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| PHL
8 |
Beginning Philosophy |
An introductory exploration of basic issues raised by the great philosophers.
Readings will focus on questions about human nature, God, knowledge, values,
meaning, and purpose.
Every Semester, 3 credits
Fundamental philosophical questions about life and death. Topics may include:
Surrogate motherhood and reproductive technologies: abortion, authanasia,
and suicide; artificial prolongation of life and the concept of death with
dignity; immorality and the concpt of the soul.
On Occasion, 3 credits
An introduction to human values, focusing on such ethical, social and aesthetic
questions as: What is the basis of right and wrong? How can one gain knowledge
to good and evil? How do we judge beauty? What do we mean by justice? What
makes life worth living?
Every Semester, 3 credits
An introduction to the techniques and problems of symbolic logic. Of special
interest to pre-law students, science majors, and students who expect to
take additional courses in philosophy.
Every Semester, 3 credits
| PHL
15 |
Philosophy of Education |
An examination of the major topics in the philosophy of education. Readings
from the major philosophers of education (Plato, Rousseau, Schiller, Dewey,
William James, Whitehead, Buber) and from other important traditional and
contemporary theorists (Piaget, Montessori, A.S. Neill, Chomsky, Coles,
Illich, Freire, Kozol, Goodman, Gilligan) will be discussed. Topics include:
the world of the child; play and imagination; the acquisition of language;
the maturation of mind; ethics and the education of character; the social
and political role of education
On Occasion, 3 credits
An examination of the major topics in traditional and contemporary philosophy
of art: the nature of aesthetic experience; artistic creation: aesthetic
judgement; objectivity and truth in art; the meaning of beauty; the social
role of art and art criticism. These issues will be examined in connection
with the practice and appreciation of the various arts including: literature,
theater, painting and sculpture, architecture, dance, music, photography
and film.
On Occasion, 3 credits
| PHL
18 |
Social and Political Philosophy |
An examination of traditional and contemporary theories of the relation
between individuals and the state or community. Topics include: the nature
of the state; political obligation; distributive justice; social contract
theory; individual rights and majority rule; the relation between political
and legal power and punishment; the concept of ideology; civil disobedience;
revolution; alientation. Representative selections from the writings of
traditional and contemporary political philosophers will be discussed.
On Occasion, 3 credits
This course will explore philosophical issues raised by modern medical technology
and practice such as experiments on humans and animals; genetic engineering;
transplants; the responsibility of the hospital to the community; decisions
about who gets limited medical resources; the issues surrounding AIDS; mental
illness and behavior control; patient rights, including the right to the
truth
Fall Semester, 3 credits
| PHL
20 |
Philosophy of Religion |
An examination of such topics in the philosophy of religion as the varieties
of religious experience; arguments for and against the existence of God;
the relation of faith to reason; the problem of evil; the concept of the
soul and its immortality; the relation of religion to science, ethics and
the arts. Some attention will be given to non-western traditions such as
Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and the world of Islam
On Occasion, 3 credits
| PHL
21 |
Philosophy and the Novel |
An examination of the novel as a medium of philosophical expression. Readings
from works of major novelists, such as Melville, Dostroevsky, Proust, Kafka,
Joyce, Mann, Faulkner, Lawrence, Hesse, Camus, Calvino, and Kundera.
On Occasion, 3 credits
The continued inability of people to make peace worldwide and the everthreatening
possibility of nuclear war have caused thinking people everywhere to ask
philosophical questions about war and peace. Is lasting peace possible,
or is war inevitable? What kinds of moral issues are raised by contemporary
war technology? Is nuclear war a rational option? Is pacifism defensible?
Course materials will come from philosophy, films, fiction and other sources.
On Occasion, 3 credits
| PHL
25 |
History of Ancient Philosophy |
An examination of the writings of the great Western philosophers: the pre-Socratics,
Plato and Aristotle, the Stoics, Epicureans, and neo-Platonists. Some attention
will also be given to non-Western traditions such as Buddhism and Hinduism.
Annually, 3 credits
| PHL
26 |
History of Modern Philosophy |
An examination of the major movements in early modern philosophy, beginning
with Decartes and the rise of modern science and concluding with the critical
philosophy of Kant. The focus will be on the Continental rationalist and
British empiricist traditions.
Annually, 3 credits
| PHL
27 |
Philosophy of History |
An examination of the topics in traditional and contemporary philosophy
of history. Topics include: the meaning and nature of history; causes in
history; historical explanation and interpretation; progress in history;
the hero in history. Representative selections from such philosophers of
history as Augustine, Hegel, Marx, Kant, Vico, Nietzsche, Cassirer, Freud,
Sartre, Hook, and N.O. Brown.
