PHIL 10100-01,02 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY 1 HU LA
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Craig Duncan, Park Hall 233, Ext. 43580, cduncan@ithaca.edu.
ENROLLMENT: 25 per section.
OBJECTIVES: To introduce students to basic philosophical methods and problems. Topics to be covered include the existence/nonexistence of God, the foundations of knowledge, free will, personal identity, and theories of moral obligation.
STUDENTS: Any.
FORMAT AND STYLE: Lecture and discussion.
PHIL 10100-03,04 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY 1 HU LA
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Brendan Murday, Park Hall 235, Ext. 47029, bmurday@ithaca.edu.
ENROLLMENT: 25 per section.
OBJECTIVES: Introduction to philosophy that focuses on perennial philosophical problems, such as: the existence of God, the possibility of knowledge, the relation of the mind to the body, criteria for survival over time, the compatibility of freedom and determinism, and the relation between freedom and moral responsibility, utilizing primarily contemporary readings.
FORMAT AND STYLE: Class discussion.
REQUIREMENTS: Three exams or papers; class participation.
GRADING: A-F.
PHIL 10100-05,06 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY 1 HU LA
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Jonathan Peeters, Park Hall 240, Ext. 4-3077, jpeeters@ithaca.edu.
ENROLLMENT: 25 per section.
OBJECTIVES: This course will focus on perennial philosophical problems including (among others): (1) Does God exist? (2) What is the extent and possibility of knowledge? (3) What ought we to do? We will read mostly contemporary philosophical works.
FORMAT AND STYLE: The class will be comprised of lecture with significant amounts of time devoted to discussion. The focus is on learning analytical philosophical skills.
REQUIREMENTS: Attendance, reading/reading guides, term paper, exams.
PHIL 10100-07 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY 1 HU LA
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Tatiana Patrone, Park Hall 239, Ext. 47347, tpatrone@ithaca.edu.
ENROLLMENT: 25.
OBJECTIVES: This course is meant to acquaint you with some important answers which philosophers have given to questions such as: What are the limits of human knowledge? Can we prove (or disprove) that God exists? How are our minds related to our bodies? Can we justify the belief in personal identity? Second, the course is intended to help you acquire the intellectual skills needed to understand and evaluate such questions and their answers. You will learn how to read, understand, and assess philosophical texts, and how to produce both critical and constructive philosophical arguments.
STUDENTS: Interested students of all disciplines are welcome.
FORMAT AND STYLE: Short lectures, class discussion, group-work.
REQUIREMENTS: A short paper, midterm, final, and a set of pop-quizzes.
GRADING: Based on the above requirements, attendance, participation, contribution to Blackboard discussion board.
PHIL 20100-01 PLATO & ARISTOTLE HU LA
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Robert Klee, Park Hall 236, Ext. 4-1276, klee@ithaca.edu.
ENROLLMENT: 25.
PREREQUISITE: One course in humanities, social sciences, or science.
OBJECTIVES: This course introduces students to the works of the two most influential founders of the western tradition in philosophy. Students will also study selected pre-Socratic philosophers as a necessary background to the study of Plato and Aristotle. Course texts will include selections from the Dialogues of Plato, the surviving works of Aristotle, and the fragments of the pre-Socratics.
STUDENTS: Any who meet the prerequisite.
FORMAT AND STYLE: Lecture and discussion.
PHIL 20300-01 INTRODUCTION TO LOGIC 2b LA NS
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Brendan Murday, Park Hall 235, Ext. 47029, bmurday@ithaca.edu.
ENROLLMENT: 25.
PREREQUISITE: One course in the humanities, sciences, or mathematics.
OBJECTIVES: Study the translation between English sentences and logical notation, the logic of truth functions, and proofs in sentential and predicate logic.
FORMAT AND STYLE: Lecture with homework problems.
REQUIREMENTS: Five exams.
GRADING: A-F.
PHIL 20300-02,03 INTRODUCTION TO LOGIC 2b LA NS
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Robert Klee, Park Hall 236, Ext. 41276, klee@ithaca.edu.
ENROLLMENT: 25 per section.
PREREQUISITES: One course in the humanities, sciences, or mathematics.
OBJECTIVES: To introduce the students to the fundamentals of formal reasoning.
STUDENTS: Any
REQUIREMENTS: Four exams
PHIL 21200-01 INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS 1 HU LA
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Frederik Kaufman, Park Hall 238, Ext. 41260, kaufmanf@ithaca.edu.
ENROLLMENT: 25.
PREREQUISITES: One course in humanities or social sciences.
DESCRIPTION: Introduction to the problems and theories of normative and critical ethics. Readings are selected from both classical and contemporary sources. We will consider a wide range of contemporary moral issues, such as abortion, war, capital punishment, the treatment of animals, and aid to the needy.
OBJECTIVES: 1. To learn about the main theories and issues in moral philosophy. 2. To engage in critical inquiry on some practical moral questions. 3. To become more reflective and systematic moral deliberators.
FORMAT AND STYLE: Lecture/discussion.
