PHIL - 1010 INTRODUCTION TO LOGIC
[3 hours] (not for major credit) An introduction to the symbolic analysis of argument components and
structures. Topics include definition, syllogistic reasoning, semantics, sentential logic and probability.
PHIL - 1020 CRITICAL THINKING
[3 hours] (not for major credit) A study of principles and patterns of good reasoning and writing,
including the evaluation and construction of arguments and the identification and avoidance of fallacies.
PHIL - 2200 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
[3 hours] (not for major credit) An introduction to philosophical reflection on such issues as
the existence of God, free will, knowledge and objectivity, social justice and moral responsibility.
PHIL - 2400 CONTEMPORARY MORAL PROBLEMS
[3 hours] A study of topics such as abortion, euthanasia, environmental responsibility, famine
relief, affirmative action, and sexuality. Attention is paid to moral argument and the bases of moral decisions.
PHIL - 3000 SYMBOLIC LOGIC
[3 hours] Course is crosslisted as MATH 3000. A study of propositional and predicate logic, techniques used
to evaluate deductive arguments. Topics may include computability, set theory, Bayesianism and other formal systems with philosophical and
mathematical relevance.
PHIL - 3060 PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE
[3 hours] A historical and critical examination of topics in the philosophy of language such as
truth, reference, representation, metaphor and interpretation.
PHIL - 3120 BUSINESS ETHICS
[3 hours] An examination of the ethical dimensions of the relationships between a business and employees,
consumers, other businesses, society, government, the law and the environment.
PHIL - 3140 COMPUTERS AND CULTURE
[3 hours] A study of the philosophical issues computers raise which affect and reflect human values.
Topics include censorship and privacy on the internet, virtual reality and the possibility of artificial intelligence.
PHIL - 3180 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
[3 hours] An examination of our relation and responsibility to the natural environment. Topics include
risk assessment, the value of non-human living things, resource use, economics, technology, environmental racism and ecology.
PHIL - 3210 ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY
[3 hours] A study of ancient and medieval philosophy from the pre-Socratics to Aquinas.
PHIL - 3230 MODERN PHILOSOPHY
[3 hours] A study of early modern philosophy from Descartes to Kant. Writing intensive course.
PHIL - 3240 EXISTENTIALISM
[3 hours] A study of existential philosophers, including Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Sartre, Camus, Jaspers,
Heidegger and others. Topics may include anxiety, meaning and meaninglessness, freedom, and human sociability. Prerequisite: one course in
philosophy
PHIL - 3250 CURRENT EUROPEAN PHILOSOPHY
[3 hours] An examination of some of the most influential developments in European thought since
1960, such as structuralism, hermeneutics, deconstruction, feminism, and post-modernism.
PHIL - 3300 PHILOSOPHY OF BIOLOGY
[3 hours] An examination of philosophical topics raised by evolutionary biology including the
relation between theory and fact, the characterization of natural kinds, teleology, reductionism, and the history of human morality.
PHIL - 3310 SCIENCE AND SOCIETY
[3 hours] A study of twentieth-century science and its relationships with government, industry,
religion and medicine, including the emergence of Big Science and the future of science education and research.
PHIL - 3320 PHILOSOPHY OF MATHEMATICS
[3 hours] A study of philosophical writings, from Plato to the present, on the nature of
mathematical objects, knowledge and progress. Topics may include form, number, proof, certainty, consistency, completeness and representation.
PHIL - 3370 MEDICAL ETHICS
[3 hours] The application of ethics to the practice of medical professionals. Topics include authority,
paternalism, truth-telling, informed consent, health care reform, genetic manipulation, abortion, infanticide and euthanasia.
PHIL - 3400 ETHICAL THEORY
[3 hours] A study of the moral philosophies of Aristotle, Hume, Kant, Mill and their critics, focusing on
knowledge and justification, virtue, justice, happiness, conflicts of obligation and ideals of community.
PHIL - 3500 EASTERN THOUGHT
[3 hours] An examination of major philosophies of Asia and the Far East, their specific concerns and their
relevance to contemporary problems.
