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Course listings for Philosophy
Spring 2008 (2083)
Here are brief descriptions of philosophy courses and sections for the semester. In a multisection course, the sections sometimes have different instructors, topics, readings, and requirements. If you have a question about a particular section, the best way to get an answer is to ask the person who will teach it. If that person is unavailable, feel free to ask any Philosophy faculty member, or stop by the Department Office at 24 Kent Way, or call 302-831-2359.
- PHIL = Philosophy
- 031 = Registration Code for philosophy
Requirements
Arts and Sciences Group Requirements
- Group A
- PHIL 100 Philosophies of Life
- PHIL 101 Great Western Philosophers
- PHIL 102 Introduction to Philosophy
- PHIL 201 Social and Political Philosophy
- PHIL 202 Contemporary Moral Problems
- PHIL 204 World Religions
- PHIL 216 Introduction to Feminist Theory
- PHIL 444 Medical Ethics
- Group B
- PHIL 301 Ancient Philosophy
- PHIL 303 Modern Philosophy
- PHIL 310 Chinese Religion and Philosophy
- PHIL 311 Early Medieval Philosophy
- Group C
- Group D
Arts and Sciences Second Writing Requirement
- PHIL 444 Medical Ethics
- PHIL 465 Senior Seminar
University Multicultural Requirement
- PHIL 204 World Religions
- PHIL 208 Introduction to Jewish Philosophy
- PHIL 216 Introduction to Feminist Theory
- PHIL 307 Black Thought and Philosophy
- PHIL 310 Chinese Religion and Philosophy
- PHIL 327 Race, Gender, Science
Course Descriptions
PHIL 100 sec. 010 Philosophies of Life MW 3:30-4:45pm Jordan
Plato, Christianity, Marxism, Freud, and ecophilosophy are among the theories we will look at this semester. The course is a survey of seven theories concerning the nature of humanity. There will be three tests.
PHIL 101 sec. 010 Great Western Philosophers MWF 1:25-2:15pm Rogers
Western Philosophy began over two thousand years ago in Greece when people began to ask, “What is really real?” “How can I know anything?” and “What am I doing here, anyway?” In Great Western Philosophers we take an introductory look, in chronological order, at some of the most important thinkers and ideas from ancient Greece to the present, including, for example, Aristotle on the Happy Life, Thomas Aquinas on God, Descartes on doubt and certainty, and Sartre on Freedom. The course is divided into four sections with a multiple-choice test after each section.
PHIL 102 sec. 010 Introduction to Philosophy TR 11:00am-12:15pm Pust
This course is an analytic introduction to Philosophy through the study of the Philosophy of Religion, Epistemology, Metaphysics and Ethics. Among the questions we will consider are the following: Does God exist? Can we know that an external world exists? Is any belief about the future rational? What is the relationship between the mind and brain? What, if anything, makes our actions right or wrong? Do we ever act freely? Readings will be from both historical and contemporary sources.
PHIL 102 sec. 080 Honors: Introduction to Philosophy MWF 10:10-11:00am Hanley
(Honors section requires permission from Honors Program)
PHIL 105 sec. 010 Critical Thinking MWF 9:05-9:55am Staff
sec. 011 Critical Thinking MWF 11:15am-12:05pm Staff
Emphasis on developing skill at logical criticism of arguments. Topics include informal fallacies, deceiving with statistics, the role of definitions in reasoning, the importance of evidence and confirmation.
PHIL 201 sec. 010 Social and Political Philosophy TR 11:00am-12:15pm Haslett
This course critically examines fundamental social and political institutions. American capitalism and democracy will be compared with conservative and radical alternatives, such as libertarianism and Socialism, to see which are most conducive to freedom, equal opportunity, productivity, and justice. Classic social and political philosophies, such as those of John Locke, John Stuart Mill and Karl Marx will be discussed, along with major issues facing the country in this election year, such as the economy, health care, poverty, and the war in Iraq
PHIL 202 sec. 010 Contemporary Moral Problems TR 2:00-03:15pm Silver
This course attempts to shed light on pressing moral issues of the day. We will look at longstanding topics such as abortion and the morality of war. We will also gear part of the course to moral issues that become prominent during the course of the semester.