REQUIREMENTS: 4 quizzes, final exam, reports, short papers, class participation expected.
GRADING: Traditional.
PHIL 21200-02 INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS 1 HU LA
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Jonathan Peeters, Park Hall 240, Ext. 4-3077, jpeeters@ithaca.edu.
ENROLLMENT: 25.
PREREQUISITE: One course in humanities or social sciences.
OBJECTIVES: This course will focus almost entirely on ethical theory. We will be trying to determine what makes certain actions permissible and other actions impermissible.
FORMAT AND STYLE: The class will be comprised of lecture with significant amounts of time devoted to discussion. The focus is on learning analytical philosophical skills.
REQUIREMENTS: Attendance, reading/reading guides, research paper, exams.
PHIL 23000-01,02 BIOETHICS 1 HU LA
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Tatiana Patrone, Park Hall 239, Ext. 47347, tpatrone@ithaca.edu.
ENROLLMENT: 25 per section.
PREREQUISITE: Sophomore standing or above.
OBJECTIVES: This is an introductory course in biomedical ethics. The developments in biomedical science that occurred in the course of the XX century have opened the door to some important philosophical problems: When – if at all – is it morally appropriate to terminate a pregnancy? Are doctors morally justified in helping patients to end their lives? Is it morally permissible to change the genetic make-up of our children? Is cloning morally objectionable? To what extent should the state be allowed to legislate over issues such as these? The course in bioethics is meant to acquaint you with some key arguments, perspectives, ideas, and positions that philosophers have developed concerning these questions. While the course does not promise to give simple answers to these questions, it will aim at helping you to acquire the philosophical skills necessary to develop such answers. You will learn how to read and to understand philosophical texts dealing with issues in bioethics, how to parse and to assess philosophical arguments, and how to come up with both critical and constructive arguments of your own.
FORMAT AND STYLE: Lecture, discussion, group-work/ group-presentation, formal debate.
REQUIREMENTS: Two exams (midterm and the final), research paper (10 pages long), weekly contributions to Blackboard discussion board.
GRADING: Based on the above requirements; attendance and participation will be taken into consideration.
PHIL 26500-01 PHILOSOPHICAL PROBLEMS IN LAW HU LA
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Craig Duncan, Park Hall 233, Ext. 43580, cduncan@ithaca.edu.
ENROLLMENT: 25.
PREREQUISITES: One course in philosophy.
OBJECTIVES: Examination and evaluation of basic practices and principles of law, focusing on such topics as the nature of law and extent of legal liability; competing theories of constitutional interpretation; and the justification of punishment, including capital punishment. Examination of prominent legal cases and their underlying principles. Emphasis on philosophical analysis and moral evaluation.
STUDENTS: All who meet the prerequisite are welcome.
FORMAT AND STYLE: Lecture, and discussion.
REQUIREMENTS: Papers, exams, in-class debates.
GRADING: Traditional.
PHIL 28300-01,02 INTRODUCTION TO BUDDHISM 1 g h HU LA
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Brian Karafin, Park Hall 241, Ext. 41585, karafin@ithaca.edu.
ENROLLMENT: 25 per section.
PREREQUISITE: One course in the humanities or social sciences.
OBJECTIVES: An historical and cultural inquiry into the major themes of Buddhism, from the teachings of the historical Buddha to applications of Buddhist teachings and practices in contemporary life. Please note: PHIL 28300 is cross-listed with RLST 28300. Students may not earn credit for both PHIL 28300 and RLST 28300.
STUDENTS: Anyone with interest.
FORMAT AND STYLE: Lectures, discussions, films.
REQUIREMENTS: Readings may include:
Damien Keown, Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction
Pankaj Mishra, An End to Suffering
Shantideva, The Bodhisattvacaryaavatara
Stephanie Kaza, Hooked
Jack Kornfield, The Wise Heart
GRADING: Journals and two exams.
PHIL 31100-01 PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION HU LA
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Jonathan Peeters, Park Hall 240, Ext. 4-3077, jpeeters@ithaca.edu.
ENROLLMENT: 15.
PREREQUISITES: Two courses in philosophy, with at least one at the 200 level.
OBJECTIVES: This course will focus on critically examining the doctrines that are commonly thought to comprise religious belief. We will be looking both at arguments in favor of believing those doctrines and arguments against those doctrines. Topics to be covered are likely to include: (1) The properties of God; (2) Arguments for and against the existence of God; (3) Faith; and (4) Religious Pluralism. Please note: PHIL 31100 is cross-listed with RLST 31100. Students may not earn credit for both PHIL 31100 and RLST 31100.
FORMAT AND STYLE: This class will be very heavily lecture based. Individual classes will mostly be focused on running through arguments, objections to those arguments and responses to those objections. The focus is on working through topics in the philosophy of religion in the contemporary style of analytic philosophy.
REQUIREMENTS: Attendance, reading, a research paper, essay exams.
PHIL 32100-01 SYMBOLIC LOGIC LA NS
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Robert Klee, Park Hall 236, Ext. 41276, klee@ithaca.edu.
ENROLLMENT: 15.
