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Philosophy and Religious Studies
Michael A. Bishop, Chair of Department
University Professors: Kupfer
Professors: Hollinger, Hunter, Kirschenmann, Robinson, Smith, Wilson
Professors (Emeritus): Hollenbach, Van Iten
Associate Professors: Avalos, Baum, Bishop, Holmgren, Sanford, Sawyer
Assistant Professors: Butler, Davidson,
de Laplante, Fehr, Geirsson, Gross, Vranas, Wunderlich
Lecturers: Torrago
Philosophy
Undergraduate Study
Philosophy tries to make sense of human experience and reality through
critical reflection and argument. It deals with the kinds of questions
that engage all reflective people but which do not obviously belong
to any of the empirical sciences. It asks questions such as the
following: Are there objective standards for deciding what is right
and wrong, or is morality merely a subjective matter? Do we have
a moral obligation to obey the law? How can goods be justly distributed?
Am I free if my actions are consequences of my past and the laws
of nature? How does language relate to the world? Does God exist?
Can machines think? Do I have a mind, and if so how does it relate
to my body?
Philosophy engages in constructive give and take with other fields
of study, including the various sciences. Philosophers, for example,
probe the assumptions and implications of social sciences, natural
sciences, religion, psychology, and law.
The study of philosophy provides several benefits. It emphasizes
rigourous understanding of problems, together with careful analysis
of the strengths and weaknesses of the available solutions. It encourages
clarity in the presentation of one's own ideas, as well as sensitivity
in the consideration of the ideas of others. The study of philosophy
therefore encourages one to develop skills and habits that are useful
not only in philosophy, but in non-philosophical areas as well.
Philosophy students historically do well, for example, in law and
medical schools.
However, one should not think of the study of philosophy only in
terms of career benefits. Philosophical questions arise in many
areas of family, business, and civic life and so the philosophy
major prepares one for appreciating and responding to a lifetime
of intellectual challenges.
The degree program in philosophy requires a minimum of 33 credits.
The following courses compose the core program of the major from
which 15 credits shall be chosen. Additionally, two courses at the
400 level or above are required.
a. Ethical theory: One course required. Choose from 330 (Ethical
Theory), 335 (Social and Political Philosophy).
b. History: 310 (Ancient Philosophy) is required, and either 314
(17th Century Philosophy) or 315 (18th Century Philosophy).
c. Metaphysics and Epistemology: One course required. Choose from
364 (Metaphysics: God, Minds, and Matter), 380 (Philosohy of Science).
d. Logic: 207 (Introduction to Symbolic Logic) is required.
The department offers a minor in philosophy which may be earned
by completing a total of 15 credits in philosophy. At least 9 credits
must be in courses numbered 300 or above. Students may want to emphasize
specific areas by taking 15 hours of courses chosen from the following:
Philosophy of Science: 201, 206 or 207, 314, 315, 380, 381, 480,
483, 485
History of Philosophy: 201, 310, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318; 460
Social Values and Policy: 230, 235, 331, 332, 333, 335, 336, 338,
343, 430
English proficiency requirement: The department requires a grade
of C+ or better in each of Engl 104 and 105 (or 105H), and approval
of writing by instructor of one history of philosophy course (310-318),
to be designated by the student.
Graduate Study
The department offers a graduate minor in philosophy. For those
taking the M.A. or M.S., the minor requirement is two courses above
300 (but not 490) taken in conjunction with 590. For those taking
the Ph.D., the requirement is four courses above 300, at least one
of which is above 400 (but not 490) all taken in conjunction with
590. Interested students should ask the chair to assign a minor
adviser.
The department participates in the interdepartmental program in
general graduate studies. (See Index.)
Courses open for nonmajor graduate credit: All 300- and 400-level
courses except 490.
Courses Primarily for Undergraduate Students
Phil 201. Introduction to Philosophy.
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S.SS. It has been rumored that the unexamined life
is not worth living. Philosophy is an attempt to begin examining
life by considering such questions as: What makes us human? What
is the world ultimately like? How should we relate to other people?
Is there a god? How can we know anything about these questions?
Understanding questions of this kind and proposed answers to them
is what this course is all about.