PHIL 202 sec. 011 Contemporary Moral Problems MWF 12:20-1:10pm Hanley
In conducting our ordinary lives, we often need answers to ethical questions. Some of the most serious are literally matters of life and death. These force us to ask questions like: is it ever okay to kill another member of the human species? Is it always okay to kill things which are not members of the human species? We shall consider issues like abortion, infanticide, contraception, euthanasia, capital punishment, warfare, and the welfare of future generations, animals, the environment, and of those less fortunate than ourselves. Along the way, we’ll construct a picture of a plausible ethical theory, engaging questions like, “Are there any objectively correct answers in ethics?” and “Does ethics depend upon religion?” Students will emerge from the course in a position to make a worthwhile contribution to the discussion of ethical issues in our society.
PHIL 203 sec. 010 Ethics TR 12:30-1:45pm Schueler
"It is not a trivial question," Socrates said. "What we are talking about is how one should live." (Plato, REPUBLIC, 352D) This course will explore some of the answers that have been given to that question, by Kantians, utilitarians and others. We will also look at some of the reasons some philosophers, relativists for instance, have thought that no general answer to Socrates' question is possible.
PHIL 204 sec. 010 World Religions MWF 1:25-2:15pm Fox
(Satisfies University multicultural course requirement)
In this course we will take a critical yet sympathetic view of a wide range of religious traditions, including Native American Religion, Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This will require that we allow ourselves both to identify with and maintain our distance from each of the traditions covered. We propose to explore textual and historical roots and fundamental concerns, and to look for similarities and differences. We will not be experts on World Religions after taking this course, but we will be more sensitive to the kinds of issues at stake in the study of religion, and more familiar with the origins and evolutions of today’s living religions, both Eastern and Western.
PHIL 205 sec. 010 Logic MWF 11:15am-12:05pm Draper
Elementary symbolic logic of truth-functions and quantification. This course covers deductive reasoning: patterns of argument that are logically conclusive by virtue of their form alone. A formal language is developed for expressing the structure of arguments involving connectives like “and”, “or”, and quantifiers like “all”, “some”, “no”. When translated into this formal language, arguments in ordinary English can be proved valid or invalid, and sentences can be evaluated as logically true, logically false, or contingent.
PHIL 208 sec. 010 Introduction to Jewish Philosophy TR 11:00am-12:15pm Silver
(Cross List: JWST 208-010)
(Satisfies University multicultural course requirement)
In this course we will use the methods of analytical philosophy to address particularly Jewish questions such as: What is Judaism? How should one relate to God? How should one respond to the Holocaust? How should Judaism respond to feminist critiques? Some emphasis will be given to the views of historical figures such as Maimonides and Buber.
PHIL 216 sec. 010 Introduction to Feminist Theory MWF 1:25-2:15pm Laberge
sec. 080 Honors: Intro to Feminist Theory MWF 1:25-2:15pm Laberge
(Cross List: WOMS 216-010 & 080)
(Satisfies University multicultural course requirement)
PHIL 216 sec. 440 Introduction to Feminist Theory R 6:00-9:00pm Staff
(Cross List: WOMS 216-440)
(Satisfies University multicultural course requirement)
PHIL 301 sec. 010 Ancient Philosophy MWF 1:25-2:15pm Draper
sec. 080 Honors: Ancient Philosophy MWF 1:25-2:15pm Draper
(Honors section requires permission from Honors Program)
The course is divided into six topics: the significance of being mortal, the possibility and nature of change, the ideal society, the fundamental nature of reality, the nature of the mind, and the rationality of being moral. We will consider the attempts of various ancient Greek philosophers to address these issues, with an emphasis on Plato, Aristotle and Epicurus. Special attention will be given to Plato’s Republic, widely recognized as one of the greatest works in Western literature.
