Course Descriptions

PHIL 1000: General Introduction to Philosophy (3)
Can the existence of God be proved? Can it be disproved? What happens to you when you die? Is there no more to a person than his or her physical body? Is your mind just your physical brain, or is it something else? What is knowledge? Do we really have any? Can there be ethical knowledge? Are there ethical facts? Or is ethics all relative? These are the kinds of questions this course will help you to begin thinking about.

PHIL 1100: Introduction to Ethics (3)
An introduction to different theories about what makes actions right rather than wrong, what things are good. Readings may include Plato, Aristotle, Kant and Mill.

PHIL 1150: Introduction to Bioethics (3)
This course philosophically investigates ethical issues of biological health, reproduction, technology and research. Issues studied may include: just health care, euthanasia, eugenics, the human genome project, genetic engineering, cloning, and stem cell research.

PHIL 1200: Logic and Reasoning (3)
Methods of analyzing and evaluating arguments of all types. Uses both informal and formal techniques. Identifies informal fallacies and introduces elementary symbolic logic.

PHIL 2000: Philosophical Ideas in Literature (3)
Philosophical ideas and issues revolving around human freedom as these ideas and issues are embodied in great literary works from Plato through Dostoyevsky to Burgess.

PHIL 2005: Topics in Philosophy (1-3)
Organized study of philosophical issues to which no regular course is devoted. Subjects and earnable credit may vary from semester to semester. Prerequisite: sophomore standing or consent of instructor.

PHIL 2010: The Philosophy of Film (3). (same as Film Studies 2010)
Philosophical problems having to do with film. Topic may include the nature of films, the differences between fiction and documentary film, ethical issues with film and filmmaking.

PHIL 2100: Philosophy: East and West (3) (same as South Asia Studies 2100)
Compares the interpretation and role of philosophical concepts such as experience, reason, permanence, change, immortality, soul, God, etc., in Indian, Chinese and European traditions. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PHIL 2200: Philosophy and Intellectual Revolution (3)
Examines such revolutions as the Copernican, Darwinian, Marxian and Freudian. What are the new views? How is our place in the universe affected? What puzzles arise in replacing old by new views? Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PHIL 2300: Philosophy and Human Nature (3)
Philosophical exploration and examination of theories of human nature with reference to relevant developments in such sciences as biology, psychology, and economics. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PHIL 2350: The Meaning of Life (3)
Does life have meaning, or is it essentially meaningless, absurd? This course will examine some of answers philosophers have given to this and related questions.

PHIL 2400: Ethics and the Professions (3)
Examination of ethical issues confronted by members of different professions such as medicine, law, business, journalism and engineering. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PHIL 2410: Philosophies of War and Peace (3) (same as Peace Studies 2410)
Moral issues about the recourse to war by the nation and the individual’s obligations to participate. The nature of peace, social and personal. Special attention to the Vietnam War and the nuclear age. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PHIL 2420: Ethical Issues in Business (3)
Major theories of moral obligation and justice and their application to business practices. Corporate responsibility, government regulation, investment and production, advertisement, the environment, preferential hiring, etc. through case studies, legal opinions and philosophical analysis. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PHIL 2430: Contemporary Moral Issues (3)
Review of the major contemporary ethical theories and their contribution to the resolution of major social issues such as euthanasia, suicide, abortion, capital punishment, violence and war. Emphasis on nature, interests, and rights of persons. Graded on A/F basis only. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PHIL 2440: Medical Ethics (3)
Considers moral issues posed by developments in biological sciences and medical technology. Topics may include: genetic engineering, abortion and euthanasia, distribution of health care. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PHIL 2500: Philosophy and Gender (3) (Same as WGST 2500)
A critical examination of central ideas and themes in feminist philosophical thought. Topics may include: sex, marriage, parenthood, reproduction, body image, pornography, prostitution. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PHIL 2600: Rational Decisions (3). Principles for making decisions in a rational way. Special attention to principles that use probabilities and utilities. Some discussion of decisions made in conjunction with other people, and decisions made for other people. Prerequisites: sophomore standing and grade of C or better in MATH 1100/1120. Math Reasoning Proficiency Course.