PHIL - 3540 FEMINISM AND PHILOSOPHY
[3 hours] Course is crosslisted as WMST 3550. An examination of feminist perspectives in
philosophy, exploring the relevance of gender to central questions in ethics, political theory, and epistemology.
PHIL - 3550 PHILOSOPHY OF CULTURE
[3 hours] Examines the relevance of cultural differences to values and modes of thought through case
studies in non-Western culture. Topics may include cultural relativism and cultural imperialism.
PHIL - 3560 AESTHETICS
[3 hours] An analysis and evaluation of aesthetic topics such as the definition of art, truth in the arts, the
role of representation, the nature of aesthetic value, and the character of aesthetic experience.
PHIL - 3570 PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION
[3 hours] A critical and philosophical analysis of topics in religion including the problem of evil,
faith and reason, the existence of God and the nature of the religious experience.
PHIL - 3600 THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE
[3 hours] An historical and contemporary inquiry into the nature and limits of knowledge and
justification. Topics include truth, skepticism, objectivity and relativism.
PHIL - 3630 PHILOSOPHY OF PSYCHOLOGY
[3 hours] A philosophical examination of problems concerning the nature of mind such as the
relation between mind and body, self knowledge, free will, and personal identity.
PHIL - 3710 PHILOSOPHY OF LAW
[3 hours] A study of philosophical issues raised by law such as the relation of law to morality,
obligation to obey the law, paternalism, censorship and free speech.
PHIL - 3750 SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
[3 hours] A study of classic and contemporary treatments of justice, authority, the
relations between individual and community, the meaning of freedom and equality, power and violence, and race and gender.
PHIL - 3760 CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
[3 hours] A philosophical study of topics such as crime, responsibility, justice and punishment.
Special attention is paid to current practices in the criminal justice system.
PHIL - 3900 SEMINAR
[3 hours] Topics vary.
PHIL - 4060 TOPICS IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE
[3 hours] Advanced study of issues in the philosophy of language such as: realism and
anti-realism, holism and normativity, externalism and individualism, skepticism and rule following, pragmatics and implicature. Course may be
repeated as topics vary. Prerequisite: 2 3000-level philosophy classes or 1 3200-level philosophy class and Jr. standing or permission of
instructor
PHIL - 4210 ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY SEMINAR
[3 hours] An intensive study of the texts and arguments of Presocratic philosophers, Plato,
Aristotle, or Hellenistic philosophers. Course may be repeated as topics vary. Prerequisite: 2 3000-level philosophy classes, or 1 3200-level
philosophy class and Jr. standing, or permission of instructor
PHIL - 4230 MODERN PHILOSOPHY SEMINAR
[3 hours] An intensive study of one or more Continental or British philosophers from the
sixteenth through eighteenth centuries. Course may be repeated as topics vary. Prerequisite: 2 3000-level philosophy 2 3000-level philosophy
classes or 1 3200-level philosophy class and Jr. standing or permission of instructor
PHIL - 4240 19TH C. EUROPEAN PHILOSOPHY
[3 hours] An intensive study of European philosophy after Kant, including Hegel, Marx,
Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche. Prerequisite: 2 3000-level philosophy classes, or 1 3200-level philosophy class and Jr. standing, or permission of
instructor
PHIL - 4250 PHENOMENOLOGY
[3 hours] An intensive study of major works from phenomenological philosophers, such as Husserl, Heidegger,
Sartre, or Merleau-Ponty. Course may be repeated as topics vary. Prerequisite: 2 3000-level philosophy classes or 1 3200-level philosophy class,
and Jr. standing, or permission of instructor
PHIL - 4260 RECENT EUROPEAN PHILOSOPHY
[3 hours] An examination of texts and problems in the Frankfurt school, post-structuralism,
deconstruction, and post-modernism, or of such thinkers as Habermas, Foucault, Derrida, and Lyotard. Course may be repeated as topics vary.