Phil 206. Introduction to Logic and Scientific
Reasoning. (3-0) Cr. 3. F.S.SS. Basic principles of critical
reasoning and argument evaluation. A consideration of basic forms
of argumentation in science and everyday life. Application to contemporary
issues and controversies.
Phil 207. Introduction to Symbolic Logic.
(Same as Ling 207.) (3-0) Cr. 3. S. Introduction to fundamental
logical concepts and logical symbolism. Development of natural deduction
through first order predicate logic with identity. Applications
to arguments in ordinary English and to philosophical issues. Majors
should take 207 as early as possible.
Phil 230. Moral Theory and Practice.
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S.SS. Investigation of moral issues in the context
of major ethical theories of value and obligation; e.g., punishment,
abortion, economic justice, job discrimination, world hunger, and
sexual morality. Emphasis on critical reasoning and argument analysis.
Phil 235. Ethical Issues in A Diverse Society.
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. This course will examine a range of arguments on
diversity issues. Topics will include: the social status of women,
the moral status of sexuality and homosexuality, the nature and
role of racism in contemporary society, the relationship between
biology, gender roles and social status, and various proposals for
change from a variety of political perspectives.
Phil 310. Ancient Philosophy.
(Same as Cl St 310.) (3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 201.
Survey of the principal philosophers of the ancient world: the pre-Socratics,
Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics and the Epicureans. Questions concerning
being, knowledge, language, and the good life are treated in depth.
Nonmajor graduate credit.
Phil 314. 17th Century Philosophy.
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2004. Prereq: 201. Readings
from philosophers such as Hobbes, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, and
Locke. Changing conceptions of knowledge, self, and deities in response
to Galileo's new science and post-reformation challenge to ecclesiastical
authority. Nonmajor graduate credit.
Phil 315. 18th Century Philosophy.
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2005. Prereq: 201. Readings
from philosophers such as Berkeley, Hume, and Kant. Development
of Enlightenment thought. Issues include idealism, causation, freedom,
and knowledge regarding science, ethics, and deities. Nonmajor graduate
credit.
Phil 316. 19th Century Continental Philosophy.
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2003. Prereq: 201. The thought
of Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, and their contemporaries. Various perspectives
on the philosophy of history, the nature of reason and subjectivity,
the contrast between dialectical and nondialectical philosophy,
and the relationship between philosophy and society. Nonmajor graduate
credit.
Phil 317. 20th and 21st Century Continental
Philosophy. (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2004. Prereq:
201. An examination of 20th century continental philosophy against
the background of the 19th century continental tradition. Movements
covered include: Phenomenology, Marxism, Postmodernism, Post-structuralism,
Feminism. Focus on attempts to develop history, society, and politics;
debates about the crisis of reason and culture; political issues
surrounding such debates. Nonmajor graduate credit.
Phil 318. 20th Century Anglo-American Philosophy.
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 201. Major movements in recent philosophy
such as realism, logical positivism, ordinary language philosophy,
and naturalism. Russell, Wittgenstein, Quine and other leading figures.
Topics include knowledge of the material world, mind, language,
values, and philosophical method. Nonmajor graduate credit.
Phil 320. Existentialism and Its Critics.
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 2003. Prereq: 201. An investigation
of Existentialism and its critics in historical and cultural context.
Emphasis on existential phenomenology and French existentialism,
and on criticisms. Existential Marxism and Heidegger's later philosophy.
Nonmajor graduate credit.
Phil 330. Ethical Theory. (3-0) Cr.
3. F. Prereq: 201 or 230. Major theories in normative ethics
and metaethics. Includes such views as relativism, emotivism, and
absolutism. Comparison of ethics with science and how moral judgments
are justified. Nonmajor graduate credit.
Phil 331. Moral Problems in Medicine.
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2004. Prereq: 230 or junior classification.
In-depth study of some of the central moral problems arising in
medicine, e.g., abortion, euthanasia, patients' rights, health care
professionals' duties and responsibilities, allocation of medical
resources. Major moral theories will be examined and applied. Nonmajor
graduate credit.
Phil 332. Philosophy of Law. (Same
as CJ St 332.) (3-0) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: 201 or 230. Extent
of our obligation to obey the law; what constitutes just punishment;
how much of the immoral should be made illegal? Relation of these
questions to major theories of law and the state. Discussion of
such concepts as coercion, equality, and responsibility. Nonmajor
graduate credit.
