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Course listings for Philosophy
Fall 2009
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 241 Ethical Issues in Healthcare
- PHIL 444 Medical Ethics
- Group B
- PHIL 301 Ancient Philosophy
- PHIL 310 Chinese Religion and Philosophy
- PHIL 311 Early Medieval Philosophy
- Group C
- PHIL 330 Philosophy of Mind
- 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 210 Women and Religion
- PHIL 216 Introduction to Feminist Theory
- PHIL 310 Chinese Religion and Philosophy
Course Descriptions
PHIL 100 sec. 010 Philosophies of Life MW 04:30-05:45pm 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 01:25-02:15pm 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 105 sec. 010 Critical Thinking MWF 11:15am-12:05pm Ceballes
sec. 011 Critical Thinking MWF 12:20-01:10pm Ceballes
This course serves as an introduction to the subject of logic, broadly construed. We will study selected elements of both inductive and deductive reasoning. Each student should refine his or her ability to critically assess and identify arguments by using both informal and formal methods of evaluation. Students will learn to recognize rhetorical strategies and informal fallacies, as well as how to use symbolization, truth tables, formal proofs, and other logical techniques. Learning such skills and techniques should enable the student to better evaluate his or her own reasoning as well as the reasoning used by others.
PHIL 201 sec. 010 Social & Political Philosophy MWF 02:30-03:20pm Ceballes
In this course we will survey central issues in social and political philosophy, particularly the key problems of how to justify political authority and political obligation, how to balance the freedom of the individual with the freedom of others, and how to balance the benefits and costs among individuals living in a political community. We will also consider philosophical accounts of justice, equality, and rights. Our readings will be comprised of classic and contemporary texts, including writings by thinkers such as Plato, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Rousseau, Locke, Kant, Mill, Marx, Rawls, Nozick, Nussbaum, and Singer. We will first gain a solid grasp of theory before considering specific cases and applications. As we begin to apply our theories, we may discuss state sponsored torture, civil disobedience, health care, poverty, or other timely topics.
PHIL 202 sec. 010 Contemporary Moral Problems TR 02:00-03:15pm 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. 080 Honors: Contemporary Moral Problems TR 02:00-03:15pm Hanley
(Honors section requires permission from Honors Program)
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 MWF 10:10-11:00am 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 09:05-09:55am 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 204 sec. 050 World Religions W 07:00-10:00pm Smith
(Satisfies University multicultural course requirement)
Worldviews are best understood, appreciated, and seen if one is viewing them through the eyes of the original viewer. It is with this in mind that we will read and experience accounts from the viewers themselves rather than encounter each view from an outsider-observer vantage point. We will meet people who happen to read from the Torah. We will meet people who recognize the role Esu plays in their lives. We will dialogue with people who call Jesus, Lord, with people who sing praises to Allah, or to Wakantanka, with people, who are devotees of Krishna, and with people who follow the wisdom of Siddhartha. We will meet people and their views of the world. Thus, the objective of this course is not to memorize the holidays of a particular faith tradition, but to remember the people who celebrate them. If we come to know people, then we can more readily understand, appreciate, and see a view held by them.
Our sources of exploration will include: written texts, video, and guest speakers. There will be one paper, 1-2 pages in length, one paper, 5 pages in length, a field study report, and one exam.
PHIL 205 sec. 010 Logic TR 12:30-01:45pm 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 210 sec. 010 Women and Religion MWF 09:05-09:55am Reese
(Cross List: WOMS 210-010)
(Satisfies University multicultural course requirement)
PHIL 216 sec. 010 Introduction to Feminist Theory TR 02:00-03:15pm Laberge
sec. 080 Honors: Introduction to Feminist Theory TR 02:00-03:15pm Laberge
(Cross List: WOMS 216-010 & 080)
(Honors section requires permission from Honors Program)
(Satisfies University multicultural course requirement)
PHIL 241 sec. 010 Ethical Issues in Healthcare TR 12:30-01:45pm Greene
Informed discussion of the ethics of healthcare must acknowledge the constraints of political and economic reality. In this course we will make an interdisciplinary examination of competing considerations of ethics, justice, and practical policy in the provision of healthcare. Among the questions addressed will be: What are the aims of healthcare and how can success be measured? Is there a right to healthcare? Who should pay? How should scarce resources be distributed? (See also PHIL 444 for a class with a more clinical focus.) More info on class website: classes.vole.org/241.