On Occasion, 3 credits
| PHL
28 |
Philosophy and the Environment |
The contemporary environmental crisis raises profound philosophical questions
about the relationship of the human person to the natural world. How can
we balance control over the environment with reverence for it? Is technology
necessarily exploitative? Are there limits beyond which humans should not
go in their control of the environment? Is an aesthetic environment a human
need? What can philosophy contribute to an understanding of ecology?
On Occasion, 3 credits
| PHL
29 |
Philosophical Psychology |
An examination of the topics in contemporary philosophical psychology. These
include: the nature of consciousness; the relationship between the mind
and the brain; mental causation; intentionality; the perception of time,
space and color; the significance of artificial intelligence; the nature
and roles of memory, will, imagination, and desire; dreams and the concept
of the unconscious; personal identity. Representative selections from the
most important contemporary philosophers and others working in this area
will be discussed.
On Occasion, 3 credits
An examination of the writings of the major existentialist philosophers,
such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Camus
and Buber. Some attention may also be given to the literary existentialists,
such as Dostoyevsky, Kafka, Hesse, Rilke, and Beckett and to the influence
of existentialist philosophy on the other disciplines, such as psychology
and the arts, specifically literature, film and painting. Topics include:
the meaning of death; existential freedom; authenticity and bad faith; absurdity
and rebellion; time and history; the quest for Being; subjectivity and the
lived body; the critique of religion and morality.
On Occasion, 3 credits
| PHL
31 |
Philosophy of the Nineteenth Century: Hegel to
Nietzsche |
An examination of the major movements of nineteenth century European and
American philosophy. Topics include: Hegel and German idealism; critiques
of Hegelian idealism by Feuerbach, Marx and Kierkegaard; the utilitarianism
of J.S. Mill; the transcendentalism of Emerson and Thoreau; the idealism
of Schopenhauer, Royce and Bradley; the early pragmatism of C.S. Peirce;
the new psychology of William James; and Nietzsche's critique of western
philosophy and culture.
Annually, 3 credits
| PHL
32 |
Philosophy of the Twentieth Century |
An examination of the major movements in twentieth century philosophy, including
logical positivism, ordinary language philosophy, pragmatism, phenomenology
and existentialism. Selections from such twentieth century philosophers
as Russel, Wittgenstein, Moore, Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, James,
Dewey, Whitehead and Quine will be discussed.
Annually, 3 credits
| PHL
33 |
Philosophy and Film |
What philosophical questions does the experience of film present? How can
film sharpen or even change consciousness about reality? How may film be
used as a medium of ideas? This course will draw on the recent literature
on film and will include screenings of major motion pictures.
Prerequisite: Six credits in Philosophy or permission of the chair.
On Occasion, 3 credits
| PHL
34 |
Philosophies of Love and Sex |
The nature and meaning of romantic love and human sexuality. Observations
by philosophers, psychologists and psychoanalysts, as well as by writers,
filmmakers and painters, will be studied in attempting to clarify our thoughts
about love and sex.
On Occasion, 3 credits
The relation of law to individual rights, power and authority, and moral
values. Policy issues in civil and criminal law, law enforcement and punishment
will be considered. Of special interest to pre-law students.
On Occasion, 3 credits
| PHL
37 |
American Philosophy |
An examination of the major topics and trends in classical and contemporary
American philosophy. Representative selections from the writings of America's
greatest philosophers, such as Emerson, Thoreau, Peirce, James, Dewey, Royce,
Santayana, Whitehead, Mead and Quine will be read. The emphasis will be
on the pragmatic movement in America
| PHL
41 |
History and Philosophy of Science |
An examination of the major topics in the history and philosophy of science.
Topics include: the logic and ethics of scientific method and discovery;
scientific revolutions and their creators (i.e. Copernicus, Galileo, Newton,
Darwin, Einstein); the relation between theory and observation; theoretical
laws and definitions; the status of thought experiments and theoretical
entities; the role of paradigms and models in science; experimental design
and theory testing; the relation between the natural and social sciences;
science, ethics and politics; the relation between science and the arts.
Representative works by traditional and contemporary philosophers of science
will be read.
On Occasion, 3 credits
| PHL
43 |
Knowledge and Truth |
What is involved in knowing, believing, perceiving, meaning and truth, according
to the great philosophers? Their theories will be investigated along with
contemporary perspectives on these issues. Such topics provide the core
for a study of not only philosophy, but also of psychology and theories
of learning. Claims made for non-scientific ways of knowing, specifically
in connection with the arts, religion and morality may also be considered.
Fall, 3 credits
This course examines the most fundamental questions of philosophy. Why is
there something rather than nothing? Is there a God? What is the self? What
is the relationship of human life to the surrounding universe? Are human
actions free or determined?
