| Courses
& Course Descriptions
Prerequisites. Courses numbered 100 are considered
introductory courses and have no course prerequisites. Courses numbered
200 are considered advanced introductory courses and require sophomore
standing or consent of the instructor. Courses numbered 300 and
above are considered advanced courses and have, as prerequisite,
any one course numbered under 300, or sophomore standing in Christ
College, or consent of the instructor. Courses numbered 400 and
above are designed for majors and minors.
General Education. Any course in philosophy will
satisfy the General Education Historical and Philosophical Studies
requirement, but students will usually be best served by choosing
PHIL 115, 120, 125, or 150. From time to time certain philosophy
courses are cross-listed with upper level Theology courses and thus
may satisfy that requirement under the Theology number. PHIL 120
will also satisfy the U.S. Cultural Diversity requirement. PHIL
220 will satisfy the Diversity: Global Cultures and Perspectives
requirement. PHIL 210 will satisfy the Fine Arts/Fine Arts Literature
requirement.
Course Descriptions from the General Catalog
PHIL 115. Introduction to Philosophy: Reason
and Reality.
Cr. 3. An introduction
to philosophy which features some of the most fundamental questions
raised by both ordinary persons and philosophers in their attempts
to understand themselves and their world. Questions are raised about
the nature of reality, the foundations of knowledge and value, the
nature of persons, freedom and causality, and the relationship between
faith and reason.
PHIL 120. Introduction to Philosophy: Democracy,
Education and Multiculturalism.
Cr. 3. An introduction
to some philosophical problems relating to ethnicity and multiculturalism
particularly as these arise in political philosophy and philosophy
of education in the American context. May be used to fulfill the
U.S. Cultural Diversity component of the General Education Requirements.
PHIL 125. Introduction to Philosophy: The
Good Life.
Cr. 3. A philosophical
introduction to moral issues which confront us in everyday life.
When should the concerns of others inhibit my personal freedom?
How much should I care about others? What are my responsibilities
to myself? my family? the hungry of the world? What sort of person
should I be? The course emphasizes the importance of being reflective
about how to live one's life.
PHIL 150. Logic and Critical Thinking.
Cr. 3. An introduction
to different strategies for constructing and evaluating arguments.
Emphasis is placed on the development of skills needed to deal competently
with arguments encountered in everyday life as well as on some of
the more formal techniques of logical analysis.
PHIL 205. Philosophy of Science.
Cr. 3. A philosophical
approach to the language, practices, and goals of the physical sciences.
Special attention is given to the concepts, methods, and theories
of the physical and biological sciences, leading toward an interpretation
of science.
PHIL 210. Philosophy of Art.
Cr. 3. A study of theories
of art and aesthetic experience. Readings from classical and contemporary
sources. Reference is made to works of art accessible to the student
through field trips, slides, performances and recordings. This course
may be used to fulfill the Fine Arts/Fine Arts-Literature component
of the General Education Requirements.
PHIL 220. Non-Western Philosophy.
Cr. 3. An introduction
to some major philosophical themes in non-Western thought. Emphasis
is upon the analysis of primary texts. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
This course fulfills the Global Cultures and Perspectives component
of the General Education Requirements.
PHIL 230. Environmental Philosophy and Ethics.
Cr. 3. A survey of major
conceptions of the relationship between humanity and the environment
and the kinds of beliefs, attitudes, and actions entailed by those
conceptions. Topics may include conservationism, deep ecology, bioregionalism,
political ecology, and creation spirituality.
PHIL 250. Political Philosophy.
Cr. 3. (Also offered
as POLS 250.) A survey of the major formulations and problems of
Western political thought as developed by political philosophers
from the Greeks through the modern era. Prerequisite: sophomore
standing.
PHIL 275. Ancient and Medieval Philosophy.
Cr. 3. An introduction
to great philosophers and themes of the ancient and medieval world.
Emphasis will be placed upon Plato and Aristotle, Augustine and
Thomas Aquinas. Primary documents are read throughout.
PHIL 280. Early Modern Philosophy.
Cr. 3. An introduction
to major thinkers and themes of seventeenth and eighteenth century
Europe: Descartes, Leibniz, Hobbes, Locke, and Hume. Emphasis will
be placed upon the Rationalist and Empiricist traditions and their
synthesis in Kant. Primary documents are read throughout.
PHIL 290. Philosophical Topics.
Cr. 3. A study of a
focused philosophical theme or issue. This course may be repeated
for credit if the topics are different.
PHIL 310. Theory of Knowledge.
Cr. 3. An examination
of selected topics which illustrate dominant themes of traditional
and contemporary theories of knowledge, such as skepticism, perception,
evidence, verifiability, memory, belief, justification, and truth.
PHIL 315. Philosophy of Language.
Cr. 3. How do words
mean? The nature of meaning and of language has been at the center
of twentieth century philosophy. This course will examine these
and other issues in the philosophy of language, concentrating on
the discussions of recent philosophers.
PHIL 320. Metaphysics.
Cr. 3. An examination
of traditional and contemporary metaphysical topics, such as time,
substance, agency, freedom, appearance and reality, persons, the
mind-body problem.
PHIL 330. Philosophy of Religion.
Cr. 3. A philosophical
analysis of some of the beliefs, concepts, and problems involved
in traditional theistic belief and its critics. Problems include
arguments for the existence of God, religious experience, the problem
of evil, and faith and reason. Course prerequisite can be satisfied
by any Level II Theology course instead of a philosophy course.
PHIL 335. Ethical Theory.
Cr. 3. A study of some
significant ethical theories and issues. Emphasis is on issues concerning
the nature of moral discourse and practice: the existence of objective
moral values, the relation of religion and morality, the possibility
of moral knowledge, the place of reason and convention in moral
discourse and practice.
PHIL 341. Biomedical Ethics.
Cr. 3. (May also be
offered as THEO 341.) A study of moral issues raised in health-care
and biological research (e.g., abortion, euthanasia, genetic engineering,
and resource allocation). Attention is given both to ethical theory
and to practical issues. Course prerequisite can be satisfied by
any Level II Theology course instead of a philosophy course.
PHIL 345. Advanced Logic.
Cr. 3. A study of formal
deductive logic as codified in first-order predicate logic, including
the concepts of proof, consistency, and completeness, and topics
in logical theory and the foundations of mathematics. The relationship
between formal logic and rational inquiry is also explored. Prerequisite:
PHIL 150 or its equivalent.
PHIL 375. Advanced History of Philosophy.
Cr. 3. An advanced study
of the major philosophical themes of some period, for example, nineteenth
century German philosophy, eighteenth century Scottish philosophy,
or medieval philosophy.
PHIL 425.Advanced Philosophical Topics.
Cr. 3. An examination
of the work on one major philosopher such as Aristotle, Wittgenstein,
or Kant, or of a single philosophical approach such as Augustinianism
or phenomenology, or of one philosophical problem such as free will
or moral realism.
PHIL 450.Philosophy Seminar.
Cr. 3. A seminar required
of all philosophy majors in their senior year. An examination of
the nature and value of philosophy through the study of some philosophical
problem, and classic and contemporary texts.
PHIL 495. Independent Projects.
Cr. 1-3. A student
may undertake independent study of some person, problem, theme,
etc., under the supervision of some member of the Philosophy Department.
The student will propose a topic, generate a bibliography and specify
the scope and goals of the study.
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