Phil 333. Family Ethics. (3-0) Cr.
3. Alt. S., offered 2004. Prereq: 3 credits in philosophy. Moral
dimensions of marriage and love, parent-child relations, domestic
work, and moral education. Can parents and children be friends?
What do children "owe" their parents? Is there a feminist
mode of moral thinking? Nonmajor graduate credit.
Phil 334. Environmental Ethics. (Same
as Env S 334.) (3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 3 credits in philosophy
or junior classification. Thorough study of some of the central
moral issues arising in connection with human impact on the environment,
e.g., human overpopulation, species extinction, forest and wilderness
management, pollution. Several world views of the proper relationship
between human beings and nature will be explored. Nonmajor graduate
credit.
Phil 335. Social and Political Philosophy.
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2004. Prereq: 201 or 230. Foundations
of social and political life. Metaphysical and epistemological grounds
in classical and recent thinkers. The basis of political organization,
the nature of social and political institutions, rights and authority,
justice and the character of distinctly political action. Original
texts. Nonmajor graduate credit.
Phil 336. Bioethics and Biotechnology.
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2005. Prereq: Phil 201 or 230 or
235. In-depth study of some central moral issues in the life
sciences, e.g., genetic screening and testing, genetically engineered
plants and animals, risk analysis, biotechnology patents, research
ethics, biodiversity, the impact of biotechnology on society and
the environment. Major moral theories will be discussed and applied.
(Phil 336 contains almost no similarities to Phil 331.) Nonmajor
graduate credit.
Phil 338. Feminist Philosophy. (3-0)
Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 3 credits in philosophy recommended. This
course critically examines the work that oppositions such as sex/gender,
self/other, subjectivity/objectivity, and nature/nurture, does in
philosophy and in our culture more generally. In particular we will
consider historical and contemporary, that feminism engages issues
of sexual orientation, political equality, race, biology, violence
and pornography, as it works toward the personal and political emancipation
of women. Nonmajor graduate credit.
Phil 340. Aesthetics. (3-0) Cr. 3.
F. Prereq: 201 or 230. Is liking all there is to appreciating
works of art or natural beauty? We will examine our appreciative
experiences, talk about such experiences (e.g., art criticism),
and what makes them valuable. Do the different arts have common
values? How are their differences important? Nonmajor graduate credit.
Phil 343. Philosophy of Technology. (Same
as T SC 343.) (3-0) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: 6 credits of social science
or T SC 341 and 3 credits of social science. Conditions under
which technological innovations contribute to human emancipation,
relationship of technology and democracy, utility and limits of
technical rationality, and problems of ensuring that benefits of
technological advance are communally shared. Issues discussed with
reference to contemporary developments in microelectronics, technology
transfer to the Third World, etc. Nonmajor graduate credit.
Phil 350. Philosophy of Religion.
(Same as Relig 350.) (3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 201. The value
and truth of religious life and belief. Mystical experience; religious
faith and language; arguments for God's existence; the problem of
evil; miracles; and religion and morality. Historical and contemporary
readings from both the western and eastern traditions. Nonmajor
graduate credit.
Phil 364. Metaphysics: God, Minds, and Matter.
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 3 credits in philosophy. A survey
of classical and contemporary views on some basic metaphysical issues.
Issues discussed include: Does God exist? Do you have a mind and,
if so, how does it relate to your body? What is the nature of cause
and effect? Do objects have any essential properties? How can we
account for properties objects have in common? Nonmajor graduate
credit.
Phil 380. Philosophy of Science. (3-0)
Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 201 or 6 credits in a science. Introduction
to the philosophy of science. A variety of basic problems common
to the natural and social sciences: the nature of explanation, the
structure of theories, the unity of science, and the distinction
between science and nonscience. Nonmajor graduate credit.
Phil 381. Philosophy of the Social and Behavioral
Sciences. (3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 201 or 6 credits in
the social sciences. Methodological, ideological, and doctrinal
issues about the social and behavioral sciences against the background
of influence of the natural sciences. Focus is on the historical
and cultural background of 19th and 20th century western thought.