PHIL 2700: Elementary Logic (3) (same as Linguistics 2700)
Introduces a symbolic language for representing the structure of arguments. Presents precise rules for demonstrating the validity of arguments. Covers natural deduction for sentence and predicate logic. Develops skill in constructing derivations. Prerequisites: sophomore standing and grade of C or better in MATH 1100/1120. Math Reasoning Proficiency Course.

PHIL 2820: Introduction to Cognitive Science (3) (same as PSYCH 2820 and LINGST 2820)
Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary study of the mind. After an overview of the foundations of cognitive science as a whole, we will see what particular sectors of it have to say about mental capacities such as vision, language, categorization, and social cognition. Prerequisites: PSYCH 1000; sophomore standing.

PHIL 3000: Ancient Western Philosophy (3)
Philosophical thought on nature, knowledge, the gods, human life and society, from Thales to Augustine. Emphasis on Plato and Aristotle. The relevance of the ancients to contemporary life. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PHIL 3100: Medieval Philosophy (3)
Major thinkers from St. Augustine through 14th century Ockhamists. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PHIL 3200: Modern Philosophy (3)
Surveys critical and speculative thinking of modern period from Descartes to Kant in relation to scientific, religious and social movements. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PHIL 3400: 19th Century Philosophy (3)
A careful and sympathetic study of some of the major thinkers of this period, notably Kierkegaard and Nietzsche. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PHIL 3500: Existentialism (3)
The nature of human existence, the meaning of life, the relation of the individual to nature, society, and any gods that may be, according to Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, de Beauvoir, Camus and others. Students are encouraged to come to grips with the issues in relation to their own lives. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PHIL 3600: 20th Century Philosophy (3)
The course will be a survey of some of the notable philosophers/thinkers whose contributions have been made in the twentieth century. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PHIL 3700: Selected Modern Philosophers (3)
Advanced study of a particular philosopher or a number of philosophers from the same school in the modern period. May be taken twice for credit with permission of the department. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PHIL 3800: Selected Contemporary Philosophers (3)
Advanced study of a particular contemporary philosopher or philosophers. May be taken twice for credit with permission of the department. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.

PHIL 4001: Topics in Philosophy-General (1-3)
Organized study of selected topics. Subjects and earnable credit may vary from semester to semester. Prerequisites: junior standing and consent of instructor; departmental consent for repetition.

PHIL 4005: Topics in Philosophy-Humanities (1-3)
Organized study of selected topics. Subjects and earnable credit may vary from semester to semester. Prerequisites: junior standing and consent of instructor; departmental consent for repetition.

PHIL 4100/7100: Philosophy of Language (3) (same as Linguistics 4100)
Examination of contemporary views of the relationship between language, minds, and the world. Prerequisites: junior standing; PHIL 2700 or instructor’s consent.

PHIL 4110/7110: Advanced Logic (3) (same as Linguistics 4110)
Presents the method of truth trees for sentence and predicate logic. Examines proofs concerning the decidability, soundness, and completeness of formal systems. Emphasizes the theory of formal systems. Prerequisites: junior standing and PHIL 2700. Math Reasoning Proficiency Course.

PHIL 4120/7120: Selected Topics in Logic (3)
Elementary set theory. Modal logic, the logic of possibility and necessity. Prerequisites: junior standing and PHIL 2700 or 4110.

PHIL 4130/7130: Probability and Induction (3)
This course studies probability, its various interpretations, and its basic principles. It identifies forms of reasoning that establish the probability of a conclusion. The methods of reasoning it treats are at the heart of science and practical affairs. Prerequisite: PHIL 2700.

