University Catalog

PHIL 1301. FUNDAMENTALS OF REASONING. 3 Hours.

The analysis of arguments and rhetorical forms. Deals with common forms of valid and fallacious reasoning and includes exercises and drill in practical reasoning.

PHIL 1304. CONTEMPORARY MORAL PROBLEMS. 3 Hours. (TCCN = PHIL 2306)

Examination of ethical problems and theories which have a bearing on contemporary life. Texts may include both classical and contemporary ethical writings and deal with problems such as the conditions under which life may be taken (abortion, capital punishment, medical ethics), business ethics, social justice, and individual rights.

PHIL 2300. INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY. 3 Hours. (TCCN = PHIL 1301)

An examination of one or more basic problems of lasting interest to philosophers. Typical problems may include human nature and limits of knowledge. Formerly listed as PHIL 1300. Credit cannot be received for both PHIL 1300 and PHIL 2300.

PHIL 2311. LOGIC. 3 Hours. (TCCN = PHIL 2303)

The development of formal and symbolic systems (categorical, propositional, and predicate) for the analysis of arguments.

PHIL 2312. ETHICS. 3 Hours.

Ethics is the philosophical study of morality. This course is an introduction to the main normative ethical theories, such as theological voluntarism, utilitarianism, and Kantianism. A normative ethical theory provides an answer to the question, "What is it that makes right acts right?.

PHIL 2313. PHILOSOPHY OF THE ARTS. 3 Hours.

Problems in the philosophy of art and art criticism; the history of aesthetic theory.

PHIL 2314. PERSPECTIVES ON SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS. 3 Hours.

Topics and episodes in the history of science and mathematics from a philosophical point of view. Students are brought to understand that science has a fascinating history, is underpinned by deep philosophical presuppositions, and depends upon special social and cultural factors for its continued growth and revision.

PHIL 2315. TOPICS IN PHILOSOPHY. 3 Hours.

In-depth treatment of philosophical topics or movements, such as Existentialism, Philosophy of Science Fiction, Brain and Mind, Asian Philosophy. May be repeated for credit as content changes.

PHIL 2316. COMPUTATION, MIND, AND PARADOX. 3 Hours.

A philosophical and historical introduction to the foundations of logic and mathematics, the psychology of reasoning, and the computational theory of mind. Topics may include: logic, set theory, axiom systems; number and infinity; fallacies of deductive and probabilistic reasoning; Bayesian epistemology; algorithms; artificial intelligence, computational theories of mind and brain.

PHIL 3301. HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY: ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY. 3 Hours.

The beginning and the early developments of the western philosophic tradition. Ancient Greek philosophy, basically the Pre-Socratics, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.

PHIL 3302. HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY: ROMAN AND MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY. 3 Hours.

Post-Aristotelians (e.g., the later Stoics, the Epicureans, Neo-Platonists); philosophy of the early Church Fathers through Aquinas and later Scholastics.

PHIL 3303. HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY: RENAISSANCE AND EARLY MODERN EUROPEAN PHILOSOPHY. 3 Hours.

The philosophical views of Galileo, Newton, Bacon, and Hobbes, the Continental Rationalists and British Empiricists, and a brief introduction to the philosophy of Immanuel Kant.

PHIL 3304. HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY: NINETEENTH AND EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY PHILOSOPHY. 3 Hours.

Major philosophers from Kant to the early 20th century.

PHIL 3307. SEMINAR IN RESEARCH METHODS AND PHILOSOPHICAL WRITING. 3 Hours.

Examination of philosophical methodology; philosophical analysis, philosophical writing, discipline-specific bibliographic tools, etc. Students write a series of short papers on topics of interest. This course fulfills the university requirement for UNIV 1101. Prerequisite: PHIL 2311 and one other PHIL course.

PHIL 3316. PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. 3 Hours.

Problems that engage philosophy of religion (e.g., the existence of God, theodicy, religious language) and the way these problems have been treated by some outstanding Western thinkers.

PHIL 3317. PHILOSOPHICAL LOGIC. 3 Hours.

Begins with predicate calculus and includes such topics as definite descriptions, identity, modal logic, second-order logic, set theory, philosophy of logic and mathematics, and philosophical applications of logic. Prerequisite: PHIL 2311 or consent of the instructor.

PHIL 3318. THE PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. 3 Hours.

The method and goals of scientific scholars and inquiry. The distinction between formal and empirical sciences, laws and theories, measurement, the role of observation and experiment, and probability. Formerly listed as PHIL 4315. Credit cannot be received for both PHIL 4315 and PHIL 3318.

PHIL 3319. BIOMEDICAL ETHICS. 3 Hours.

Major ethical problems which arise in modern medicine and in medical/biological research (euthanasia, abortion, patient-physician relations, allocations of medical resources, genetic research, etc.).

PHIL 3320. PHILOSOPHY OF LAW. 3 Hours.

Examination of the institution of law, legal concepts, legal reasoning, and the legal process. Topics may include the nature of law; the moral limits of the criminal law; legal rights; liberty, justice, and equality; punishment; responsibility; the private law (property, contract, and tort); constitutional law; and feminist jurisprudence.

PHIL 3321. PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE. 3 Hours.

Topics to be investigated include the nature of language and communication; the distinction between natural and artificial language; the traditional division of the field into syntax, semantics, and pragmatics; and such specialized subtopics as meaning, reference, truth, and speech acts. Completion of PHIL 2311 is recommended, but not required.

PHIL 3324. BUSINESS ETHICS. 3 Hours.

