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Philosophy (PHI)
Paul Gray (chair), Genevieve Migely, Jim White
Essential to a liberal education is the ability to think, to detect bad
arguments and evidence, to see more than one side of a matter and to
decide which is best, to construct a coherent case, and to make words
perform their tasks with clarity and precision. These principles, along
with a concern for representing the principal areas of philosophical
inquiry, and an emphasis on the careful, creative, and critical reading
of important philosophical texts, guide the Department in planning its
curriculum.
Major: A minimum of nine course credits, which include PHI
111 and 202; either 203 or
204; two courses selected from 302, 304,
305, 306, and 308; and four additional courses in
Philosophy, at least three of which must be at the 300 level.
Minor: A minimum of six course credits in Philosophy which
include PHI 111 and 202; either
203 or 204; either 302 or
304 or 305 or 306; and two
additional 300-level courses in Philosophy.
111. Introduction to Philosophy
Problems of philosophy as they are discussed in the writings of major philosophers, including such topics as the nature of reality, problems with knowledge, morality, and the rationality of religious belief. Designed for first year students and sophomores. (Humanities)
201. Aesthetics
The nature of art, beauty, criticism, and the relation of art to
science, religion, and society. Study of a number of classics in this
area by philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Hume, Kant, Tolstoy, and
Ortega. Offered subject to availability of faculty. (Humanities)
202. Ethics
The nature of moral experience, moral judgments, and moral principles, and the relation of each to the other. Course may consider applications to contemporary moral problems. Readings from some major ancient, modern, and contemporary moral philosophers. (Humanities)
203. Logic and Critical Thinking
Principles and techniques useful for evaluating arguments and avoiding
fallacious reasoning in ordinary life.
204. Symbolic Logic
An introduction to formal argument analysis, including first order
predicate logic and mathematical logic. Offered upon request and subject to availability of faculty. WHITE
224. Environmental Ethics
Moral dilemmas associated with human populations, industrial
productivity, a deteriorating environment, and generally, our treatment
of the natural world. The course will critically analyze the conceptual framework within which
questions about the environment are raised and debated, and provide
biological information relevant to those questions. Alternate years.
(Humanities) WHITE and BLACK
225. Utopia
Philosophical study of selected works in Utopian literature such as: Plato's Republic,
More's Utopia, Perkins-Gilman's Herland, Hilton's Lost Horizon, Rand's Anthem, Clarke's Childhood's End, and Lowry's The Giver. (Humanities) GRAY
280/380. Internship: see Courses 280/380.
290/390. Individual Project: see Courses 290/390.
301. Asian Philosophy
Study of Eastern philosophies such as Taoism, Confusianism, Buddhism, and Hinduism through their classic texts. Alternate years. (Humanities) MIGELY
302. Ancient Philosophy
Advanced study of the beginning of Western thought on topics such as reality, science, ethics, and politics involving in-depth analysis of the Presocratics, Plato, Aristotle and the Stoics. Alternate years. (Humanities) MIGELY
304. Modern Philosophy: Seventeenth Century
Critical and historical examination of the modern period of philosophy starting with the background to the Scientific Revolution and ending with advanced theories on the nature of reality achieved by a careful analysis of such philosophers as Galileo, Newton, Bacon, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke and Berkeley. Alternate years. (Humanities) MIGELY
305. Modern Philosophy: Eighteenth
Century
European philosophy from 1700 to 1800. Study of
the philosophers of the middle of the modern era such as Hume, Voltaire,
Rousseau, and Kant. Alternate years. (Humanities) GRAY
306. Nineteenth Century Philosophy
European philosophy from 1800 to 1900. Study of
the philosophers of the late modern era such as Hegel, Schopenhauer,
Kierkegaard, Mill, Marx, and Nietzsche. Alternate years. (Humanities)
GRAY
307. Marx and Marxism
Primary emphasis on reading a comprehensive and balanced selection of the writings of Karl Marx. Reading will include some leading Marxists such as Lenin, Mao Zedong, and Marcuse. Alternate years. (Humanities) GRAY
308. Twentieth Century Philosophy
Study of philosophers such as Wittgenstein, Russell, Dewey, Heidegger, Foucault, and Rorty. Analytic philosophy, pragmatism, and continental philosophy, including postmodernism, will be examined. Offered every second or third year. (Humanities) GRAY
309. Existentialism
Reflections on death, the meaning of life, absurdity, alienation, despair, freedom, and the self. Study of selected works of Simone De Beauvoir, Albert Camus, and Jean Paul Sartre. Alternate years. (Humanities) GRAY
350. Philosophy of Language
Introduction to problems and methods in the philosophy of language: meaning, reference, the relation between speech and thought, the relation between language and reality, speech acts, metaphor. Alternate years. Same course as LAL 350. (Humanities)
352. Philosophy of Feminism
Exploration of philosophical theories on the nature of women, feminist critiques of Western philosophy, and current issues in feminist ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics with application to social debates such as pornography, body image, and discrimination. Alternate years. (Humanities) MIGELY
353. Philosophy of Law
Inquiry into the nature of law, and its relation to morality and society through both classical and contemporary legal theories. Specific issues covered include liberty, justice, responsibility, and punishment employing actual legal cases. Alternate years. (Humanities) MIGELY
354. Political Philosophy
Intensive study of the work of a major political philosopher, such as A Theory of Justice by John Rawls. Offered every third year. (Humanities) GRAY
355. Philosophy of Religion
Philosophical examination of the major concepts and claims of the Western religious tradition. Topics to be discussed include the nature and existence of God, the problem of evil, the nature of religious language, the relation between faith and reason, the possibility of religious knowledge. Alternate years. (Humanities) WHITE
356. Philosophy of Science
Examination of science as a source of information about the world. Topics include the structure of scientific confirmation and explanation, the nature of scientific knowledge and progress, the difference between science and pseudo-science, and the moral evaluation of science. Alternate years. (Humanities) WHITE
357. Philosophy in Literature
Philosophical study of selected works of world literature by authors such as Bulgakov, Mishima, De Beauvoir, Calvino, Hesse, Alvarez, and Momaday. Alternate years. (Humanities) GRAY
358. Philosophy of Mind
Theories about the mind and mental phenomena: the relationship between minds and brains; consciousness; free will; artificial intelligence; and the philosophy of psychology. Alternate years. (Humanities) WHITE
360. Evolution and Philosophy
An examination of the theory of evolution--what it says, what support
it has, what it can (and cannot) explain--in order to see what (if any)
implications it has for religion, morality, philosophy, and the
understanding we have of ourselves and our world. Alternate years.
(Humanities) WHITE
361
through 366. Advanced Topics in Philosophy
Study of one major philosopher, one major problem, or one major philosophical movement. Offered subject to availability of faculty. See Topics Courses. (Humanities)
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