PHIL 4200/7200: Metaphysics (3)
Metaphysics studies what there is and how things are, most generally speaking. Topics may include realism versus nominalism, substance and attribute, facts, modality, identity and causality. Previous work in Philosophy 1000, 3000 or 3200 recommended. Prerequisite: junior standing.

PHIL 4210/7210: Philosophy of Mind (3)
Considers theories and arguments in contemporary philosophy of mind, focusing on the nature of mental states, their relation to brain states and the plausibility of various materialist theories of the mind. Prerequisite: junior standing.

PHIL 4220/7220: Philosophy of Religion (3)
Considers basis for and nature of religious beliefs. Prerequisite: junior standing.

PHIL 4300/7300: Epistemology (3)
An examination of contemporary philosophical theories concerning the nature, sources and limits of knowledge and justified belief. Previous work in PHIL 1000, 3000, 3200 is recommended. Prerequisite: junior standing.

PHIL 4400/7400: Philosophy of Science (3)
Why believe the scientific world-view? What, if anything, is the scientific method? Are today’s theories really superior to past theories? Examinees contemporary philosophical answers to such questions. Prerequisite: junior standing.

PHIL 4410/7410: Philosophy of History (3)
Readings from classic and contemporary philosophers of history. Problems about nature and limits of historical knowledge; relation between history and other disciplines; the existence, nature, and kinds of historical laws. Prerequisite: junior standing.

PHIL 4420/7420: Philosophy of Biology (3)
A survey of philosophical problems arising from consideration of evolutionary theory and the biological sciences. Topics may include reductionism, sociobiology, biological laws, and epistemic problems relating to evolutionary theory. Prerequisite: junior standing.

PHIL 4500/7500: Theories of Ethics (3). Normative and meta-ethical theories. Topics may include the rationality and objectivity of morality, the meaning of moral language, the differences between deontological, utilitarian and virtue theories. Prerequisite: junior standing and a prior course in Philosophy.

PHIL 4600/7600: Political and Social Philosophy (3) (same as Peace Studies 4600)
Contemporary and/or historical theories of justice and the state. Utilitarianism, Liberalism, Libertarianism, Marxism, Communitarianism and Feminism may be among the views covered. Prerequisite: junior standing.

PHIL 4610/7610: Philosophy of Law (3)
What is law? Are there pre- or trans-legal rights? Is punishment justifiable? How can judicial decisions be justified? What are the relations between law and morality? Prerequisite: junior standing.

PHIL 4620/7620: Marxism (3)
A philosophical examination of (a) the notion of critique as seen in Marx’s early and middle writings, and (b) specific topics by such authors as Lenin, Lukacs and Plekhanov. Prerequisite: junior standing.

PHIL 4700/7700: Aesthetics (3)
Typical components of art; theories of art as representation, form, expression; relation of art to value. Prerequisite: junior standing.

PHIL 4800/7800: Asian Philosophy (3) (same as South Asia Studies 4800)
This course traces the origins of Indian and Chinese philosophical world views. Included are the major ideas in Hindu, Jaina, and Buddhist thought in India, and Taoism and Confucianism in China. Emphasis is placed on the diverse, assimilative, and pragmatic nature of Indian thought and its impact on contemporary Asian philosophy. Prerequisite: junior standing.

PHIL 4810/7810: Philosophy of India (3) (same as South Asia Studies 4810)
General development of Indian philosophy. Prerequisite: junior standing.

PHIL 4850/7850: Special Readings in Philosophy (1-3)
Prerequisite: junior standing.

PHIL 4950: Senior Seminar in Philosophy (3)
A capstone course required of and only open to senior Philosophy majors. Course content will vary, depending on the professor teaching the course. Prerequisite: senior Philosophy major.

PHIL 4998: Honors I in Philosophy (3)
Special work for Honors candidates. Prerequisite: junior standing.

PHIL 4999: Honors II in Philosophy (3)
Special work for Honors candidates. Prerequisite: junior standing.

