Courses and Programs 1997-1999
Courses and Programs 1997-1999Phil 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 these kinds of questions 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. This course is not recommended for students majoring in math, science, or engineering.
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 298. Cooperative Education. Cr. R. F.S.SS. Prereq: Permission of the department cooperative education coordinator; sophomore classification. Required of all cooperative education students. Students must register for this course prior to commencing each work period.
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 1998. 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 1999. 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 1997. 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 Century Continental Philosophy. (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 1998. 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. Main problems and themes of major movements in contemporary philosophy such as pragmatism, realism, common sense philosophy, logical positivism, and ordinary language philosophy. Readings include key works by representatives of these positions on topics such as reality vs. appearance, free will and determinism, the existence of God, values, truth, knowledge, and method. Nonmajor graduate credit.
Phil 320. Existentialism and Its Critics. (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered 1997. 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 1999. 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 1998. 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 1998. 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. S. Prereq: 230 or junior classification. 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, and the impact of biotechnology on society and the environment. Major moral theories will be discussed and applied. Topics vary by semester. 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 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 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 442. Philosophy of Technology. (Same as T SC 442.) (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 460. Epistemology and Metaphysics. (3-0) Cr. 3 each time taken, maximum of 6 credits. Alt. S., offered 1998. 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 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
Phil 498. Cooperative Education. Cr. R. F.S.SS. Prereq: Permission of the department cooperative education coordinator; senior classification. Required of all cooperative education students. Students must register for this course prior to commencing each work period. Nonmajor graduate credit.
Phil 535. Contemporary Political Philosophy. (Same as Pol S 535.) (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 1999. 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.