Selected ethical issues in business, such as the nature and moral status of capitalism; corporate moral agency and responsibility; issues and challenges in the workplace (e.g., civil liberties, personnel policies, unionization, privacy, and safety); moral choices facing employees (e.g., loyalty, insider trading, and whistleblowing); job discrimination (e.g., affirmative action, comparable worth, and sexual harassment); consumer protection; environmental protection; and globalization.

PHIL 3330. SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY. 3 Hours.

Investigation of the basis (if any) of political obligation. Analysis of social and political concepts, such as equality, liberty, rights, and justice. Discussion of social and political theories, such as anarchism, contractarianism, Marxism, and conservatism.

PHIL 3340. TOPICS IN APPLIED ETHICS. 3 Hours.

Investigation of a single moral issue or a cluster of issues that arise in the context of a particular profession. Examples of the former are abortion, punishment, freedom of speech, the environment, and the moral status of animals. Examples of the latter are business ethics, legal ethics, engineering ethics, nursing ethics, and computer ethics. May be repeated for credit as content changes.

PHIL 3390. HONORS COLLOQUIUM. 3 Hours.

An interdisciplinary course designed to meet the needs of advanced undergraduates in the Honors College.

PHIL 4191. UNDERGRADUATE CONFERENCE COURSE. 1 Hour.

Topics assigned on an individual basis covering research of individual students or study in designated areas. May be repeated for credit.

PHIL 4291. UNDERGRADUATE CONFERENCE COURSE. 2 Hours.

Topics assigned on an individual basis covering research of individual students or study in designated areas. May be repeated for credit.

PHIL 4318. PHILOSOPHY AND LITERATURE. 3 Hours.

The role of ideas in literature and an analysis of the actual contacts between philosophy and the dominant world views of the great writers of literature.

PHIL 4380. PHENOMENOLOGY. 3 Hours.

Phenomenology is a major philosophical movement based on the methodically controlled description of conscious experience, as uncovered at first introspectively. This course focuses on (1) the origin of the movement in common epistemological problems arising in philosophy, psychology, mathematics, and the natural sciences, (2) the development of the movement's method, and (3) a close study of some influential phenomenologists, including Husserl, Sartre, and Merleau-Ponty. Contemporary connections to the neuroscientific study of consciousness are also explored.

PHIL 4381. THEORIES OF INTERPRETATION. 3 Hours.

Philosophical hermeneutics-the theory or study of interpretation-dates back at least to Aristotle and grew in the 20th century from a focus on texts to an analysis of the interpretation of every human act and idea. This course traces the history of the problems of interpretation from Aristotle to the present.

PHIL 4385. THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE. 3 Hours.

Problems which arise from attempts to give an account of human knowledge. Skepticism, perception, induction, or the nature of truth. Note: Although there are no prerequisites for this course, students who have had no previous philosophy courses may find the material difficult.

PHIL 4386. METAPHYSICS. 3 Hours.

Problems which arise from attempts to give an account of reality and its manifestations. Possibility and necessity, causality, the nature of events, mind-body, and universals. Note: Although there are no prerequisites for this course, students who have had no previous philosophy courses may find the material difficult.

PHIL 4387. TOPICS IN VALUE THEORY. 3 Hours.

In-depth treatment of an issue or topic within value theory, which is broadly construed to include moral philosophy (and its subfields, such as moral epistemology and moral psychology), social philosophy, political philosophy, philosophy of law, aesthetics, philosophy of religion, and feminist philosophy. May be repeated for credit with permission of the department.

PHIL 4388. TOPICS IN THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY. 3 Hours.

In-depth treatment of a single important philosophical writer, a related group of writers, or an extended tradition. May be repeated for credit with permission of the department.

PHIL 4389. TOPICS IN PHILOSOPHY AND THE SOCIAL SCIENCES. 3 Hours.

In-depth treatment of one or more of the social sciences from a philosophical perspective: may include the philosophy of history, social philosophy, political philosophy, philosophy of the social sciences, or any specific subject therein. Credit may not be granted for PHIL 4311 or PHIL 4317 (no longer offered) and PHIL 4389. May be repeated for credit with permission of the department.

PHIL 4391. UNDERGRADUATE CONFERENCE COURSE. 3 Hours.

Topics assigned on an individual basis covering research of individual students or study in designated areas. May be repeated for credit.

PHIL 4394. SENIOR THESIS. 3 Hours.

During the senior year, the student completes a thesis under the direction of a faculty member in the major department. Required of all pre-professional track philosophy majors and of all philosophy majors who are members of the University Honors College.

PHIL 5391. CONFERENCE COURSE IN PHILOSOPHY. 3 Hours.

May be taken only with the permission of the instructor and Graduate Advisor.

PHIL 5392. TOPICS IN THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY. 3 Hours.

Consideration in depth of the work of a single philosopher or a related philosophical school against the background of the development of philosophy. May be repeated for credit as the topic changes.

PHIL 5393. PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE HUMANITIES. 3 Hours.

A philosophical inquiry into problems and issues of relevance in humanistic disciplines. May be repeated for credit as the topic changes.

PHIL 6389. SEMINAR IN PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS. 3 Hours.

Seminar-style treatment of some major problem in contemporary philosophy. May be repeated for credit as the topic changes.

PHIL 6394. TOPICS IN SYSTEMATIC PHILOSOPHY. 3 Hours.

In-depth treatment of an issue or issues in metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, aesthetics or related subdisciplinary areas. May be repeated for credit as the topic changes.