Philosophy Courses

314-10100 Introduction to Philosophy   HU LA 1a

Introduction to philosophy that focuses on perennial philosophical problems such as the relation of the mind to the body, the possibility of truth and objectivity, the purpose of human life, and the existence of God. 3 credits. (F-S,Y)

314-10200 Introduction to Philosophy: Greek Foundations   HU LA

Introduction to philosophy through the study of Greek thought as the foundation of the Western philosophical tradition. Covers the pre-Socratics, Plato, and Aristotle. 3 credits. (F,Y)

314-15100 Reasoning   HU LA 2b

Introduction to the techniques of organized thinking. Focuses on three areas: (1) the analysis and evaluation of passages that contain reasoning; (2) the fundamentals of logic; and (3) problem solving by deduction. The first two areas serve to increase the student's comprehension of argumentative discourse. The third involves the marshaling of facts and data to arrive at conclusions. 3 credits. (F-S,Y)

314-17500, 314-17600 Selected Topics in Philosophy   HU LA

Topics to be determined according to teacher and student interest. May be repeated for credit for selected topics on different subjects. 3 credits. (IRR)

314-20100 Plato and Aristotle   HU LA

Study of selected texts and ideas of the founders of classical western philosophy. Texts include selected dialogues of Plato and selections from Aristotle's writings, including the Metaphysics and Nichomachean Ethics. Prerequisites: One course in humanities, social sciences, or science. 3 credits. (E)

314-20300 Introduction to Logic   NS LA 2b

Covers the traditional logic of the syllogism and the logic of truth functions. Prerequisites: One course in the humanities, sciences, or mathematics. 3 credits. (Y)

314-20500 Theories of Love   HU LA

Examination of classical and recent theories of love from a theoretical and critical point of view, including a discussion of platonic, romantic, and Christian concepts of love, as well as the feminist critique of the ideological function of romantic love. Prerequisites: One course in the humanities or social sciences. 3 credits. (O)

314-20600 The Problem of Evil   HU LA

Considers explanations for physical and moral evil: the religious view, that all evil serves a divine purpose; the existentialist view, that moral evil results from a lack of authentic purpose; and the sociological view, that some categories of good and evil reflect basic social-political relations in a given society, with emphasis on images of women as evil or potentially dangerous and destructive. Prerequisites: One course in the humanities or social sciences. 3 credits. (Y)

314-20800 Subjectivity, Objectivity, and Truth   HU LA

Introduction to selected problems and positions in epistemology, with particular emphasis on the sociology of knowledge, phenomenology, structuralism, semiotics, rhetoric, and theories of interpretation and analysis. Prerequisites: One course in the humanities or social sciences. 3 credits. (IRR)

314-20900 Reason, Religion, and God: Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion   HU LA 1a

Philosophical reflection on the nature and functions of religion and on different conceptions of God, with special attention to reasons for thinking that there is or is not a God, and to related topics such as creation, evolution, miracles, revelation, religious experience, and life after death. Prerequisites: One course in the humanities or social sciences. 3 credits. (Y)

314-21000 Freedom, Authority, and Responsibility   HU LA

Analysis of the meaning of freedom as a social, political, and psychological phenomenon, and a clarification of the relation of freedom to concepts of authority and responsibility. Prerequisites: One course in the humanities or social sciences. 3 credits. (E)

314-21200 Introduction to Ethics   HU LA 1a

Introduction to the problems and theories of normative and critical ethics. Readings selected from the writings of Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Epictetus, Kant, Mill, Nietzsche, Moore, Dewey, and Sartre. Prerequisites: One course in humanities or social sciences. 3 credits. (Y)

314-22000 Political Philosophy   HU LA 1b

Introduction to the central questions of political philosophy. Topics include the disputed necessity of a political authority; various attempts to justify a political obligation to comply with the demands of the state; an examination of the merits and weaknesses of democracy as a legitimate form of governing; the proper scope of a right to liberty within a democratic society; and questions of distributive justice, including the justice of redistribution of wealth to rectify large social inequities. Prerequisites: One course in the humanities or social sciences; sophomore standing. 3 credits. (IRR)

314-22300 Introduction to the Philosophy of Art   HU LA

Analysis of the problem of defining art, examination of criteria used to evaluate artworks, illustration of Langer's principles of art, and consideration of avant-garde and Marxist views of art. Prerequisites: One course in the humanities or social sciences. 3 credits. (Y)

314-22500 Science and Pseudoscience   HU LA

Examination of selected issues concerning scientific methodology and the demarcation of genuine science from phony science (pseudoscience). Issues include the role of observational evidence in confirmation and disconfirmation of scientific hypotheses, properties a hypothesis must have to be empirical and therefore refutable, and the ways scientific explanation differs from nonscientific explanations. Students learn how to distinguish legitimate science from nonscientific belief systems that attempt to pass as science in the eyes of the public. Prerequisites: One course in philosophy; one course of 303-xxxxx, 304-xxxxx, 315-xxxxx, 330-xxxxx, or 339-xxxxx. 3 credits. (E)