PHIL 301 sec. 010 Ancient Philosophy TR 11:00am-12:15pm Draper
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 305 sec. 010 Twentieth-Century Philosophy MWF 01:25-02:15pm Powers
sec. 080 Honors: Twentieth-Century Philosophy MWF 01:25-02:15pm 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 310 sec. 010 Chinese Religion & Philosophy MWF 02:30-03:20pm Fox
sec. 080 Honors: Chinese Religion & Philosophy MWF 02:30-03:20pm 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 330 sec. 010 Philosophy of Mind MWF 11:15am-12:05pm Adams
sec. 080 Honors: Philosophy of Mind MWF 11:15am-12:05pm Adams
(Cross List: CGSC 330-010 & 080)
(Honors section requires permission from Honors Program)
What is the mind? What is the relation of the mind to the body? How does the mind work? For example, how do thoughts come to be about the world around us? How do your thoughts come to be about or mean the University of Delaware? And how do thoughts cause behavior? You enrolled at the University of Delaware because you wanted to come here. How do wants (desires) cause things in virtue of their contents or meanings? We are quite familiar with the fact that our thoughts do control our behavior. And our thoughts certainly seem to do this because of what they mean or are about. How does this all work? Philosophers, linguists, psychologists, computer scientists, and neuroscientists, among others, have asked these sorts of questions. We will surely attempt to answer questions about the nature of the mind and how it acquires its contents (or meanings). We begin with a historical survey of approaches to the mind. We will then look at current debates about the nature of the mind. Along the way we will consider related issues of whether nonhuman animals can think and whether a machine (computer) could be made that can think, among other issues. We will consider various theories about how the mind represents the world and current debates about the best way to model the workings of the mind. The course will not presuppose familiarity with the literature on these topics, but will be self-contained--the first part of the course will build a background for the remainder of the course. The format for the course will be lecture and discussion. Students will be active participants in daily discussion of materials. Grades will be determined on the basis of a combination of quizzes, papers and participation.
PHIL 389 sec. 010 Topics: Women & Health Issues TR 03:30-04:45pm Turkel
(Cross List: WOMS 389-010)
PHIL 404 sec. 010 Animal Minds MWF 09:05-09:55am Andreasen
sec. 080 Honors: Animal Minds MWF 09:05-09:55am Andreasen
(Cross List: CGSC 404-010 & 080)
(Honors section requires permission from Honors Program)
The study of animal cognition is an important and exciting subfield in Cognitive Science. To what extent, if any, do nonhuman animals possess complex cognitive capacities? Can dolphins, parrots, chimpanzees, or bonobos comprehend and communicate human language? Might some animal communication systems contain key elements of language and perhaps constitute a language of their own? To what extent, if any, do nonhuman animals have a theory of mind (an ability to represent and reason about the mental states of others)? Is there scientific evidence that nonhuman animals have the cognitive ability to intentionally deceive others? What are the best experimental methods for addressing such questions? How do answers to these types of questions inform issues related to the ethical treatment of nonhuman animals? Although this class will be highly interdisciplinary – drawing from fields such as linguistics, philosophy, psychology, evolutionary biology, and cognitive ethnology – it will not assume background knowledge in any of the areas. The course will also be discussion oriented. Many of the readings will be scholarly articles from scientific journals.
PHIL 444 sec. 010 Medical Ethics TR 09:30-10:45am 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: Puzzles & Paradoxes TR 03:30-04:45pm Hanley
sec. 080 Honors Senior Seminar: Puzzles & Paradoxes TR 03:30-04:45pm Hanley
(Honors section requires permission from Honors Program)
(Satisfies A&S second writing requirement)
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