Philosophy (PHIL)

PHIL 101 Introduction to Philosophy (3 crs)

An introduction to philosophy through exploration of philosophical problems (e.g., the nature of knowledge, the nature of morality, free will, the rationality of religious faith) or exploration of canonical texts (e.g., Plato's Republic, Descartes' Meditations).

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies, LE-K3 Humanities

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 120 Ethical Reasoning (3 crs)

Prerequisite: No credit if taken after PHIL 220.

Prepares students to reason coherently, critically, and creatively about ethical issues by analyzing arguments and positions on contemporary moral problems in light of relevant concepts, distinctions, values, and theories.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies, LE-K3 Humanities, LE-R3 Civic and Environmental Issues

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 150 Logic and Critical Thinking (3 crs)

Prerequisite: No credit if taken after PHIL 250.

Introduction to principles and methods of critical thinking, sound reasoning, and argument evaluation. A combination of formal and informal techniques will be used. Moral, legal, and scientific reasoning may be considered.

Attributes: GE IB Communication-Analytical Skills, LE-I1 Integration

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 200 What is Happiness? (3 crs)

Explores happiness though philosophical, religious, and psychological approaches.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies, LE-I1 Integration, LE-K3 Humanities

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 234 Classical Chinese Philosophy (3 crs)

An introduction to classical Chinese philosophy focusing on Confucian, Daoist, Mohist, and Legalist traditions.

Attributes: LE-K3 Humanities

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 235 Ancient Philosophy (3 crs)

History of philosophy from the early Greeks through Plotinus, stressing the contributions of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 250 Symbolic Logic (3 crs)

Introduction to formal logic. Sentential logic, quantificational logic, and other selected topics. Slightly more formal and covers more areas than Philosophy 150.

Attributes: GE IB Communication-Analytical Skills

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 280 Philosophy of Race (3 crs)

Explores the philosophical issues surrounding race and racism and the origins of the idea of race, different theories about what race is, theories of racism, the history of race in American society, and how it still operates today. Examines current scholarship in philosophy, psychology, and political science.

Attributes: LE-DDIV Design for Diversity, LE-I1 Integration, LE-R1 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 291 Special Topics (1-3 crs)

Content to be determined by department on initiative of students and faculty, on topics such as persons and movements in philosophy, ethnic and comparative themes and interdisciplinary syntheses.

PHIL 301 Ethics in the Professions and the Community (3 crs)

Prerequisite: Limited to organizational leadership and communication comprehensive major, Bachelor of Professional Studies degree.

A survey of major ethical theories and their applications in the professions and in community affairs, including key ethical issues in medicine, law, business, computing, and government.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies, LE-K3 Humanities, BPS Flat Rate Tuition

Grading Basis: A-F Grades Only

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 305 Ethics and Business (3 crs)

Major theories of corporate responsibility and their relationships to the personal and social dimensions of business life.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 306 Ethics of Health Care (3 crs)

Major ethical theories and their applications to personal and professional dimensions of health care functions. Survey of ethical problems that arise in health care situations through case studies.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies, LE-K3 Humanities, LE-R3 Civic and Environmental Issues, Undergraduate/Graduate Offering

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 308 Ethics in Computing and Engineering (3 crs)

A topical introduction to ethical issues raised by computer technology and engineering, with special attention to the professional ethics of software engineering and computer organization and design. Combines theoretical frameworks with case studies to develop competence in informed ethical decision-making.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies, LE-K3 Humanities

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 310 Philosophy of Law (3 crs)

A philosophical investigation into the law's nature and limits, with a focus on criminal law. Topics include legal liberalism, legal moralism, legal paternalism, self-defense, blackmail, legal positivism, natural law theory, punishment, rights, law and economics, and the duty to obey the law.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 316 Metaphysics (3 crs)

Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor.

Explores major topics in metaphysics. Topics include universals and particulars, identity and change, necessity and essence, causation, free will and determinism, space and time, and mind and body.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 317 Epistemology (3 crs)

Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor.

Epistemology, or the theory of knowledge, explores major theories concerning the nature of knowledge, belief, and justification. Topics include skepticism, induction, a priori knowledge, foundationalism and coherentism, and internalism and externalism.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 320 Environmental Ethics (3 crs)

Prerequisite: BIOL 180, or GEOG 178, or GEOL 115, or ECON 268; or one course in philosophy or consent of instructor.