PHIL 303 sec. 010 Modern Philosophy MWF 12:20-1:10pm Staff
sec. 080 Honors: Modern Philosophy MWF 12:20-1:10pm Staff
(Honors section requires permission from Honors Program)
Skepticism and the birth of Modernity. Bacon and scientific experimentalism; Hobbes materialism, Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz; Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Kant; and the Age of Enlightenment and its impact on philosophy, science and religion.
PHIL 305 sec. 010 Twentieth-Century Philosophy TR 12:30-1:45pm Powers
sec. 080 Honors: Twentieth-Century Philosophy TR 12:30-1:45pm Powers
(Honors section requires permission from Honors Program)
In the 20th century, philosophical analysis broached new questions and gave some convincing answers to older philosophical problems. Philosophy of language, epistemology, philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, and ethics all benefited greatly from the several kinds of analysis practiced during this time. It was a period in which philosophy, especially but not exclusively in the English-speaking world, provided foundational and methodological contributions to the sciences (e.g., in psychology and physics) and contributed to several emerging disciplines, such as formal linguistics, mathematical logic, and computer science. Philosophers also turned their attention, in this period, to questions of distributive justice in ways that aided inquiry in economics, public policy, and jurisprudence. In this course we will read many of the great works of 20th century philosophy, mostly in article format, and explore the significance of this fruitful period of inquiry.
PHIL 307 sec. 050 Black Thought and Philosophy T 7:00-10:00pm Smith
(Cross List BAMS 307-050)
(Satisfies University multicultural course requirement)
PHIL 310 sec. 010 Chinese Religion & Philosophy MWF 11:15am-12:05pm Fox
sec. 080 Hnrs: Chinese Religion & Philosophy MWF 11:15am-12:05pm Fox
(Honors section requires permission from Honors Program)
(Satisfies University multicultural course requirement)
In this course we will read and discuss the works of several important thinkers in the Chinese philosophical tradition, including Confucius, Mencius, and Xunzi from the Confucian tradition; Laozi and Zhuangzi from the Daoist tradition; the Huayan and Chan Buddhist traditions; and Zhuxi and Wang Yangming from the Neo-Confucian tradition. We will also discuss representative figures from Neo-Daoism, Chinese Yoga, and trends in Modern Chinese Philosophy. No knowledge of the Chinese language is necessary. There will also be an Honors subsection for 310 this fall which will be limited to 10 students. Students for this subsection will be selected through the Honors Program, and will meet biweekly in a seminar format to go into greater depth on issues raised in class. Honors students must have taken PHIL 204.
PHIL 311 sec. 010 Early Medieval Philosophy MWF 02:30-03:20pm Rogers
sec. 080 Honors: Early Medieval Philosophy MWF 02:30-03:20pm Rogers
(Honors section requires permission from Honors Program)
Early Medieval Philosophy deals with the beginning of the synthesis of Greek philosophy and biblical religion. We start with Plotinus, the neoplatonist who had a profound impact on later religious thought. A major part of the course is devoted to Augustine of Hippo, who, after the authors of the New Testament, is the chief architect of Christian philosophy. We move then to Boethius, Eriugena, Anselm and conclude with Peter Abelard. Though the material is presented chronologically, the key question throughout will be whether or not the ideas we study are philosophically viable today. Topics will include: Proving God, answering skepticism, leading the good life, universals, evil, time, Genesis and the theory of evolution, and many more. There will be four essay tests and quizzes on assigned reading. Honor’s students will meet with regular 311 class but will also write a 10-12 page research paper, and meet several times outside regular class to discuss research and papers.
PHIL 320 sec. 010 Theory of Knowledge TR 09:30-10:45am Pust
This course is a thorough survey of contemporary analytic epistemology (the theory of knowledge and justified belief). We will begin with a consideration of various attempts to define knowledge. Following that, we will examine contemporary theories of justified belief such as foundationalism, coherentism and reliabilism. This course will conclude with an investigation of responses to skepticism about the external world. Readings will be mostly from recent journal articles. This course will be a mixture of lecture and discussion. Students will be expected to be prepared for active and informed discussion of the readings.
