Fall 2008 Philosophy Courses

IMPORTANT NOTICE:  200-level courses are without prerequisites and open to first year students. 300-level courses presume some previous exposure to philosophy or a related field of study. If there is any question in your mind about whether you have the right background for any particular philosophy course, talk to the instructor before you enroll.

Philosophy 220 – Contemporary Moral Issues (1 unit)
Four sections: MWF 9:20-10:10, 11:30-12:20, 1:35-2:25 – Stedman; 10:25-11:15 – McCormick
This is an introductory level course concerned with contemporary, controversial, moral issues. We will examine and evaluate a variety of views about such issues as the justice of war, capital punishment, same-sex marriages, and euthanasia. No previous background in philosophy is required, but participants should have an interest in thinking critically about how we live.

Philosophy 239 – Existentialism and Post Modern Philosophy (1 unit)
TR  9:45-11:00 – McWhorter
This course is a survey of themes in twentieth-century existentialist and postmodern philosophy. Issues to be addressed include freedom, selfhood, embodiment and historical situation, and knowledge in the absence of transcendence. Students will read works by such thinkers as Heidegger, Sartre, Beauvoir, Levinas, Foucault, Badiou, and others.

Philosophy 251 – Elementary Symbolic Logic (1 unit)
Two sections: MWF 10:25-11:15 and 1:35-2:25 – Goddu
A non-mathematical introduction to symbolic reasoning: translating deductive arguments from English into a symbolic language, and demonstrating which ones are good (valid) and which ones are bad (invalid). Working with truth tables, formal rules of substitution and inference, and simple quantifiers, the course covers both sentence logic (If P then q, etc.) and class logic (All S are P, etc.). Frequent written homework, at least two midterm tests and a final examination. Grades will be based on performance. The techniques learned transfer readily to technical tasks such as programming, analyzing contracts, getting ready for the LSAT and debating, and also to everyday tasks such as understanding what one reads, arguing with authority figures, and evaluating editorials, sermons, advertisements and political speeches.  Satisfies the General Education Requirement in Symbolic Reasoning.

Philosophy 271 – Ancient Greek Philosophy (1 unit)
Two sections: TR 12:45-2:00 and 2:15-3:30 – Schauber
An introduction to ancient Western philosophy, with special attention to Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Includes one-hour lab. Satisfies the General Education Requirement in Historical Analysis.

Philosophy 353 – Philosophical Methods: Majors and Minors Seminar (1 unit)
TR 12:45-2:00 – Goddu
This course is required of all philosophy majors and limited to philosophy majors and minors.  Its main purpose is the development of philosophical skills related to critical reading, writing, and evaluation.  For example, we will work on extracting the author's goal, overall strategy for achieving that goal, and specific arguments, from a wide variety of philosophical texts.   In general, we will closely read, discuss, and argue the merits of numerous writings with a wide array of content, including the very nature of philosophy itself.  Seminar format. Departmental permission required.

Philosophy 360 – Ethics (1 unit)
TR 2:15-3:30 – Stedman
This course is a survey of contemporary ethical theory.  We’ll begin by considering some questions regarding the status of morality, such as whether it is objective or subjective, or grounded in reason or human sentiment.  We will also consider how moral and ethical claims might be justified, and whether we can make sense of the notion of moral knowledge.  After addressing these foundational or so-called metaethical issues, we will turn to a consideration of normative ethical theories (such as utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics), which attempt to identify the conditions under which an action is right or wrong, a thing or state of affairs is good or bad, and a person or agent is virtuous or vicious.  We will also consider the relation between morality and self-interest, along with the issue of free will and determinism and its relation to moral responsibility.  Virtually all readings for the course will be taken from the anthology, Ethical Theory, edited by Russ Shafer-Landau (Blackwell Publishers, 2007).

Philosophy 380-01 – Topics Seminar: States, Justice, and Authority (1 unit)
TR 11:15-12:30 – Simmons, NEH distinguished visiting professor
This class will explore several of the most fundamental questions in political philosophy:  What (if anything) gives modern states the authority to command, tax, and punish us?  What makes social arrangements just?  Are democratic procedures necessary to establish either the authority or the justice of the modern state?  Is our world of many sovereign states a better form of social life than some (political or non-political) alternative? Readings will be from both classic and contemporary sources.

Philosophy 380-02 – Topics Seminar: Skepticism (1 unit)
MW 2:15-3:30 – McCormick
In this course we will examine a number of philosophers from the skeptical tradition. Skeptics question the possibility of knowledge as well as the power of reason. We will discuss the skeptical writings of, among others, Sextus Empiricus, Pierre Bayle, and David Hume. We will also discuss contemporary work on skepticism, examining a number of ways philosophers have attempted to refute or disarm skeptical arguments. Some of the questions that will concern us are the following: Can we know anything? How limited is our knowledge? Are there some domains where knowledge is impossible? What makes one belief more justified than another? Should reason always be our guide? What are the implications of accepting skeptical arguments? Will a skeptic’s life differ from a non-skeptic?  Pre-requisite: Two courses in philosophy or permission of the instructor.

Philosophy 390 – Independent Study
Limited to philosophy majors and minors. Departmental approval required.

Philosophy 395 – Honors Thesis
Limited to students enrolled in the philosophy honors program. Departmental approval required.