Prerequisite: Six credits in Philosophy or permission of the chair.
Spring, 3 credits
An examination of the major topics in traditional and contemporary moral
philosophy. Topics include: the logic of moral reasoning; the idea of the
good life; vices and virtues; the objectivity of moral judgements; the nature
of moral obligation, rights, and duties; the legal enforcement of morality;
the relations between science, religion and ethics; the role of morals in
society and history. Representative selections from the major works in traditional
and contemporary moral philosophy will be read.
Prerequisites: Six credits in Philosophy or permission of the chair.
On Occasion, 3 credits
A detailed development of both the sentential and predicate logic will provide
the basis for an examination of the philosophical issues raised by symbolic
logic such as meaning and reference, logic and ontology, modal logic, and
theory of types.
Prerequisite: PHL 14 or permission of Chair
On Occasion, 3 credits
| PHL
81+82 |
The Great Philosophers |
An in-depth study of the major works of one or more of the great Western
philosophers.
Prerequisite: Six credits in Philosophy or permission of the chair. May
be taken for credit more than once if topics are different.
Annually, 3 credits
Open only to philosophy majors, this course integrates the broad range of
topics with which the advanced student of philosophy should be familiar.
The course highlights the main themes of more than two thousand years of
philosophy.
| PHL
99 |
Readings in Philosophy |
Offered for one or two credits by special arrangement.
Prerequisite: Six credits in Philosophy or permission of the chair.
On Occasion, 1 or 2 credits
| PHL
100 |
Philosophical Issues |
Each time this course is offered, it will concern itself with a different
topic to be chosen by the instructor and announced in the Schedule of Classes.
Specific course descriptions will be available from the Philosophy Department.
This course may be repeated for credit only with the express approval of
the chair.
On Occasion, 3 credits
| RPHL
10 |
Philosophy and the Holocaust |
This course examines the major philosophical questions raised by the Holocaust.
Is there evil so absolute that it forces us to reconsider and alter our
normal habits of ethical thought? What does the Holocaust teach us about
the human capacity for survival and self-transcendence, for brutality and
evil? Has the Holocaust affected our traditional thinking about God and
the sanctity of life? What is the relation of the Holocaust to other attempts
at mass extermination? Sources will include diaries, film, novels, poetry,
and other literary accounts.
On Occasion, 3 credits
| RPHL
11 |
Ancient Egyptian Thought |
The course will center around the life-after-death theme, and this belief
will be used as a springboard for discussion of other concepts such as physical
and non-physical reality, truth, magic, and the soul. The language of the
ancient Egyptians will also be discussed in relation to their philosophy.
On Occasion, 3 credits
| RPHL
13 |
Philosophy and Religion of Asia |
An examination of the major philosophical and religious ideas of the Hindu,
Buddhist and Islamic traditions through the sacred texts of India, China,
Japan, Tibet, and the Arab world.
On Occasion, 3 credits
| RPHL
14 |
Medieval Philosophy and Religion: The Christians,
Hebrew, and Islamic Traditions |
An examination of the topics and trends of the major medieval philosophical
traditions. Representative readings from the great medieval philosophers,
such as Boethius, Bonaventure, Anselm, Erigena, Abelard, Augustine, Aquinas,
Scotus, Occam, Maimonides, Averroes, Avicenna, Roger Bacon, Meister Eckart
and Nicholas of Cusa, will be discussed. Topics include: the relation of
faith and reason; the problem of universals; time and eternity; the metaphysics
of light; free will and determinism; the nature of the soul; the problem
of evil; and proofs for the existence of god.
On Occasion, 3 credits
| RPHL
15 |
Myth, Religion and Philosophy |
This course explores the sacred stories of humanity; the role of myth in
religion and philosophy; the sacred and the profane in both archaic and
advanced societies; and the differences between a mythical and philosophical
view of the world.
On Occasion, 3 credits
| RPHL
16 |
The Teachings of the Great Mystics |
An examination of the writings of the world's great mystics from the Hindu,
Buddhist, Taoist, neo-Platonist, Christian, Islamic and Jewish traditions.
Topics include: the nature of mystical experience; the possibility of mystical
knowledge; the explainability of mystical experience; the possible artificial
production of mystical states; the differences between mystical experience
and other altered states of consciousness.
On Occasion, 3 credits
| RPHL
18 |
Topics in Religious Philosophy |
Each section will concern itself with a different topic to be chosen by
the instructor and announced in the Schedule of Classes. Specific course
descriptions will be available from the Philosophy Department. This course
may be repeated for credit only with the express approval of the chair.
On Occasion, 3 credits
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