Introductory Courses
1033 Introduction to Philosophy

A historical and theoretical introduction to major issues in Western philosophy. Questions to be explored include, but are not limited to, “what is being?”, “does God exist?”, “what is truth?”, “are we free?” and “how ought we to live?”.

1533 Critical Thinking and Reasoning Skills

A conceptual and problem-based introduction to the science of reasoning and critical thinking. Students will learn to recognize, analyze, evaluate, and compose arguments, which are primary objects of study for both the logician and, more generally, the critical thinker.

2033 Ethics

A historical and theoretical introduction to the study of moral philosophy or ethics. Questions to be explored include, but are not limited to, “what are good and evil?”, “how ought one to live?”, and “how ought one to act?”.

2053 Environmental Philosophy

An introduction to the philosophy of nature and ethical issues pertaining to human beings' relationship to the Earth. Different conceptions of nature will be explored along with seminal texts that have shaped the field of environmental philosophy. A variety of pressing ethical issues will be discussed such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, and destruction of wildlife habitats. The course will be guided by the fundamental questions, "What is our relationship to nature, and what is our moral responsibility to the Earth's present and future inhabitants?"

2103 Health Care Ethics

This course provides an introduction to contemporary biomedical and clinical health care ethics through sustained exploration, analysis, and discussion of a wide array of ethical issues. Topics to be addressed include, but are not limited to, end of life issues, experimentation on human subjects, confidentiality, informed consent, ownership of bodily tissues, cloning and genetic engineering, and justice in health care.

2133 Political Philosophy

A historical and theoretical introduction to political philosophy through an examination and critical analysis of key thinkers and theories in the tradition. Questions to be explored include, but are not limited to, “what is justice and what are just institutions?”, “why, how, and to what extent are governments morally justified?”, and “what is the most moral economic system?”

2213 Asian Philosophy and Religion

A historical and theoretical introduction to Asian philosophy and religion. Topics to be discussed will include, but are not limited to, historical origins and development; conceptions of divinity and the sacred; metaphysics, cosmology, and epistemology; sacred texts and religious rituals; theories of human nature and the self; and ethical principles

2223 Feminist Philosophy

A historical and theoretical introduction to feminist philosophy. The course addresses a wide range of philosophical topics from a feminist perspective, including, but not limited to, metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and politics.

2333 Philosophy of Religion

A historical and theoretical introduction to the philosophical study of religion. Questions to be explored include, but are not limited to, “what is the relationship between faith and reason?”, “who or what is god and does such a being exist?”, “how can evil exist in a divinely-created world?”, and “what is the nature and justification of religious experience?”.

2823 Philosophy of Sex, Love, and Friendship

This course provides an introduction to the philosophy of sex, love, and friendship from both a theoretical and historical perspective. Particular topics to be discussed include, but are not limited to, the existence and nature of love, the complexities of human sexuality, and the ideal and practical realities of friendship.

 

Advanced Courses 

Prerequisites: 3 hours of prior PHIL coursework or permission of coordinator

3033 Ancient Philosophy

A historical and theoretical survey of the key thinkers and philosophical theories of ancient Greece. Figures to be covered include the Presocratics, Plato, and Aristotle.

3103 Philosophy of Art

A historical and theoretical introduction to aesthetics through an examination and critical analysis of key thinkers and theories in the tradition. Questions to be explored include, but are not limited to, "What is art?," "Why do human beings create art, and what is its relationship to philosophy and the pursuit of truth?," and "What is beauty, and what is its relationship to nature and art?"

3133 Continental Philosophy

A historical and theoretical survey of European philosophy from 1900 to the present. Movements to be covered include phenomenology, existentialism, Marxism, poststructuralism, and feminism.

3233 Early Modern Philosophy

A historical and theoretical survey of the key thinkers and philosophical theories of the seventeen and eighteenth centuries. Figures to be covered include Descartes, Spinoza, Locke, Leibniz, Hume, and Kant.

3333 Nineteenth Century Philosophy

A historical and theoretical survey of the key thinkers and philosophical theories of the nineteenth century. Figures to be covered include Hegel, Marx, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche.

3433 Existentialism

A historical and theoretical survey of the key thinkers and ideas in existential philosophy from the nineteenth century to present. Figures to be covered include Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, Camus, and de Beauvoir.

3533 Special Topics in Philosophy

Specialized studies in philosophy. May be repeated when topics vary.

4933 Independent Study

Individual directed readings, with approval of philosophy advisor or consent of chair.

May be repeated once for credit when topics vary.