314-23000 Medical Ethics   HU LA 1a

Medical ethics focuses on the moral issues that arise in a medical setting, broadly conceived. It is an attempt to give a reasoned account of the principles and problems involved in often agonizing medical decisions. Topics for consideration include abortion, euthanasia, surrogate parenthood, patient rights, human experimentation, and the allocation of scarce medical resources. Prerequisites: Sophomore standing or above. 3 credits. (F-S)

314-24000 Philosophy in Film   HU LA 1a

Exploration of various philosophical issues conveyed in film. The course uses the narratives in film to illustrate various philosophical issues and offers philosophical reflection as an interpretive medium to understand films. Prerequisites: One course in the humanities or 222-10100; sophomore standing. 3 credits. (Y)

314-25000 Environmental Ethics   HU LA 1a

A critical examination of various moral problems raised when considering environmental issues. Questions regarding the moral status of animals, future generations, and the environment as a whole are explored. Also taken up are the moral aspects of famine relief, population control, and resource use. These issues, and others, generate challenging and fundamental questions of moral philosophy: What is the basis of obligation? Do animals have rights? What does it mean to say something is intrinsically valuable? Prerequisites: Sophomore standing or above. 3 credits. (F)

314-26500 Philosophical Problems in Law   HU LA

Examination and evaluation of basic practices and principles of law, focusing on such topics as the nature and extent of legal liability; "Good Samaritan" laws and the legal enforcement of community moral standards; and the justification of punishment, including capital punishment. Examination of prominent legal cases and their underlying principles. Emphasis on philosophical analysis and moral evaluation. Prerequisites: One course in philosophy. 3 credits. (Y)

314-27500, 314-27600 Selected Topics in Philosophy   HU LA

Topics to be determined according to teacher and student interest. This course may be repeated for credit for selected topics on different subjects. Prerequisites: One course in the humanities or social sciences. 3 credits. (IRR)

314-28300 Introduction to Buddhism   HU LA 1b, h, g

Study of the life and teaching of Gautama Buddha and of the development of Theravada Buddhism in Southeast Asia and Mahayana Buddhism in the Far East. Reading and discussion of the Buddhist scriptures and Zen writings. Prerequisites: One course in the humanities or social sciences. 3 credits. (E)

314-29700 Tradition, Education, and Revolution   HU LA

A study, based primarily on the educational philosophy of Paulo Freire, of the relationship of formal education to cultural stability and to change. Analyzes the assumptions about human life and society implicit in educational theories, and studies the relationship between specific human goals and methods of education. Designed for people interested in any form or level of education or in community organizing. Prerequisites: One course in the humanities or social sciences. 3 credits. (IRR)

314-30100 Seventeenth-Century Philosophy   HU LA

Study of early British empiricism and continental rationalism with emphasis on the works of Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz. Prerequisites: One course in philosophy and two additional courses in the humanities and/or social sciences. 3 credits. (O)

314-30200 Eighteenth-Century Philosophy   HU LA

Study of Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant. Prerequisites: One course in philosophy and two additional courses in the humanities and/or social sciences. 3 credits. (E)

314-31100 Philosophy of Religion   HU LA

Study and discussion of a broad range of issues in philosophy of religion, such as religious epistemology, the ontological argument, the cosmological argument, the teleological argument, religion and science, and the problem of evil. Primary source readings. Prerequisites: 314-20900/344-20900 or two courses in philosophy, at least one at level 2. 3 credits. (Y)

314-31300 Marxist Philosophy   HU LA

Analysis of the basic elements of Marx's philosophy: dialectical materialism, economic determinism, ethical relativism, ideology and science, and the thesis of class struggle and exploitation. Examines how these concepts might be applied to contemporary capitalist development. Seminar. Prerequisites: One course in philosophy and two additional courses in the humanities and/or social sciences. 3 credits. (O)

314-32100 Symbolic Logic   NS LA

A continuation of 314-20300 Introduction to Logic. Logical techniques instrumental to the development of 20th-century philosophy: truth-functional analysis, quantification, the logic of relations, definite descriptions, modal logic, etc. Prerequisites: Junior standing or 314-20300 or 313-26000. 3 credits. (Y)

314-32400 Seminar in the Philosophy of Symbolism   HU LA

Analysis of semantic and pragmatic structures in natural language, art, and myth. Deals with material from linguistics, psycholinguistics, and anthropology as well as with philosophical positions and arguments. Prerequisites: One course in philosophy and two additional courses in the humanities and/or social sciences. 3 credits. (IRR)

314-32500 Philosophy of Public Policy   HU LA

Critical analysis of the alternative ways that criteria of "efficiency, adequacy, and equity" are interpreted and applied to evaluation of some basic questions in public policy. These differences are linked to different economic models (neoclassical, institutional, and socialist). Applications include at least some of the following issues: comparable worth, for-profit health care, plant-closing legislation, cost-benefit analysis of risk, growth of part-time and "leased" non-unionized employees. Prerequisites: One course in philosophy and two additional courses in humanities and/or social science. It is recommended that students taking this course have taken 306-12100 Principles of Macroeconomics, or comparable courses in politics, business, or administration. 3 credits. (O)