Prerequisite: 2 3000-level philosophy classes, or 1 3200-level philosophy class and Jr. standing, or permission of instructor
PHIL - 4270 AMERICAN PHILOSOPHY
[3 hours] A study of the development of American Philosophy, or one or more of Pierce, James, Dewey, or
Mead. Course may be repeated as topics vary. Prerequisite: 2 3000-level philosophy classes, or 1 3200-level philosophy class and Jr. standing, or
permission of instructor
PHIL - 4280 20TH C. ANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY
[3 hours] Selected readings from Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, the Vienna Circle, the Ordinary
Language school, and American neo-pragmatists such as Quine, Rorty and Davidson. Course may be repeated as topics vary. Prerequisite: 2
3000-level philosophy classes, or 1 3200-level philosophy class and Jr. standing, or permission of instructor
PHIL - 4300 PHILOSOPHY OF NATURAL SCIENCE
[3 hours] A study of scientific inquiry including the structure of scientific explanations,
relations of evidence and confirmation, the metaphysics of theoretical entities, and the nature of scientific change and progress. Prerequisite:
2 3000-level philosophy classes, or 1 3200-level philosophy class and Jr. standing, or permission of instructor
PHIL - 4330 PHILOSOPHY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE
[3 hours] A study of philosophical and logical problems encountered in the social sciences:
statistical vs. causal explanation, operational definition, laws and hypotheses, inductive methods, the status of social facts. Prerequisite: 2
3000-level philosophy classes, or 1 3200-level philosophy class and Jr. standing, or permission of instructor
PHIL - 4400 ETHICS SEMINAR
[3 hours] Selected topics or philosophers in ethical theory. Course may be repeated as topics vary.
Prerequisite: 2 3000-level philosophy classes, or 1 3200-level philosophy class and Jr. standing, or permission of instructor
PHIL - 4500 BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY
[3 hours] An examination of significant developments in Buddhist philosophical thought including that
of Abhidharmika, Madhyamika, Yogacara, Hua-yen and Ch'an (Zen). Prerequisite: 2 3000-level philosophy classes, or 1 3200-level philosophy class
and Jr. standing, or permission of instructor
PHIL - 4600 EPISTEMOLOGY
[3 hours] Advanced study of issues in the theory of knowledge such as: the nature and limits of knowledge, a
priori and empirical knowledge, skepticism, empiricism and pragmatism. Prerequisite: 2 3000-level philosophy classes, or 1 3200-level philosophy
class and Jr. standing, or permission of instructor
PHIL - 4610 CRITICAL THINKING AND EDUCATION
[3 hours] A study of the principles and pitfalls of contextually good reasoning as relevant
to the pre-school - 12 classroom. Topics include: elements of critical thinking, its assessment, transfer and development. Prerequisite: 2
3000-level philosophy classes, or 1 3200-level philosophy class and Jr. standing, or permission of instructor
PHIL - 4650 PHILOSOPHY OF MIND
[3 hours] Advanced study of issues in the philosophy of mind such as: intentionality and
misrepresentation, rationality and interpretation, supervenience and reductionism, folk psychology and eliminative materialism. Course may be
repeated as topics vary. Prerequisite: 2 3000-level philosophy classes, or 1 3200-level philosophy class and Jr. standing, or permission of
instructor
PHIL - 4750 POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY SEMINAR
[3 hours] Selected topics or philosophers in political philosophy. Course may be repeated as
topics vary. Prerequisite: 2 3000-level philosophy classes, or 1 3200-level philosophy class and Jr. standing, or permission of instructor
PHIL - 4900 ADVANCED SEMINAR
[2 - 4 hours] Topics vary. Prerequisite: 2 3000-level philosophy classes, or 1 3200-level philosophy class
and Jr. standing, or permission of instructor
PHIL - 4920 DIRECTED READINGS
[1 - 4 hours] Prerequisite: Prior arrangement with instructor
PHIL - 4990 INDEPENDENT STUDY FOR HONORS
[3hours] Prerequisite: Junior standing and consent of departmental chairperson
PHIL - 5060 PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE
[3 hours] Advanced study of issues in the philosophy of language such as: realism and anti-realism,
holism and normativity, externalism and individualism, skepticism and rule following, pragmatics and implicature. Course may be repeated as
topics vary.
PHIL - 5210 ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY SEMINAR
[3 hours] An intensive study of the texts and arguments of Presocratic philosophers, Plato,
Aristotle, or Hellenistic philosophers. Course may be repeated as topics vary.
