Courses Offered
Philosophy
A list of regularly offered courses follows. The indication of when a course will be offered is based on the best projection of the department and can be subject to change.
Please note the key for the following abbreviations: (A) Arts; (H) Humanities; (S) Social Sciences; (N) Natural Sciences with Laboratory; (LS) Language Studies requirement; (NSP) Natural Science in Perspective; (NW) Non-Western Cultures requirement.
PHI100. Introduction to Philosophy. (H) Every Semester
Examination of traditional philosophical problems of method, knowledge, the nature of reality, religious belief and ethics. Staff
PHI122. Introduction to Moral Philosophy. (H) Every Semester
Survey of attempts to understand the nature and significance of moral thought. Theories will be assessed in part in light of current controversies, which may include capital punishment, affirmative action and the limits of state authority. Manis
PHI130. Zeno's Paradoxes. (H) (W) Fall 2010
A careful investigation of the philosophical and mathematical basis for Zeno's four paradoxes of motion, which challenge our ordinary understanding of space, time and numbers. Helm
PHI170—179. Special Topics. (H)
An introductory-level course on a topic chosen by the instructor. Topic changes from year to year. May be taken more than once.
PHI210. History of Ancient Philosophy. (H) Every Fall
The origin and development of the major themes of Greek philosophy from the Milesians through Aristotle. Same as CLS 210. Franklin, Willard
PHI213. 17th and 18th Century Philosophy. (H) Every Spring
A survey of main currents in Western philosophy from Descartes through Kant, emphasizing how the figures replaced the intellectual foundations of the medieval world with assumptions heavily influenced by the Scientific Revolution. Murray, Willard
PHI217. Existentialism. (H) Spring 2010
Existentialism is a label for a loose grouping of writers who investigate the personal and individual nature of one's relation to the world and to others. These writers focus especially on questions about truth, commitment, responsibility, freedom and death. This class surveys some main texts in the existentialist tradition, with readings from Kierkegaard, Dostoevsky, Sartre, Camus, Nietzsche and Kundera. Käufer
PHI218. Nietzsche. (H) Spring 2011
In-depth study of Nietzsche's thought through close reading of his major writings. We will focus on literary and philosophical aspects of his writings. Käufer
PHI220. Moral Theory. (H) Every Spring
A careful study of classic texts in moral philosophy, with an emphasis on questions about the foundations of ethics and the objectivity of moral judgment. Merli
PHI223. Biomedical Ethics. (H) Fall 2009
Ethical issues related to developments in biology and medicine, including population control, genetic engineering and the allocation of medical resources. Same as STS 223. Manis, Merli
PHI235. Reason and Religion. (H) Spring 2011
Survey of both perennial and contemporary topics in the philosophy of religion, such as, arguments for the existence of God, the problem of evil, the coherence of divine attributes and the consistency of freedom and foreknowledge. Topics approached using both classical and contemporary texts. Murray
PHI244. Symbolic Logic. (H) Every Fall
Deductive reasoning, emphasizing primarily symbolic; some discussion of issues in the philosophy of logic. Ross
PHI250. Philosophy of Mind. (H) Every Spring
A general introduction to the philosophy of mind, addressing four key philosophical issues: the nature of psychological explanation; the mind-body problem; the possibility of artificial intelligence; and the nature of persons. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy or psychology. Same as SPM 250. Helm
PHI255. Mobile Robotics. (H) Fall 2009
Can we build intelligent machines? We'll attempt to answer this question by examining both the philosophical and theoretical background of artificial intelligence and research into mobile robotics. We will also build our own robots so as to provide practical experience informing our answers to this philosophical question. Same as SPM 255. Helm
PHI256. Evolutionary Psychology of Religion. (H) (NSP) Fall 2010
Survey of contemporary evolutionary models for the origin and persistence of religious belief and practice. Attention will be given to the epistemological implications for religious belief. The course will consider on adapationist and non-adaptationist models focusing primarily on cognitive theories, group selection, costly-signaling and neurotheology. Same as SPM 256. Murray
PHI270—279. Special Topics. (H)
An intermediate-level course on a topic chosen by the instructor. Topic changes from year to year. May be taken more than once.