Introduces major theoretical approaches to ethical and policy questions concerning environmental issues such as population growth, famine, nonhuman animals, atmospheric conditions, hazardous waste, preservation of species, pollution, pesticides, and nuclear power.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies, LE-K3 Humanities, LE-R3 Civic and Environmental Issues

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 322 Philosophy of Language (3 crs)

Prerequisite: At least one course in philosophy or ENGL 221 or consent of instructor.

Philosophic investigation into the structure and function of language, with emphasis on discursive meaning.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 325 Aesthetics (3 crs)

Acquaints students with some of the more fruitful philosophic investigations concerning the creative process, the work of art, the relationship between art and society.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies, LE-K4 Fine Arts, LE-S3 Creativity

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 328 Philosophy and Film (3 crs)

Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor.

An examination of ethical, aesthetic and existential issues involved in both popular and documentary films. The perspectives examined will include feminist and multicultural approaches.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 2.5

Lab/Studio Hours: 2

PHIL 331 Philosophical Ethics (3 crs)

Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor.

An advanced course in moral philosophy comprising both normative ethical theory, the inquiry into the nature of right action, and metaethics, the second-order inquiry into the nature of moral judgment itself. Philosophers studied include historical figures (e.g., Aristotle, Hume, Kant, Mill) and contemporary authors as well.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies, LE-K3 Humanities

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 332 Philosophical Perspectives on Friendship (3 crs)

Prerequisite: One Philosophy course or consent of instructor

An examination of philosophical thinking on the nature and value of friendship. Authors read include Plato, Aristotle, Seneca, Cicero, Aquinas, Montaigne, Bacon, Kierkegaard, Kant, and contemporary philosophical authors.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies, LE-K3 Humanities

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 333 History of Ethics (3 crs)

Prerequisite: At least one course in philosophy or consent of the instructor.

A study of ethical thought of philosophers from a historical era in philosophy, typically either ancient or modern. Authors studied include Plato, Aristotle, Seneca, Epicurus, Cicero; Hume, Shaftsbury, Hutcheson, Butler, Bentham, Price.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies

Repeat: Course may be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 334 Philosophical Perspectives on Forgiveness (3 crs)

Prerequisite: At least one course in philosophy or consent of the instructor.

A philosophical investigation of the nature and value of forgiveness. Is a disposition to forgiveness a virtue? Is forgiveness always good, or conditionally good? Are third-party and self-forgiveness coherent? Are certain acts unforgivable? Both classical, modern, and contemporary authors will be read.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies, LE-K3 Humanities

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 335 Early Modern Philosophy (3 crs)

Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor.

The history of philosophy from Descartes to Kant, typically also including figures such as Leibniz, Spinoza, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia and Mary Shepherd. Examines arguments by leading philosophers regarding the foundations of scientific, moral, religious, and/or political beliefs.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 338 Modern European Philosophy I (3 crs)

Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor.

Explores a pivotal era in European thought, starting with Kant's revolutionary inversion of the subject-object relation. The development of the dialectical systems by his successors set the tone for the next two centuries of Continental philosophy.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 339 Modern European Philosophy II (3 crs)

Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor.

Explores contemporary Continental European philosophy, especially that of Germany and France, from Husserl and Heidegger through Gadamer and Derrida. The movements of phenomenology, hermeneutics, deconstruction, and postmodernism will be emphasized.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 340 Knowledge and Reality (3 crs)

Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor.

Explores the philosophy of the English-speaking world during the past century, from Frege and Wittgenstein through Davidson and Putnam. Emphasizes the movements of logical positivism, ordinary language analysis, and American pragmatism.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 343 Philosophy of Mind (3 crs)

Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor.

The relation between the mind and the brain; the nature of consciousness; the philosophy of psychology and mental illness; artificial and animal intelligence; the nature of the emotions; free will and determinism.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 345 Philosophy of Religion (3 crs)

Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor or RELS 210, RELS 315, RELS 350, RELS 470; or RELS 353/WMNS 353; or RELS 450/PHIL 450.

• Credit may not be earned in both PHIL 345 and RELS 345.

