Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy course. Fulfills general education requirements for 300/400-level course and general education requirement for Understanding and Valuing Diverse Identities and Perspectives. [ 3 credits ]

Examines historical and contemporary conceptions of the mind and mental functions. Investigates the ways in which cognitive disabilities, technological advancements, and recent philosophical research are challenging traditional conceptions of mind and mental functioning. Topics to be addressed include: autism and the problem of other minds; artificial intelligence and the limitations of functionalism; epiphenomenalism and the phenomenal mind; modularity of mind and the limits of evolutionary psychology. By studying what a mind is, who and what kinds of things have minds, how minds work and how minds often fail to work, as well as whehter it is minds that exist or merely mental conent and activity, students develop a deep understanding of the ways science, technology and philosophy are challenging traditional beliefs about human beings. Prerequisites: PHL-172 or PHL-201. [ 3 credits ]

Introduces contemporary moral issues in light of systems suggested by major thinkers such as Aristotle, J. S. Mill and Kant. Includes considerations of topics such as abortion, euthanasia, cloning and capital punishment. Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy course. Fulfills general education requirements for 300/400-level and values. [ 3 credits ]

Discusses ethics as a dimension of social responsibility, the role of corporate culture in business, and emerging issues in business ethics, such as the ways in which differences will affect ethical decision making. Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy course. Fulfills general education requirements for 300/400-level course and values. [ 3 credits ]

Addresses a variety of challenging issues in environmental ethics. Topics considered may include, among others: the status of non-human animals, farming and the environment, global climate change, inter-generational justice, issues of land use, the preservation of forests and wilderness, and the use and development of energy resources. Through an examination of some of these issues, the course also introduces students to a variety of moral theories, from both philosophical and religious perspectives. The social, gender, and environmental justice implications of ecological issues are a major concern of the course. Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy course. Fulfills general education requirements for 300/400-level PHL and values. Crosslisted with ENV 336. [ 3 credits ]

Explores the study of moral problems in medical practice and health care delivery while providing an historical overview of the field of medical ethics. Against the background of  traditional ethical theories, students will critically explore, examine, analyze, and engage in the study of issues that arise in medical ethics. Specific attention will be given to examining the major areas of discussion and debate within the realm of medical ethics and social justice/ responsibility such as paternalism and patient autonomy, disparities in health care, and issues of life and dealth, and, through critical analysis and applied ethical theory, to the critical oral and written evaluation of case studies specific to these issues. Prerequisite: PHL-201. Fulfills general education requirements for 300/400-level course and values and general education requirements for Pursuing Meaning and Purpose. [ 3 credits ]

Explores, examines, and analyzes the concept of human flourishing (i.e., eudaemonia) through philosophical inquiry. In a seminar format, students engage in the study of: the definitions of, concepts of, and theories that surround human flourishing and how they have changed over time and across cultures, the components that comprise it, and, the  priciples/theories/strategies offered by research, literature, poets, philosophers, and others as to how it can be attained. Focus will also be given as to how philosophical inquiry into what constitutes and promotes human flourishing can be applied to the specific challenges inherent in the current sociopolitical climate. Prerequisite: Morrissy Scholar or permission and 200-level philosophy course. Fulfills general education requirement for 300/400-level course. [3 credits]

A critical and historical examination of a concept, thinker or school of thought in a nonwestern tradition. (May be taken more than once on different topics.)

Designs a research project culminating in a thesis on a philosophical issue. At the end of the semester, the student will give an oral presentation of the thesis to department faculty, students, and invited guests. Prerequisite: philosophy major with senior status, or philosophy major with junior status and at least seven philosophy courses completed, or permission. [ 3 credits ]

Provides an in-depth exploration of a major theme, concept, framework, or idea central to the discipline of philosophy. May be taken twice on different themes. Past themes include: Philosophy of Mind & Disability, Virtue Theory & Anti-Theory. Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy course. Fulfills general education requirement for cross-cultural studies ONLY WHEN THEME IS Islamic philosophy. [3 credits]

Provides an in-depth exploration of a major figure or group of figures, either historical or contemporary, central to the discipline of philosophy. Past themes include: Islamic Philosophy, Immanuel Kant, Simone de Beauvoir. May be taken twice on different figures. Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy course. [3 credits]

Provides an opportunity for independent work on an approved topic in philosophy. Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy course; one 300-level course; and permission of instructor. [ 3 credits ]

Provides an opportunity to explore an area of the student's particular interest under the guidance of a member of the department to permit intensive examination of the area of special interest. Prerequisite: one 200-level philosophy course; one 300-level philosophy course; permission of the instructor. [ 3 credits ]

Considers the structure and foundations of morality with special emphasis on ethical problems related to death and dying. Prerequisite: PHL-201, Morrissy scholar or permission. Fulfills general education requirement in philosophy and values. [3 credits]