PHI317. 19th-Century Continental Philosophy. (H) Fall 2010
Close examination of the two most important and influential views of the German idealist tradition: Kant's critical philosophy and Hegel's historicist reaction to it. Käufer
PHI319. 20th-Century Continental Philosophy. (H) Spring 2011
Close examination of the key texts of phenomenology and hermeneutics. We will study writings from Heidegger, Gadamer, Habermas and others. Käufer
PHI320. Normative Ethics. (H) Fall 2009
Survey of theories of right and wrong action, including examination of related questions concerning the good, well-being, obligation, etc. Literature will include defenses and criticisms of consequentialism, deontology and virtue ethics. Prerequisites: PHI 122 or 200, or permission of the instructor. Merli
PHI321. Meta-ethics. (H) Offered in 2009—2011
Examination of the metaphysics, epistemology and semantics of moral discourse. Topics include objectivity of moral judgment, varieties of realism and anti-realism, cognitivism and competing accounts of practical rationality. Prerequisites: PHI 122 or 220, or permission of instructor. Merli
PHI331. Free Will. (H) Spring 2011
An examination of contemporary theories concerning the nature of free choice. Special attention is given to the nature of moral responsibility and the relationship between free choice and determinism. Prerequisites: PHI100, or permission of the instructor. Same as SPM 331. Murray
PHI335. Epistemology. (H) Fall 2009
Investigation of some issues in contemporary epistemology, including the competing analyses of the concept of justification, the case for skepticism and the analysis of the concept of knowledge. Ross
PHI336. Metaphysics. (H) Spring 2011
Metaphysics asks what the most general features of the world are, why there is a world that has those features and how we human beings fit into that world. Examples of topics to be considered include: Is there a real, physical world outside the mind? What is the nature of time? What is required for things to persist through time? What is the nature of causation? Why does anything at all exist? Have we free will? Ross
PHI337. Philosophy of Natural Science. (H) (NSP) Every Spring
The goals, methods, assumptions and limitations of natural science. Special attention will be paid to the philosophy of psychology, cognitive science and evolutionary biology. Same as STS/SPM 337. Chemero, Ross
PHI355. Possibility of Artificial Intelligence. (H) Spring 2010
A critical analysis of the progress and prospects of attempts to build intelligent machines. Prerequisites: PHI 244 and PHI/SPM 250; or permission of instructor. Same as PSY/SPM 355. Chemero
PHI360. Concept of a Person. (H) Fall 2009
A careful examination of what it is to be a person, as an autonomous moral agent whose life can be meaningful and of what distinguishes persons from the "lower" animals. Same as SPM 360. Helm
PHI361. Moral Psychology. (H) Spring 2011
Moral psychology is the study of human moral agency. As such, it is constrained by and must cohere with, the facts about human psychology; but its primary focus is on human good, an evaluative notion. Central questions include: What are reasons and what role do they play in action? What is character and how is it related to virtue? What is free will, can we have it and how do we best explain weakness of the will? Same as SPM 361. Helm
PHI370—379. Special Topics. (H)
An intermediate- or advanced-level course on a topic chosen by the instructor. Topic changes from year to year. May be taken more than once.
PHI381. Plato. (H) Spring 2011
An intensive treatment of some of the major philosophical themes in selected dialogues of Plato. Prerequisite: PHI 210. Same as CLS 381. Franklin
PHI386. Leibniz. (H) Offered 2010—2012
An intensive treatment of some of the various philosophical topics in the works of Gottfried Leibniz. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Murray
PHI470—479. Topics Seminar. (H)
A close examination at an advanced level of a problem chosen by the instructor. Topic changes from year to year. May be taken more than once.
PHI490. Independent Study.
Independent study directed by the Philosophy staff. Permission of the chairperson required.
PHI498. Philosophical Research. Every Fall
Intensive research and writing on a topic of the student's choice carried on in a seminar setting. Includes several oral presentations by each student. Permission of instructor is required. Staff
TOPICS COURSES TO BE OFFERED IN 2009—2010
Topics in Political Philosophy.
Environmental Philosophy.
Friendship and Love.