PHIL 327 sec. 010 Race, Gender, Science MWF 9:05-9:55am Andreasen
(Cross List: CGSC 327-010; WOMS 327-010 & BAMS 327-010)
(Satisfies University multicultural course requirement)
In this course, we critically examine a number of issues located at the intersection between race, gender, and science. Is race a biologically significant category or is it a social construct (a product of human social practices)? If race is a social construct, should we conserve or eliminate it? Is race a scientifically valuable biomedical research variable? To what extent, if any, are there cognitive sex differences? What might explain such differences, if they exist? Might evolution by natural selection explain psychological and behavioral differences between men and women? What role do values play in the collection and reporting of research on race and gender? What role should they play?
PHIL 367 sec. 010 Religion and Psychology MWF 10:10-11:00am Fox
In this course we will explore the interface of three disciplines: of Philosophy, Religion, and Psychology. We will read works by authors which blur the distinctions between these three approaches. We will not be attempting to reduce religious experience to one or another normal or abnormal psychological state. One overall theme of the course will be to see how religious experience can be viewed both psychologically and philosophically, as real experiences for which one must be able to account. However, this is a philosophy class, so you are definitely expected to think and write philosophically about the material. This means to carefully draw your own conclusions, and to be able to demonstrate that these conclusions are reasonable by offering the reasons which led to the conclusion.
PHIL 367 sec. 011 Political Philosophies and Current Issues R 2:30:500pm Haslett
This course examines, and critically compares, alternative political philosophies: conservatism, liberalism, and radicalism. Classical and contemporary philosophers within each tradition, such as John Locke, John Stuart Mill, Karl Marx, Robert Nozick, and John Rawls are discussed. A major goal will be to put these philosophies to use for helping to determine what the most justified solutions are to the major issues facing the country this election year, such as the economy, health care, gay marriage, poverty, human rights, and the war in Iraq.
PHIL 444 sec. 010 Medical Ethics TR 9:30-10:45am Greene
(Satisfies A&S second writing requirement)
An examination of some of the most controversial issues in medical ethics. Through discussion of specific, highly influential cases, this seminar will join ongoing debates on the ethics of euthanasia, human experimentation, reproductive rights, human cloning, genetic engineering, mental disease and other topics. (See also PHIL/CSCC 241 for a class with a more policy focus.) More info on class website: classes.vole.org/444.
PHIL 465 sec. 010 Senior Seminar: TR 12:30-1:45pm Greene
Duties to Future People
(Satisfies A&S second writing requirement
sec. 080 Honors Senior Seminar: TR 12:30-1:45pm Greene
Duties to Future People
(Honors section requires permission from Honors Program)
(Satisfies A&S second writing requirement)
Present decisions affect future people: a child has a poor start in life because her teenage parents did not wait to start a family; toxic waste causes health problems in people born years later. Many people think that such carelessness violates our duties to future people. However, Derek Parfit has argued that there is a 'non-identity problem' in such cases and this has proven to be one of the most recalcitrant problems in recent moral philosophy. The problem is that such decisions do not only affect future welfare, they also change who will exist: had the parents waited they would have had a different child; present environmental policy inevitably changes who will meet, marry, and have children. This makes it hard to see the harm in such decisions; the resulting children may face challenges but they would not even have existed otherwise. We will examine the challenge that the non-identity problem presents for moral commonsense and will critically assess attempts to respond to it. More info on class website: classes.vole.org.
PHIL 467 sec. 010 Ethics in Nanoscience TR 4:00-5:30pm Powers/Shah
(Cross List: PHYS 467-011; MSEG 667-011; PHYS 667-011)
(400 Level Section Meets With 600 Level Section)
This course investigates the societal, environmental, and ethical issues that come out of rapid advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology. In analyzing these issues, we will present a broad picture of the current
status of nanotechnology and introduce some basic concepts and theories of ethics. We will then overlay the two to critically reflect on the future of responsible technological development in this area. There are no pre-requisites to the course.
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