Critical study of the subject of religion, including the nature, grounds, and limits of religious claims.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies, Undergraduate/Graduate Offering

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 355 Philosophy of Science (3 crs)

Prerequisite: One course in biology, chemistry, geology, physics, physical geography; or one course in philosophy or consent of instructor.

The nature of scientific knowledge and progress; the structure of fundamental theories in physics and biology; the demarcation between science and pseudo-science; science and religion; science and gender; social and ethical implications of modern science.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 365 Existentialism (3 crs)

Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor.

Central ideas in existential thought. Leading existentialist thinkers including Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, Camus, deBeauvoir, and the phenomenologist Husserl.

Attributes: Foreign Culture, GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 377 Philosophy and Feminism (3 crs)

Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or women's, gender, and sexuality studies.

• Credit may not be earned in both PHIL 377 and WGSS 377.

A study of recent trends in feminist philosophy with emphasis upon feminist thinking in the areas of ethics, social philosophy, and theory of knowledge.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies, LE-K3 Humanities, LE-R1 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity

Lecture/Discussion Hours: 3

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

PHIL 386 Philosophical Classics (1-3 crs)

Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or consent of instructor.

A close reading of one or more philosophical classics, chosen by theme or author. Texts vary from offering to offering.

Attributes: GE IVB Humanities-Philosophy/Religious Studies

Repeat: Course may be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits

PHIL 395 Directed Studies (1-3 crs)

Prerequisite: Minimum sophomore standing.

Consent: Department Consent Required

•Recommended for non-majors.

Work with instructor on a specific philosophical issue, problem, or activity. Content of the course to be determined by the student and the instructor.

Attributes: Undergraduate/Graduate Offering

Repeat: Course may be repeated

PHIL 396 Research Apprenticeship in Philosophy (1-3 crs)

Prerequisite: One Philosophy course or consent of instructor

Consent: Department Consent Required

Qualified students, recruited and closely supervised by an instructor, engage in a research project with the faculty member.

Repeat: Course may be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits

PHIL 397 Student Academic Apprenticeship in Philosophy (1-3 crs)

Prerequisite: Limited to philosophy majors and minors. Minimum junior standing.

Consent: Department Consent Required

Qualified students, selected and supervised by an instructor, assist teaching and learning in a course within the department while working closely with a faculty member.

Attributes: Service-Learning Optional Half

Repeat: Course may be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits

PHIL 399 Independent Study - Juniors (1-3 crs)

Prerequisite: Minimum junior standing.

Consent: Department Consent Required

Individual project under the direction of a faculty member.

Repeat: Course may be repeated

PHIL 485 Seminar in Philosophy (3 crs)

Prerequisite: Limited to philosophy majors and minors. Minimum junior standing. Other majors and minors will be permitted with consent of instructor.

Advanced study of topics in philosophy such as the philosophy of mind, meta-ethics, theory of knowledge, metaphysics, political and social philosophy, ethics, philosophy of logic, or history of philosophy. Content is variable and is determined by the instructor.

Attributes: LE-S3 Creativity

Repeat: Course may be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits

Lab/Studio Hours: 0

Seminar: 3

PHIL 498 Internship in Philosophy (1-3 crs)

Prerequisite: Limited to philosophy majors and minors. Minimum sophomore standing.

Consent: Department Consent Required

Assignment in an area of philosophy emphasizing practical experience in the applied professional aspects of the discipline. Students will work closely with an internship supervisor or faculty member engaged in professional or occupational projects in the field.

Attributes: Service-Learning, Half 15 Hours, Internship

Repeat: Course may be repeated for a maximum of 4 credits

Grading Basis: S/U Only Grade Basis

PHIL 499 Independent Study - Seniors (1-3 crs)

Prerequisite: Minimum senior standing.

Consent: Department Consent Required

Individual project under the direction of a faculty member.

Repeat: Course may be repeated

PHIL 595 Directed Studies (1-3 crs)

Consent: Department Consent Required

• Dual-listed with PHIL 395.

Work with instructor on a specific philosophical issue, problem, or activity. Content of the course to be determined by the student and the instructor. Recommended for non-majors.

Repeat: Course may be repeated

Grading Basis: No S/U Grade Option

PHIL 797 Independent Study (1-3 crs)

Consent: Department Consent Required

Individual project under the direction of a faculty member.

Repeat: Course may be repeated

Grading Basis: No S/U Grade Option