PHIL 8090: Research (credit arranged)
Research not leading to thesis.

PHIL 8100: Protoseminar in Philosophy (3)
Introduction to graduate level work in philosophy. Required of all students entering the program, in the first year. An intensive workshop focused on skills rather than any particular philosophical content. Prerequisite: restricted to first year graduate students.

PHIL 8210: Teaching of Philosophy (1)
Seminar meetings on course design, objectives, teaching methods, the evaluation of teaching, grading, instructor obligations, resolution of problems, and teaching aids. Some individualized instruction, including help preparing for and assessing the effectiveness of practice teaching. Prerequisite: graduate students in philosophy.

PHIL 8300: Dissertation Seminar (1)
The course will address writing and time management for PhD students writing a dissertation. Also discussed will be preparation for the academic job market in philosophy, especially the development of an application dossier.

PHIL 8510: Metaphysics: A Survey (3)
A graduate-level survey of central issues in metaphysics.

PHIL 8520: Philosophy of Mind: A Survey (3)
A graduate-level survey of central issues in the philosophy of mind.

PHIL 8530: Epistemology: A Survey (3)
A graduate-level survey of central issues in epistemology

PHIL 8540: Philosophy of Language: A Survey (3)
A graduate-level survey of central issues in philosophy of language

PHIL 9040: Indian Philosophy (3)
Reality, levels of being, status of the world, nature of knowledge in Indian philosophy in relations to Advaita Vendanta system of Samkara.

PHIL 9050: Plato (3)
A survey of Plato's thought, in the light of contemporary Plato scholarship.

PHIL 9060: Aristotle (3)
Intensive study of selections from the Organon, Physics, Metaphysics, Politics, and Poetics, and the entire Nichomachean Ethics, with attention to contemporary commentaries.

PHIL 9070: Medieval Thinkers (3)
Selected works of one or more: Augustine, Avicenna, Anselm, Maimonides, Aquinas, Scotus, Ockham. Not a survey.

PHIL 9090: Research (credit arranged)
Work toward preparation of thesis or dissertation.

PHIL 9110: The Rationalists (3)
This course will survey main views and positions of Descartes, Leibniz, and/or Spinoza in relation to their historical context and current philosophical problems. Some sessions will be devoted to Descartes' distinctive claim that no material thing can think because it is the wrong kind of thing to do so and to Leibniz' distinctive claim that every thing, even so-called material things, is somehow conscious. These two positions foreshadow some contemporary lines to the effect that thinking can't occur "in" physical things and that thinking can, under certain conditions to be sure, occur in everything.

PHIL 9120: The Empiricists (3)
Central topics in the metaphysics and epistemology of Locke, Berkeley and Hume as they relate to contemporary views. Topics will include idealism and phenomenalism, abstract general ideas, identity, substance, real and nominal essences, the primary/secondary quality distinction, causality and induction.

PHIL 9130: Kant (3)
Critique of Pure Reason: historical context, meaning and cohesion of its claims, critical assessment of them.

PHIL 9210: Hegel (3)
Phenomenology of Spirit: historical context, meaning and cohesion of its claims, critical assessment of them.

PHIL 9220: Marxism (3)
Basic works of Marx and his successors.

PHIL 9230: Whitehead (3)
Process and Reality, and other works. Contributions to metaphysics, theology, epistemology, and philosophy of science.

PHIL 9240: Russell and Wittgenstein (3)
Each initially defends, but then rejects logical atomism. Metaphysical and epistemological themes of such intellectual phases and shifts of one or both philosophers.

PHIL 9250: Heidegger (3)
Being and Time. historical context, meaning and cohesion of its claims, critical assessment of them.

PHIL 9260: Existentialism (3)
The philosophy of Sartre and one or more other philosophers from the existentialist tradition.

PHIL 9270: Phenomenology (3)
The phenomenological method and some of its implications for epistemology, science, metaphysics, ethics, and other philosophical topics. Special attention to Husserl and variants in the work of Heidegger, Sartre, Schutz and others.