Nonmajor graduate credit.
Phil 398. Cooperative Education. Cr.
R. F.S.SS. Prereq: Permission of the department cooperative education
coordinator; junior classification. Required of all cooperative
education students. Students must register for this course prior
to commencing each work period. Nonmajor graduate credit.
Phil 430. Value Theory. (3-0) Cr.
3 each time taken, maximum of 6 credits. S. Prereq: 230. Theoretical
and normative issues in ethics, aesthetics, religious thought, or
political philosophy. Topics vary each time offered. Nonmajor graduate
credit.
Phil 450. Free Will, Fate, and Moral Responsibility.
(3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 3 credits in philosophy; 207 strongly
encouraged. Are we free if all our actions are inevitable consequences
of our past and the laws of nature, or if God exists and is omniscient?
Examines what sorts of facts constitute threats to human freedom.
Issues of time, truth, causation, and agency are treated in depth.
Nonmajor graduate credit.
Phil 460. Epistemology and Metaphysics.
(3-0) Cr. 3 each time taken, maximum of 6 credits. Alt. S., offered
2004. Prereq: 201 and at least one course in the history of philosophy.
Issues in epistemology and metaphysics. Topics vary each time
offered. Nonmajor graduate credit.
Phil 465. Brains, Minds, and Computers.
(3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 201. Examination of concepts such
as computability, intelligence, programming, and free will; and
of arguments about whether any human capacity is forever beyond
realization in a machine. Nonmajor graduate credit.
Phil 480. Controversies in Science. (3-0)
Cr. 3 each time taken. S. Prereq: 3 credits in philosophy or
6 credits in a natural or social science. Philosophical treatment
of a branch of science that has (or has had) significant social,
political, religious and/or moral implications. Possible topics
include: the IQ debate, implications of Darwinism, the Galileo affair,
the role of values in science, critical analysis of current science
policy (e.g., the Human Genome Project). Topics will be arranged
to meet the needs of interested students. Often team taught by a
philosopher and a scientist from the relevant discipline. Nonmajor
graduate credit.
Phil 483. Philosophy of Biology. (3-0)
Cr. 3. Prereq: 3 credits in philosophy or 3 credits in biology.
S. Biology is powerful, both as a science and in its effects on
our culture. Philosophy of biology evaluates this power. Possible
topics include: What makes sciences such as evolutionary theory,
ecology or molecular biology so good at explaining things? What
is life? Can evolution account for design? What role does chance
play in evolution? Has there been progress in the evolution of life
on earth? What can sociobiology tell us about human nature, behavior
and culture? Nonmajor graduate credit.
Phil 485. Philosophy of Physics. (3-0)
Cr. 3. Prereq: 3 credits in Philosophy or 3 credits in Physics.
S. Conceptual and philosophical issues relating to the interpretation
of theories in classical and modern physics. May include one or
more of the following topics: the relationship between mathematics
and the physical world; Newtonian physics (determinism and predictability);
thermodynamics and statistical physics (the nature of probability;
entropy and the direction of time); relativistic physics (indeterminism;
realism and nonlocality; consciousness and the role of the observer).
Nonmajor graduate credit.
Phil 490. Independent Study. Cr. 1
to 4 each time taken. Prereq: 6 credits in philosophy; permission
of instructor, approval of chairman. No more than 9 credits
of Phil 490 may be counted toward graduation. Guided reading and
research on special topics selected to meet needs of advanced students.
H. Honors
Courses Primarily for
Graduate Students for Minor Credit, Open to Qualified Undergraduates
Phil 535. Contemporary Political Philosophy.
(Same as Pol S 535.) (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2005. Prereq:
6 credits of philosophy or political science. Examination of
theories of justice proposed by contemporary political philosophers.
Analysis of the philosophical foundations of perspectives such as
liberalism, libertarianism, communitarianism, socialism, feminism.
Normative assessments of socio-political institutions.
Phil 590. Special Topics in Philosophy.
Cr. 2 to 4 each time taken. Prereq: Permission of instructor;
9 credits in philosophy.
A. History of Philosophy
B. Epistemology and Metaphysics
C. Value Theory
D. Logic and Philosophy of Science
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