PREREQUISITES: PHIL 20300 or MATH 26000
OBJECTIVES: This course is a survey of the fundamentals of modern symbolic logic. The course begins with propositional logic, and moves through first-order (quantificational) logic, with multiple quantifiers, relations and identity. A truth-tree proof system is used both for propositional logic and for predicate logic (first-order). Elementary metatheory will be covered--students will learn completeness and adequacy proofs for truth-tree proof systems of propositional logic (and possibly, if time permits, predicate logic). Selected remaining issues in logical meatheory--undecidability and incompleteness--will be introduced conceptually but will involve no formal metaproofs.
STUDENTS: Any who meet the prerequisites.
FORMAT AND STYLE: Lecture, discussion, and exercises.
REQUIREMENTS: Four exams.
PHIL 35200-01 MORAL PHILOSOPHY HU LA
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Craig Duncan, Park Hall 233, Ext. 43580, cduncan@ithaca.edu.
ENROLLMENT: 15.
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisites: PHIL 21200, PHIL 23000, or PHIL 25000, or two courses in philosophy and one additional course in the humanities.
OBJECTIVES: This course will be an examination of competing theories in metaethics. It will examine debates regarding how best to define words like "good" and "right," whether moral judgments can be objective (rather than being merely a matter of taste relative to an individual or culture), whether moral facts or properties exist, and how we might come to possess knowledge of such facts if they exist. Theories to be studied include ethical naturalism and non-naturalism, non-cognitivism, error theory, and constitutivism. Required texts: (1) Alexander Miller, An Introduction to Contemporary Metaethics (Polity Press, 2003); and (2) Russ Shafer-Landau and Terence Cuneo, Foundations of Ethics (Blackwell, 2007). Students should come to the first day of class having read pp. 1-25 of the Miller text and pp. 465-73 of the Shafer-Landau and Cuneo text.
STUDENTS: All who meet the prerequisite are welcome.
FORMAT AND STYLE: Weekly seminar meetings; emphasis on discussion with the occasional lecture.
REQUIREMENTS: Papers and exams
GRADING: Traditional.
PHIL 37500-01 KANT HU LA
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Tatiana Patrone, Park Hall 239, Ext. 47347, tpatrone@ithaca.edu.
ENROLLMENT: 15.
PREREQUISITE: One course in philosophy; two additional courses in the humanities and/or social sciences.
OBJECTIVES: This is an advanced course in history of philosophy that will focus on the works of Immanuel Kant. Two thirds of the semester will be dedicated to reading Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason and the remaining part of the term will deal with his practical (moral) philosophy as it is developed in the Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals and in the Critique of Practical Reason. The course will involve close reading of the primary texts and of contemporary secondary literature on Kant.
STUDENTS: Some background in history of philosophy would be helpful (especially in Early Modern Thought, e.g., Descartes, Hume, Leibniz, or Locke).
FORMAT AND STYLE: Seminar setting.
REQUIREMENTS: A short (5-6) paper on Kant’s first Critique; a longer (10-15) research paper on any topic of the student’s choice (within Kant’s corpus); cumulative final exam; weekly Blackboard postings.
GRADING: Based on the above requirements; attendance and participation will be taken into consideration.
PHIL 37600-01 THEORIES OF KNOWLEDGE HU LA
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Brendan Murday, Park Hall 235, Ext. 47029, bmurday@ithaca.edu.
ENROLLMENT: 15.
PREREQUISITES: One course in philosophy; two additional courses in the humanities and/or social sciences.
OBJECTIVES: Engage in contemporary philosophical debates about knowledge, such as: What is required to have a justified belief? What does it mean to know something? When should we believe what we’re told by others? Do we know what we know?
FORMAT AND STYLE: Discussion/lecture.
REQUIREMENTS: Papers and participation.
GRADING: A-F.
PHIL 37601-01 HUMAN NATURE HU LA
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Frederik Kaufman, Park Hall 238, Ext. 41260, kaufmanf@ithaca.edu.
ENROLLMENT: 15.
PREREQUISITE: One course in philosophy; two additional courses in the humanities and/or social sciences.
DESCRIPTION: In a fundamental sense, we do not understand ourselves at all. What does it mean to be a human being? This perennial and troubling question is variously answered by different thinkers, cultures, and belief systems around the world. The great religious traditions each incorporate a particular conception of humanity, declaring us essentially spiritual beings. Alternatively, secular accounts of humanity hold that we are natural beings, subject to the causal forces of this world just like any other aspect of nature. But we are not mere animals: we construct cultures and economies; we can reason, conceptualize, and we have a moral sense. How do these elements fit into our nature? Are we mere products of our surroundings, or can we live authentic lives based on free choice? This course will be a philosophical examination of humanity's differing conceptions of itself.
OBJECTIVES: 1. To critically examine historically and philosophically significant conceptions of human nature. 2. To develop a reflective sense of one's own humanity.
FORMAT AND STYLE: traditional lecture/discussion.
REQUIREMENTS: weekly written assignments, two philosophy papers, reports, class participation.
GRADING: Traditional.