PHIL 9280: Recent Anglo-American Philosophy (3)
Topics on which current philosophers of the Anglo-American or Analytic tradition are concentrating.

PHIL 9290: Recent Continental Philosophy (3)
Topics on which current philosophers on the European continent are concentrating.

PHIL 9310: Applied Ethics (3)
Methods for applying normative ethical theories to personal and social moral problems, illustrated by application of consequentialist, deontological and virtue-centered theories to such problems as euthanasia, capital punishment, pornography, world hunger, war and environmentalism.

PHIL 9320: Social and Political Philosophy (3)
Topics of current interest in social and political philosophy. Generally one of the following: social contract theory, utilitarianism, voting procedures, or convention. Prerequisite: graduate standing or permission of the instructor.

PHIL 9330: Aesthetics (3)
Theories of art and beauty, the aesthetic experience, the physical work of art, the role of the artist; art and other human concerns.

PHIL 9340: Topics in the History of Ethics (3)
Advanced Study of the ethical views of major historical figures, ancient and/or modern.

PHIL 9350: History of Eastern Ethics (3)
The course will be a historical survey of major eastern ethical theories. It will explore a broad range of ethical theories that developed in Asia: Hindu and Buddhist in India; Taoism and Confucianism in China; and Zen in Japan.

PHIL 9510: Decision Theory (3)
Principles for making rational decisions, including principles of expected utility theory, game theory, and social choice theory. A survey of basic ideas and an introduction to selected research topics.

PHIL 9520: Ethical Theory (3)
This course surveys central issues in contemporary meta ethics. Topics include debates over the metaphysics and epistemology of morals, the nature of moral language and of moral justification. Authors may include Darwall, Harman, Mackie, Boyd, Sturgeon, Smith, Railton, Wiggins, McDowell, Blackburn, and Gibbard. Prerequisite: graduate standing or permission of the instructor.

PHIL 9610: Metaphysics (3)
A survey of some of the important literature and issues of the 20th century. Authors such as Wittgenstein, Moore, Sellars, Quine, and Strawson will be discussed; topics such as the nature and knowledge of reality will be discussed.

PHIL 9710: Philosophy of Mind and Psychology (3)
Survey of important recent work in contemporary philosophy of mind and psychology.

PHIL 9720: Foundations of Cognitive Science (3)
Examination of philosophical questions arising in cognitive science concerning, for instance, the nature of computation and representation, inter-disciplinary relations, the nature of cognitive scientific explanation, and its relation to folk psychological explanation.

PHIL 9820: Epistemology (3)
An examination of basic issues in contemporary epistemology especially those regarding the nature of knowledge and epistemic justification. Topics examined include the definition of knowledge, the Foundationalism/Coherentism debate, the nature of epistemic justification, and naturalistic epistemology.

PHIL 9830: Philosophy of Science (3)
Examines central issues in general philosophy of science concerning the scientific method and the role in it of observation, the nature of rational theory-choice, progress, and the status of theories postulating unobservables. A survey of contemporary philosophy of science covering Logical Empiricist accounts of science popular around the middle of the century, the New Fuzziness associated most strongly with Thomas Kuhn in the early 1960s, and recent attempts to develop realist accounts according to which science is indeed progressive and a genuine source of knowledge.

PHIL 9840: Philosophy of Language (3)
Topics of current interest in the philosophy of language.

PHIL 9850: Philosophy of Biology (3)
Philosophical problems relating to the life sciences, with attention given especially to explanation and reductionism in biology.

PHIL 9887: Seminar in Logic (3)
Topics of current interest in logic. Generally one of the following: inductive logic, set theory, conditionals, epistemic logic, or formal semantics. Prerequisite: PHIL 4110/7110 graduate standing in Philosophy.

PHIL 9901: Seminar (3)
Special topics. May be repeated for credit.