PHIL - 5230 MODERN PHILOSOPHY SEMINAR
[3 hours] An intensive study of one or more Continental or British philosophers from the
sixteenth through eighteenth centuries. Course may be repeated as topics vary.
PHIL - 5240 19TH CENTURY EUROPEAN PHILOSOPHY
[3 hours] An intensive study of European philosophy after Kant, including Hegel, Marx,
Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche.
PHIL - 5250 PHENOMENOLOGY
[3 hours] An intensive study of major works from phenomenological philosophers, such as Husserl, Heidegger,
Sartre, or Merleau-Ponty. Course may be repeated as topics and texts vary.
PHIL - 5260 RECENT EUROPEAN PHILOSOPHY
[3 hours] An examination of texts and problems in the Frankfurt School, post-structuralism,
deconstruction, post-modernism, or of such thinkers as Habermas, Foucault, Derrida, and Lyotard. Course may be repeated as topics vary.
PHIL - 5270 AMERICAN PHILOSOPHY
[3 hours] A study of the development of American philosophy, or of one or more of Pierce, James, Dewey,
or Mead. Course may be repeated as topics vary.
PHIL - 5280 20TH CENTURY ANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY
[3 hours] Selected readings from Frege, the Russell, Wittgenstein, the Vienna Circle, the
Ordinary Language school, and American neopragmatists such as Quine, Rorty and Davidson. Course may be repeated as topics vary.
PHIL - 5300 PHILOSOPHY OF NATURAL SCIENCE
[3 hours] A study of scientific inquiry including the structure of scientific explanations,
relation of evidence and confirmation, the metaphysics of theoretical entities, and the nature of scientific change and progress.
PHIL - 5330 PHILOSOPHY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE
[3 hours] A study of philosophical and logical problems encountered in the social sciences:
statistical vs. causal explanation, operational definition, laws and hypotheses, inductive methods, the status of social facts.
PHIL - 5400 ETHICS SEMINAR
[3 hours] Selected topics or philosophers in ethical theory. Course may be repeated as topics vary.
PHIL - 5600 EPISTEMOLOGY
[3 hours] An advanced study of issues in the theory of knowledge, such as: the nature and limits of knowledge,
a priori and empirical knowledge, skepticism, empiricism and pragmatism.
PHIL - 5610 CRITICAL THINKING AND EDUCATION
[3 hours] A study of the principles and pitfalls of contextually good reasoning as relevant
to pre-school - 12 classroom. Topics include: the elements of critical thinking, its assessment, transfer and development.
PHIL - 5650 PHILOSOPHY OF MIND
[3 hours] Advanced study of issues in the philosophy of mind such as: intentionality and
misrepresentation, rationality and interpretation, supervenience and reductionism, folk psychology and eliminative materialism. Course may be
repeated as topics vary.
PHIL - 5750 POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY SEMINAR
[3 hours] Selected topics or philosophers in political philosophy. Course may be repeated as
topics vary.
PHIL - 5920 READINGS IN PHILOSOPHY
[3 hours] Critical inquiry into selected works of a particular philosopher or a specific
philosophical problem. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor
PHIL - 5990 INDEPENDENT STUDY
[1 - 3 hours] Directed study in philosophy under supervision of a philosophy faculty member.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor
PHIL - 6000 ADVANCED LOGIC
[3 hours] A study of propositional and predicate logic, as well as examination of issues in the philosophy
of logic.
PHIL - 6370 ETHICS AND HEALTH CARE
[3 hours] Advanced level course in ethics for health care related majors. An emphasis on ethical
theory and its application to ethical problems in health care practices. Not open to philosophy majors.
PHIL - 6800 PROSEMINAR
[1 - 6 hours] Participation in departmental faculty-graduate student colloquia and mentoring program. Credit
will carry the grade of S or U, and will not count toward credit hour requirements for the M.A. degree. Prerequisite: Permission of graduate
adviser in philosophy
PHIL - 6930 SEMINAR
[3 hours] Advanced philosophy seminar open only to graduate students.
PHIL - 6960 THESIS
[1 - 6 hours]