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Course Descriptions
PHIL 351 — Ancient and Medieval Philosophy (3)
An historical survey of the key thinkers in the Western philosophical tradition from Thales, the first Western philosopher, to William of Ockham, a late medieval philosopher.
PHIL 352 — Modern Philosophy (3)
An historical survey of the key thinkers in the Western philosophical tradition from Descartes, the founder of modern philosophy, to Nietzsche.
PHIL 361 — Existentialism (3)
This course is a historical survey of existentialism, a modern-day philosophy of human freedom and responsibility. In particular we shall focus on the thought of four existential philosophers: Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre, and Heidegger. We shall supplement our study of existential philosophy with discussion of existential novels by Camus, Tolstoy, and Dostoevsky. In exploring the thought of the existentialists we shall address such questions
as: What is authentic human existence? Is God dead? Is there any ground for ethical judgments? Are human beings free? How should one face death?
PHIL 371 — American Philosophy (3)
An historical survey of American Philosophy from the Puritans to the present day. The major figures studied include Jonathan Edwards, the Federalist authors, Emerson, Peirce, James, and Dewey.
PHIL 373 — Contemporary Continental Philosophy (3)
A survey of the major movements and fi gures in twentieth-century continental philosophy. Among the major figures treated are Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Husserl, Sartre, Jaspers, Merleau-Ponty, and Derrida.
PHIL 470 — Ethics and Values Seminar (3)
Seminar which considers current issues in ethics and values with particular emphasis on how they relate to public and professional life. Cross-listed as THEO 470.
PHIL 471 — Philosophy of Science (3)
An introduction to the fundamental issues encountered in the attempt to understand the nature and significance of the scientific enterprise, through a historical survey of its most influential theories and methods. Topics include the origins of science, ancient science,
the Copernican revolution, the experimental and thematical methods, the Darwinian revolution, and the rise of the social sciences.
PHIL 472 — Philosophy of Art (3)
Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy that studies the nature of beauty and art. Questions considered include: What is art? What difference is there between high art and popular art? What is an artist? What role should artistic intention play in the interpretation and evaluation of artworks? What is beauty? Is beauty in the eye of the beholder, differing with the individual and the culture, or are there universal standards by which to judge beauty? Why and how do we react emotionally to art and beauty? Areas of art and beauty to consider include: painting, sculpture, music, literature, fi lm, food, jokes, nature, and the
human form. The questions of aesthetics are grounded in the work of classic philosophers
such as Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and Nietzsche. Contemporary philosophers continuing the
dialogue in aesthetics include Carroll, Cohen, Danto, Dickie, Kivy, Korsmeyer, Levinson,
and Walton.
PHIL 473 — Metaphysics (3)
An introduction to the nature of existence, this course presents a critical, rational study
of the different kinds of being and the various ways in which an entity may be said
meaningfully to exist. Topics include the nature of ideas and their relation to the external
world, the nature of space and time, freedom of the will, the existence and nature of the
Supreme Being, and the question of immortality and the afterlife. Underlying these studies
is an attempt to fathom the ultimate meaning and purpose of the cosmos and the place
of humanity in the cosmos.
PHIL 474 — Philosophy of Law (3)
An introduction to the philosophy of law designed to introduce students to central
philosophical problems in the law, primarily through the reading of constitutional cases.
Topics include legal reasoning, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, privacy, racial and
gender discrimination, the nature and justifi cation of punishment, the death penalty, and
legal ethics.
PHIL 477 — Philosophy of Knowledge (3)
An introduction to epistemology. Topics include: What is knowledge? How do we know? What is the role of experience in knowing and what is the role of pure reasoning? When is a belief rationally justied or warranted? Can we know anything? In this course, we
address these questions from both a historical and a contemporary perspective.
PHIL 478 — Philosophy of Religion (3)
An introduction to the philosophy of religion. Topics include the existence and nature of God, the problem of evil, the relationship between faith and reason, life after death, miracles, and the relation of God to morality.
PHIL 481 — Topics in Philosophy (3-6)
Philosophical issues or topics in philosophy pursued in an independent but directed way as suggested by a department faculty member. Open to junior and senior majors and minors
as well as to non-philosophy students by special permission of the Department Chairperson. Available every semester on a tutorial basis.
PHIL 490 — Senior Seminar (3)
A course intended to provide Philosophy majors with a culminating and integrative capstone of their major fi eld of study through advanced study of a particular philosophical topic or theme. Students will research, write, and present to the Philosophy
department faculty a major paper that demonstrates a senior-level mastery of philosophical issues and methodologies as well as competence in the transferable skills of liberal learning. The topic will vary from year to year. To be taken in the senior year.
Offered spring semester only.
Courses Offered: Fall 2011
Core 280: Introduction to Philosophy
An introduction to the central problems and major figures in the history of philosophical thought. Topics include the meaning and purpose of human existence, the ultimate nature of reality, the foundations and limits of human understanding, the foundations and limits of government, the basic norms of right and wrong.
Core 282: Philosophical Themes: Death and the Meaning of Life
This course explores human responses to death and the quest for meaning. How should we think about death? Is death something to be feared? Is there an afterlife? Does death show that life is ultimately meaningless? How should we live given the certainty of death? Does life have meaning? If so, how can this be determined? This class explores these other perennial questions about death and meaning through the reading of classic and contemporary philosophers. Prerequisite: Core 280.
Core 282: Philosophical Themes: Pop Culture and Philosophy
More and more, popular media deals with philosophical issues. Movies—such as Dead Man Walking, The Matrix and Artificial Intelligence—raise issues from capital punishment to skepticism and philosophy of mind. Television shows—such as South Park, Lost, Heroes, Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica—raises issues political, ethical and metaphysical. This provides us with a springboard from which to explore these issues. In this class, this is what we will do. We will not have time to explore them all, but we will address issues raised by a number of popular works. We will explore issues religious, ethical and metaphysical. Prerequisite: Core 280.
Core 286: Ethics and the Good Life
This course is designed to give the student a nose for moral argumentation—the ability to distinguish good moral reasoning from bad and to sniff out mistakes in every day moral thought. It aims, through the close reading and discussion of ethical texts and cases, to foster in students a personal and reflectively stable moral sensibility, and to equip them to make fruitful contributions to moral and political discussion in the public arena. Prerequisite: CORE 280.
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