314-32600 Seminar in Aesthetics   HU LA

Examination of traditional and contemporary aesthetic concepts such as empathy, psychic distance, the beautiful and the sublime, and expressive form, with special attention to the nature of aesthetic responsiveness and judgment, and the kind of meaning to be found in art. Prerequisites: A background in philosophy or the arts including three courses in the humanities or the fine arts. 3 credits. (E)

314-35000 Philosophy of Science   HU LA

A comprehensive survey of issues in the philosophical foundations of science. Topics include the structure and function of scientific theories; the dispute over the existence or nonexistence of theoretical entities; reductionism and antireductionism; laws of nature and models of scientific explanation; Kuhn and historicist models of science; the realism/antirealism dispute over the philosophical implications of scientific theories. Prerequisites: 314-20300; one course from 303-xxxxx, 304-xxxxx, 315-xxxxx, 330-xxxxx, 331-xxxxx, or 339-xxxxx. 3 credits. (O)

314-35200 Moral Philosophy   HU LA

Critical exploration of foundational issues in metaethics and normative ethical theory. Topics for consideration will include moral relativism, moral realism, morality, and self-interest along with utilitarian, deontological, natural law, and contractarian theories of ethics. Moral concepts such as rights, duty, and value will also be considered. Readings will be from both classical and contemporary sources. Prerequisites: Either one of the following: 314-21200, 314-23000, 314-25000, or two courses in philosophy and one additional course in the humanities. 3 credits. (S)

314-35500 Metaphysics   HU LA 1a

Metaphysics is the philosophical investigation into the ultimate nature of reality. This course examines issues and answers in traditional and contemporary metaphysics. Topics include personal identity, causality, determinism, essence and accident, mind and matter, the nature of God. Prerequisites: One level-2 course in philosophy and two additional courses in the humanities. 3 credits. (IRR)

314-36000 Philosophy of Mind   HU LA 1a

The distinctive feature of human beings that has been traditionally held to separate us from the rest of the universe is our supposed possession of a special thing/capacity called "mind." In this course we investigate what kind of thing (or "non-thing") the mind is, what relation it has to bodily behavior, and how and why the mind has the extraordinary ability to represent the world truly or falsely. Topics include such questions as: Is the mind physical or nonphysical? What is a mental state? What kinds of beings can possess minds? Prerequisites: One course in philosophy, one course in psychology (excluding 330-10000), and one additional course in the humanities or social sciences. 3 credits. (IRR)

314-37500, 314-37600 Selected Topics in Philosophy   HU LA

Topics to be determined according to student and teacher interest, with primary focus on a problem or a person. May be repeated for credit for selected topics on different subjects. Prerequisites: One course in philosophy and two additional courses in the humanities and/or social sciences. 1-4 credits per semester, to be arranged. (IRR)

314-38100 Nineteenth-Century Philosophy   HU LA

Major philosophical movements in the 19th century. Emphasis on selections from the works of Hegel, Mill, Marx, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche. Prerequisites: One course in philosophy and two additional courses in the humanities and/or social sciences. 3 credits. (E)

314-38200 Twentieth-Century Philosophy   HU LA

Contemporary thought, including pragmatism, logical positivism, phenomenology, existentialism, Marxism, and analytic philosophy. Prerequisites: One course in philosophy and two additional courses in the humanities and/or social sciences. 3 credits. (O)

314-38600 Philosophy in Literature   HU LA

Exercise in conceptualizing philosophical themes as found in a group of selected novellas, novels, and plays by such authors as Dostoyevski, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Kafka, Gide, Beckett, Camus, and Sartre. Seminar. Prerequisites: One course in philosophy and two additional courses in the humanities and/or social sciences and permission of instructor. 3 credits. (O)

314-39100, 314-39200 or 314-49100, 314-49200 Independent Study in Philosophy   U LA

Study or research project of the student's own devising. Minimal consultation with professor; final projects evaluated by professor. Offered on demand only. May be repeated for credit for different projects. Prerequisites: Permission of instructor, one course in philosophy, and two additional courses in the humanities and/or social sciences. 1-4 credits, depending on instructor and student interest. (IRR)

314-39300, 314-39400 or 314-49300, 314-49400 Tutorial in Philosophy   U LA

Work by student and teacher on a problem or project of interest to both. Prerequisites: One course in philosophy, two additional courses in the humanities and/or social sciences, and permission of instructor. 1-4 credits, depending on instructor and student interest. Can be repeated for credit. (IRR)

314-49500, 314-49600 Philosophy Seminar   HU LA

Small-group study of a topic not otherwise offered in the curriculum or not offered at the same level. Prerequisites: One course in philosophy, two additional courses in the humanities and/or social sciences; permission of instructor. 1-4 credits depending on instructor and student interest. May be repeated for credit. (IRR)